The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-09-12


e late hour.
: Our hero was scarcely In the roor
b till the Colonel's challenge was present
0 ed to him. without moments delay
: he ansyered the second who bro't it: &c
f will not accept~rhis challenge to morta
: combat. I am opposed to the duel ol
! principle, and will not be driven from
my sense of duty. You all know wha
t 1 have already endured rather than re
. veng or defend myself by taking life
1 think you have done your worst, bu
if not, am prepared for it. am my
own master, and will not allow any
man to dictate my opinions in matter
of right, or compel me to conduct which
my heart and head condemn"
"Sir," replied the second, "you have
seen fit to include me among the men
who despise you and you are right in
opinion. Let me tell you that coward
ice aud conceit, covered with preaching
and canting, will not protect you. You
have grossly insulted every man in the
garrison, to whom you were odious
enough before, and you must either give
them the satisfaction which the code of
honor approves, or you must leave the
army. Be assured of that"
When he met the General that night,
and informed him of the the challenge,
and his refusal, that officer shook his
head and looked at him sadly and ear
nestly if not doubt fully.
"My dear young friend" said he,
81 am afraid it won't do. These men
will not be satisfied with an argument,
and it is plain that you are in the right,
nor do I believe that they would accept
anything short of your resignation.
You have somehow got the i'll will of
the whole corps, and TO night you afron-
ted them mortally. 1 am sure you
cannot know how sharply your conduct
and language touched them, and your
triumph only aggravated the offence.
And now, your refusal to accept the
Coloneps challenge is, under the most
favorable construction an attack upon
the code by which military men govern
themselves toward each other. I see
no escape Fight you must, or your
challenger will heap upon you such per-
sonal indignities as will make your life
intolerable, or drive you into violence
which will amount to the same thing as
accepting this challenge. 1 saw that in
your eye to day which co1vinces me you
are as brave as Julius Caesar. Yes,
saw something braver there than physi-
cal courage, and 1 feel its superiority;
but, you cannot convert the world and |
reform the army soon enough to answer
your own ends, and you must submit to |
its rules or be driven from it in disgrace.
L most honor your princi Piles, for un-
derstand them, but you cannot sustain
them"
"Our hero's reflections that night
must be left to the imagination. The
difficulties which surrouned him, the
that wero upon him, can be
known only to those who have been
tempted and tried to the utmost, with
the world and their own necessity against
them.
I'm the morning he accepted the chal-
enge.
Having the right to choose the weap-
,ns, he named the small sword. When
he Colonel heard this, with touch of
ceiling which all his bitterness could not
quite extinguish, he said 'Does tho
moth know that he is futtering into the
lame?" The second answered, AZ told
lim that you were reported the best
wordsman in the army, and begged him
o choose pistols, which would give him
ome chance of equality in the fight but
le declined In fact 1 don't know what
o make of this young fellow-like the
word he has chosed to fight with, he is
o timber and yet SO elastic and mettle-
ONE sometimes-he is such mixture
f methodist, mule and mailman that 1
annot make him out. And, Colonel, {
e is not light bargain, eitder, for any {
ody. It see2s to me you were making
othing off him yesterday when the Gen 1
raj interfered The fellow actually
TODD up handsomely, and made very s
retty play with the weapon. To tell 7
he truth, am beginning to like him a
title, and feel sorry that he must be t
isposed of in your own peculiar way" s
The Coronel muttering grimly, eff / v
lust kill the rascal, I am glad he shows y
ome pluck and capacity in the business; n
on { want to be boy y-butcher." s
The next morning at sunrise they met y
n the field of honor. b
When the ground was prepared and q
,e champions stood armed and ready.
lie Ensign suddenly lowered his sword s.
pint, and addressing his antagonist;
Sir, am here under compulsion mere q
:. I do not consent to this practise. c.
o me it is as absurd as it is wicked. ii
settles no right and it redresses no Il
rong Let me say then, that if have v
= hasty word or act justly offended v
,u, am willing to retract it. What ft
your complaint"
"Young man, 1 came here not to fight. Il