The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1849-10-19
Life Of William Writ.

Lie Oh ~ tsIa3sh WIFI.
TIE DUEL BETWEEN DECATUR AND
BARRON.
u Is exl ec,cd that MIR. kcnncdy's IL ife
Of Wililn Writ" will be published by
Messrs. Lea g. Blanchard, OF Phllade phia
/ IN few days. We annex n short extract,
being letter from Mr.. Wltt relating To
The unfortunate duel betweeo Dlca.ur and
Barron.
TO JUDGE CARR.
" AsnINGToy, April 2, 1890.
! | thank you, my dear friend, for your
shurt Ieuer, which | would have sooner
answered bu, Tor causes beyond my control
Instead o! attempting TO give you an account
OF The quarrel between cur lameuted Deca.
'ur and Biron, propose 10 send you, in
this, copy Of their correspondence, which
Nc ate promised from the ln,ellgencer
press tomorrow. Decatur showed me
this correspondence. IN confidence, late las,
fall, 50 flr IS 1t had 'hen gone and used
every eiFari TO proven, the 6-h', which he
was very far from wishing 10 bfng On, bat
Which he considered rs forced upon him in
such a way tina, there was 10 avoiding it
bn, by dIsavowrg what lie had really SAID
aud thought oil Barron; and Of This need
not cay he vas Incapabl'. II" did not up.
prove % dualhug.
lie thea passed to Jiis Own case. Fight.
ing, ie SAID was his profession, and it would
be impossible for bun to keep his station
aud p esefye his resJcclahiihy wi,hou,
showing himself ady, al al umes, to an.
svet tic &C ! Of any cue "ho 3ole the name
Of gentleman.
Aier my return ffon B Itrore, | heard
nothing mere Of II, untl he was brought
home moually wounded aud then saw
him 10 more III he vas corpse. As |
seed rear him, alone, and locked at his
dead face, a'ked, as II siII was, with The
last traces Of his departed spirit, | could
not help saying" " bat is life, and what
all The 1 Tory tn:s world can eive?' Tie
solloqry is no, very novel orc, r.uo,.a.--
| have made i, IN common with others,
thousand tunes before, but never felt its
force Il. lhep; for never, al then had |
seen the corpse Ct such man. You knew
him, believe, only as hero. ought to
have made il ny business to bring you TO
know each other Individually. Could
have foreseen such an even, ss his, | would
have done so. But What good would 1t
have done II would have made you feel
his loss the more sensibly, for you you'd
have mourned, instead of merely amen,lpg,
The loss Of hero. They both fell a, the
shot. which wns SO simultaneous that the
report Of two pistols could no, be heard by
those no stood out Of sight, though close
within car-shot. This heard from Com.
modofe Poser, who was s,ansns thus with
Rodgers. He exclaimed Immediately
50 One Of them is killed for there is only
one shot" Very different was the scene
when be got to the grooLd. Decatur was
apparently shot dad; he revived after
while. and he and Barron held patley as
they lay on the ground. Doctor Washing.
ton, who go, up i.t then, says tina. i. re.
minded hn cftne closing scene of TRACE ,
ly-lianet aod Laertes. Barron pro.
posed tina, they should make friends before .
they mel 10 Heaven. ('or be supposed they
would both die 'nmedla,ely.) d catur said
he had never been his enemy, that be free.
ly forgh.e hin his death--lhoush be cou'd .
no, forgive hose who had Stimulated him
10 seek his !Ic. Ole report says that Bur
ron exclaimed, " Would to God YOU had
said thus much yesteFda, !" 1t is certain
That the patley vas friendly one, aud that
they parted in peace. Decatur knew he
" as 10 die, and his only sotro. was that he
had no, died in the service oil his country. 4
| Is believed that Barron will recover
though this is far from certain. The pa.
PETS Will tell you every thing as TO Deca
'uI's funeral procession, &c.
GIVE our love to your freside, for sup
pose this snnw has teache5 al least 10 WIN. (.
chester, And may Heaven bless you all
aud keep you warm and comfortable.
Your friend,
WILLIAM WRIT