Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-04-10

Upon our good old songs and wine,
| Like tunbeams from the past
FIGHTING FITZGERALD, THE CELEBRA-
| TED DUELLIST.
The records of Tyburn, or of Newgate, would
fail most certainly in affording anything approach
ing parallel to the worthlessness of the individ
ual who, in the last century achieved undying
fame, or rather infamy, and VINO was known as
Fighting Fitzgerald" BY birth and fortune a
gentleman, by profession soldier, he possessed
no one single attribute of either character: in
manners Extensively low and vulgar, in language
vituperatve, in habits gamester and a brawler,
the most noted duellist record, yet coward
at heart, this mposter exhibited in his career
such traits of conjoined ferocity and scoundrel-
ism as would put to the blush the most degraded
culprit in our criminal annals.
Of descent as illustrious as the nobest in Eu-
| rope, the great name he bore only deepened his
disgrace; and Fighting Htzgerald's" life stamps
with indelible truth the somewhat hacknied lines
of the poet, that
| ssNot all the blood of all the Towards
| Can ennoble knaves, Or fools, or cowards.''
| Fool, Fitzgerald was not, for he appears to
| have been a man of parts, but knave and coward
| both
| We will first trace him to his origin, to the
| noble house from which he sprung, to the lordly
and knightly lineage of his long descended race
| until we arrive at the revolving spectacle on the
scaffold. where he met his death at the hangman S
hands, bequeathing name to posterity doomed
| to Infamous immortality.
"Fighting Fitzgerald" was the eldest son of
George Fitzgerald, Esq, of Turlough, in the
county of Mayo, Ireland, military officer in
the service of Austria, by the Lady Mary Her.
of Frederick, fourth Earl of Bristol, Bishop of
Derry. His ancestors were an influential branch
of the proud house of Fitzgerald deriving its di-
rect descent from the Desmond line of that dis
tinguished family, and he himself married Miss
Connolly, sister Of the Hon. Thomas Connolly, and
cousin to the Duke of Leinster. With his lady
he received dowry of ten thousand pounds, a
fair fortune for the period, while his father set
tied upon him an income of one thousand bounds
| per annum.
Fitzgerald was brought up at Eton, finishing his
studies at the University of Dublin, and shortly
after was appointed to a commission in caval-
ry regiment, rising in time to the rank of cap
| tain.
In the course of his life he fought upwards of
twenty duels, killing or wounding no less than
eighteen of his antagonists, and, with the excep-
ton of severe wound in the head, received in
his first rencontre, never meeting with scratch.
Suspicion of foul play on his Fart was at last
aroused and in his final duel with Major Gun
ningham, in which that officer insisted upon fight
|
success was betrayed, and the cowardly miscre-
ant stood revealed in all his shameless ignominy
Major Cunningham having Fitzgerald's guard,
and by a powerful thrust striking his sword
against the others breast, the weapon snapped in
two, hitting against steel surface. Major Cum
ningham Indignantly taxed his opponent with ar
NOR, and pulling off his hat, flung it into Fitz-
"You Internal rascal so this is the way you
have been enabled to overcome so many brave
men, But shall take care you fight no more
duels, cowardly dog' and actually chased him
off the field Fitzgerald running away, and taking
refuge in a farm house, from which he escaped by
window in the rear of the premises.
At one period of his career, he came in COLI
sion with Captain Scawen, of the Guards. From
that gentleman having avoided his society and
stgmatiZed mis- conduct, Fitzgerald determined,
if possible, to bully him into an apology and an
acquantanceship. Meeting Captain Scawen at
the Cocoa Tree Tavern, he demanded, in his usu-
al staggering manner, ''whether Captain Scawen
had ever dared to take liberties with his name
and character"
CELEBRITIES, sir !'' was the response. emo lib
critics can be taken with that which is already in
famous"
A meeting was the consequence the parties
passing over to the continent for the purpose, and
they fought on the Austrian territory, near Tour
nay. Captain Scawen asked Fitzgerald if he
copied, and so narrow was the escape, that the
ball passed close under the captains chin. Cap
tain Scawen then prepared to fire, but Mr.. Fitz-
gerald anticipated the intention, by firing his
ond pistol at his opponent, but declaring to have
done so by accident! A cold blooded attempt at
murder. Captain Scawen then refused to fire,
the seconds and surgeons interfered, and the duel
was put an end to by Captain Scawen positively
apologizing and handing Fitzgerald a cane for the
purpose of being formally laid across his own
shoulders, which done, Fitzgerald then declared
"that he was sorry for what he had said of him,
as he now behaved like a gentleman"
The gentlemen then shook hands, went and
spent the evening together, and parted perfectly
reconciled.
On one occasion at Vauxhall, in the summer of
1773, Fitzgerald, in company with two worthless
companions one of them Captain Croftes Of
| fered most gross outrage to several ladies' who
were in the gardens, with whom was the Rever-
| end Henry Bate afterwards Sir Ii. b. Dudley,)
| the then editor of the Morning Post newspaper.
One lady of the party thus insulted Mrs. Heart
| lev, the actress,) burst into tears. A scene of
alteration ensued the termination of which was,
| that the reverend protector of the actress, who
was famed for his pugilistic prowess, gave sound
thrashing to Captain Croftes, while Fitzgerald,
not reshing this rough mode of adjusting
difficulty" suggested another mode OF satlsiac-
| tion and in another place. This was acceded to,
and the parties met next day at the old haunt of
Fitzgerald and his gang-the "Cocoa-nut." By
the nterposition of friends, Captain Croftes and
| the parson made mutual concessions, and the
matter was carried no further; but just as these
two were shaking hands, in came Fitzgerald with
ssCaptan Miles, whom he presented as his friend,
declaring that the Captain had been struck by
the clergyman night, and demanded instant
satisfaction-that it should be given in the room,
| then and there, and with FISTS. The Reverend