The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-03-11
The Left.Handed Duel,
ANEcDoTE OF BRANCH T. ARCHER, OF TEX


Virginia lawyer of some note. Going to Powhatan
Courthouse on business, he accidentally met Gen.
Crump, small, sharp pfeatured gentleman, with
piercing dark eyes, thin lips, and nose like an
eagles beak was cool, sarcastic, and stingng as
wasp. There might be read the history OF dozen
duels in the sneer that writhed like snake in its
coil around the corners OF his mouth, as every
separate word issued through his teeth with
shrill and menacing hiss. He never seemed to
forget one instant that he the most famous
dead shot in Virginia. In conversation with
Crump about suit in which they were opposing
counses, the latter made offensive remarks or
nsinuatons, of which Mr.. Archer desired an
explanation
81 have explanation to make" said Crump,
and be set his keen eyes upon the other, as if he
would slay HIM with glance The look was
quasi murder.
Archer threw his entire soul into one stern sen.
tence-
:" Then demand of you TO retract the nsinua-
tlons you have made against my motive! "
=" shall add fifty more of the kind before I
retract that said Crump, with sneer, and
turning en- his heel, he remarked, I" am going to
my room at the hotel to wait for your communica-
| tion, if you have any for me.''
Col Archer's friends gathered in cluster around
him. entreating him that he would not sacrifice his
life to the bullet of duellist whose aim was sure
and deadly. But he would not be persuaded-he
| would punish Crump, or perish in the attempt A
formal challenge was soon passed and accepted,
and the meeting was arranged to transpire sun
rise the next morning, on the summit of hill two
| miles west OF Powhatan Courthouse AT the time
| and place designated, great throng collected to
witness the combat. Crump and Archer had both
arrived at daybreak, and sauted each other coldy
| through the pale haze of twilight With the go-
| den glimpse of the sum- the principals were sta
toned in position by their seconds and all hearts
| in the multitude vibrated with strange feelings,
almost fear, determined and deadly were the
countenances of the two foes, although the express
sions on their faces, individually, very differ
eht Crump's visage wore the scorching sneer of
devil, sure of his prey, but the blue eyes of Ar
cher seemed surcharged with the lightning of man.
| ly wrath. The word being given, the two pistols
roared simultaneously; Archers bullet grazed
| Crumps left temple, but his right arm fell
l shattered to his side
| Ha. | have winged my game ~ cried Crump,
| in tones of mocking triumph.
| Yes. but | have still wing remaining at
your service " shouted Archer, shaking his other
| arm in tie face of his enemy, and demanding an
| additional round.
Again the weapons of death were loaded, and
| the parties took their places. Archer must have
| been suffering an agony of pain. Beads of cold
water rolled from his flrehead the blood streamed
down from his wounded arm, and stood in puddles
| about his feet his features white marble
| white that he might have been mistaken for a
| ghost; and indeed, there appeared every reason
| to suppose that he would really be ghost at the
next explosion of Crump's pistol Yet he gave no
/
| ly in the face, he exclaimed
| General, you now have every advantage |
am forced, by necessity, to use my left hand, and if
| you were not coward, you would do the same"
Quick as thought, Crump changed the weapon
| from the right hand to the left, and Immediately
| the word to fire was repeated At the sound of
the pistols, both enemies fell Archer had tainted
from loss of blood, the effect Of his previous
wound, but Crump was shot through the heart!
THE ENGLIsH PEERAGE.-Il is a well known
fact that the natural tendency of aris'ocracies ii
to die ont. But few persons imagine how extreme
iy rapid this extinction is, If left unopposed-
There are at present about four hundred peersge
in England. OF these, 1t would be supposed al th,
first blush that half were guile ancient and tha
not few of that half reached back TO the Nor
man conquest But the is, that the oldes
peerage is scarcely ancient the reign of Henry
| The Seventh-while, of the entire four hundred
| two hundred and fifty were conferred during III,
reign of George the Third Two-lhrds OF thu
English nobility, therefore, have obtained thei
| titles since 1850.
We hear a great deal of the ancient Lineage
too, Of the British arislocracy. But the Dukedon
of Northumberland, the appanage of the Percies
is now enjoyed by a gentleman originally of th'
vulgar name of Smithson-thongh he has changed
it, 10 ne sure, 10 that of Percy, having married
the heiress Of that house The proudest Dukes o
England-sutli as Bucceugh, St. Albans, an,
oihers-derive their honors from their ancestors
who were illegtimate children of Charles th,
Second few, like the Marquises of Lansdown
and Normandy, are descended from respectable
mechanics-the former from clolhier, the latte
from Sir VIM Phipps, of Boston. The real oil
Norman ancestry is long since extinct. The Ne
ves more-they died with Warwick, Tn
| king maker. So, too, are the hundred of maile
barons who wrung Magma Charta from John
Successful lawyers, rich merchants, and larg
landed propretors, constitute the men ont of whor
English nobemen are made now a days. Th
material, however, is good, if not better, tha
I Al I-,,,.rl rl,,l., Iha., ,I, ,lJ
mysterious KNocKINGs."-A branch of tn
mysterious knocking family recently paid vis
to Lowell, and astonshed the people of that tow
with their exhibitions. The Lowell Courier give
the following amusing case of their spiritual reve
! lations:
"It seems that party of democrats and free
soiiers called upon them, to ascertain whe,he
J Sumner would be elected Senator. Having seate
themselves, with long faces, around the table,
communication was Immediately opened with II,
/, spirit of Andrew jackson. The answers were, fl
some time, extremely equivocal and unsatisfat
iory-but The moment the question was put whell
, | er Sumner would be elected, and whether N
spirit favored it, there was such a succession {
rappines almost 10 shake the building. III
: solemn looking and anxious enqurers around III
table, could hardly keep their places, and snppo
ing, of course, that the spirit of Old Hlcsor
would be delighted with the idea of electing
ree-soiler, they Immediately called for the aiph'
7 bet, and breathlessly waiting for the respons
+ spelled out the following: "By the Eternal
, you elect him, Pll be among you in the flesh
!, This unexpected answer, together with ano,h
II series of rumbling knockings in every direction
frightened the visitors, that they rushed out of Il
n house in great confusion, as though Old Hicko
q was in truth at their heels"
h MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE-It is many yea
N since we have felt ourselves called upon to reco
T. the marriage Of two such distinguished personag
" as the following the record find in the Wat
ID minnesota Territory Reveille, of the 18th Ja
ell and reads as follows:
Married-On the Sd instant, at Watab Gil
10 Maw-kee -ko- kee- waw- haw dauchy-kew, Esq,
n. Miss Wee-b -bun-kaw, daughter of Nav w-hee. ko
shay nav zhee-kaw,all of Wanalah county, Minr
sofa.
in "rhe editor participated in the feast, on Il
Mt occasion, and was presented with the hind-quar
.e of fine dog"
as as But, Mr.. J. M. Charkarak, didn't you kiss I
st sweet Mrs. Maw-kee kO- kee- waw- haw-daucl
I'd kew