Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1850-01-09
HISTORY AND PRACTICE OF DUELLrNG.


There is no community which will better illus
trate the practice and extreme folly Ofduelling, than
the State of Kentucky. In the debates of the Ken
lucky Convention, we observe that some OF the
blest men there have arayed themselves aganst that
foolish as well as wicked practice. Among them
is the Hon. Ben Hardin, from whose speech we
extract the following correct account Of this extra
ordinary practice:
In the course of my readings as to the history Of
mankind, have turned my attention some little to
this subject and, sir, from the days of Nimrod the
mighty hunter Of Babylon, down to about three
hundred years agoI have not found single instance
where private, personal quarrel was settled by
duel In every case where there were personal
combats, they were for public and not private con-
sderations. The private combats before the walls
of Troy and the Walls ofJerusalem, were fought by
in each of the armies opposed TO each other, and
in behalf of each army. Such was the character OF
the case referred toby the gentleman. (Mr. Nutal y
between the three brothers of the H0ratii and the
Cuiati There the fate of the baltle.it was agreed,
should turn upon their success. There is no in
stance of the modern duel presented until we come
down to the time when Francis l., of France gave
the challenge 10 Charles ", King OF Spain and En-
pcror of Germany. There the practice took IFS or
|
why is t2 Because there is a notion, ridiculous
kind of opinion going abroad, invisible, intangible
and which no man can touch, called the code Of hon
or, which compels man to fight in certain cases.
Thus: do YOU want to kill me? No. Do want
10 kill you? No. But there is some imaginary In
sut-some supposed injury, and some sickly sensl-
bility feels itself nsulted, and asks for an expana-
tion. The man who is asked feels little too proud
10 give it, and the parties correspond little, and II
nally fght-and all about nothing.
We know that duelling does not stop killing inthe
streets, or assassination in the highways. No sir,
this is mistake, and nothing will stop it but sense
of certain, positive, and speedy punishment. And
how are we to stop the practice of duelllngl we
are to furnish men who are in doubt to point OF
honor, with competent apology for avoiding duel.
| That is all we want. There is not man in the
world ENJOYING health and who has friends and con-
nexiuns around him, that does not love life. Look
at the man in the last agonies Of death land see how
he clings to life. And why ? Because he loves life.
| And vet false notion of honor, or rather false
public opinion, will force the man in fine health TO
hazard his life to false notion ofhonor. Frederick
the Great of Prussia was one of the ablest and
bravest men who ever fought at the head of an ar
my, and yet what did he say TO the duelllst =! Why
that if a duel was fought, he would hang all con-
cerned in it, and if he could find out where was the
place of meeting, he would go there himself with
his hangman, and hang up the survivor without
trial. Has not Great Britain lately hung up several
men who killed others in duels. A Colonel Camp
bell there, killed man in duel, not long since,
and was hung And other instances might De men
toned
And Kentucky is the only country where no man
has ever been punished for giving. accepting, carry
/ in dt,pl
What nrOads nave Deen made in the family uf Alex,
Pope my old friend with who's" praeticed law until
he died, by the duelling propensities of those two
young men, Henry and Fountain Pope. One was
killed in Arkansas, and the other near Louisville,
without any cause, if the parties had understood
each other The parties fought at distance Of thir
ty yards, with shot guns. Did | not know, while
in Washington, Barron and Decaur,two of the first
men at that period in America, come up in mortal
array within sixteen feet Of each o;her because one
was rsighted and the rule was that both should
take deliberate sight before the word to fire was
given2 They both fired and fell with their heads
not ten feet apart from each other And before they
were taken from the ground each expected both to
die they spoke to each other, and reconciliation
took place. They blessed each other, and declared
that there was nothing between them. All that was
required 10 have prevented the meeting was an ex-
PLANTATION between them.
There was the case also Of McCarty and Mason,
own cousins. who fought one Of the most murderous
duels on record because M'Cary voting for another
man, Mason, being candidate, felt aggrieved, and
challenged his vote on the ground of not being
twenty-one M'Cary first proposed they should sit
over keg of powder and set fire to it, but Mason
declined. Next he proposed they should 90 to the
top of the capitol and hand in hand jump from the
parapet wall to the ground, distance ofninety feet
This Mason also declined. Then MCarty proposed
they should fight with muskets with three balls a
peice, which Mason accepted, and then they went
out and fought eight feet apart-about nothing
McCarty has told me that the duel was forced on
him by one of Mason's seconds. Such are the bloody
scenes which illustrate this code Of honor, as it is
styled.