Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-01-04
. The DaeIlist' ] Doom j

s The Duellistt Dsems
s Moses Stevens came 10 Missis
fsippi when but asyouth Of sightssz
He then possessed thu; mildast man
ners and strictest puritannic morality
and was particularly noted for tha
lizard working practicability Of pur
pose and pursuit 50 Characteristic 9
his countrymen in general. Rapid
|ly, by his Industry and economy, b
Iamassed wealth in lands and negloe1
land arose to inluspcs, till he was rul
on a political ticket for seat in th'
Lower House Of the Mississippi
Legislature. And now the shame
less stipsndiaries Of slander set t.
work to bIacken the hitherto unim'
peachabls reputation Of the new. pol
itioian. His name filed the newspa.
pers with scandal, moulded by the
plastic hand of fancy for the occa.
sion, and supplied the foaming stump
orators with a.theme for the most
bitter phillipics. The temper Of Ste
vens becamearou by the unmerited
dsnunciations heaped upon him; ex-
cited to a like fury with his foes, he
repaid them in kind for ali their un-
mitigatsd TRADES Of abuse. 1t was
supposed that the Yankee would not
fight, and Allen Simons. a noted
duellist, was selected by the opposite
party as proper person to send him
o challenge, and if he refused to ac-
cept it, as matter of course he was
and the political contest
would be thereby determined. They
were miserably deceiyedin their man.
Stevens accepted the challenge. His
hand was as firm as his arm was sure
and be shot his adversary through
the heart the FIRST FIRE! Other per-
sonal ,rencounters followed. in rapid
succession, and in all Of which Ste-l
veas displayed the sams cool cour-3
age, and always came of victorious.
He soon became insolent, overbear-
ing, and exceedingly quarrelsonie.
Up to the year 1884 he had killed
his halfa-dozen menu essles
In the autumn of that year he Was
one day ih a country grocery. about
ten miles from Vicksburg. Amixed
was present, to whom the
desperate was boasting Of the num-
ber of victims he had slain, recount
ing with savage delight the several
of honor attending the
death Of each, and spicing the whole
with the usual exaggerations sup
Piled by the vanity Of boastera As
he went on thus, reciting the most
enormous crueltiss, his quick eye
wandering around the circle Of his
eager auditors for sympathy, and the
customary appreciation that was won't
10 salute his ears, be encountered
the Fixed gaze Of a stranger. which
riyeted his attention, and made him
almost start from his seat ss it
him With a monentary dread
The man, or rather youth, for to /
Judge from the extreme juvenility
Of his appearance, he could not have
seen more than nineteen summers.
was stranger whom no one present
knew. or. recollected to have ever
seen before. He Was tall, but slen-
der in shape, almost to . defect. His
hand was very small, white as snow,
and regular as if cut with Z chisel.
The face was pale, almost coloriess,
and sweetly sad. There was moth
ing in the appearance Of the stran-|
ger youth to excite alarm, unless 4
were, perhaps, that steadfast pier
cling gaze Of, bis strange, Wild blue.
eyes, immovably fixed on the face OF
Stevens, as that fsrocious wretch
painted, With words stepped in blood,
his revolving story.
Disconcerted, surprised, if nos
alarmed, Stevens shrank from thai
glance, and cast his eyes on the door,
but still made an effort to proceed
With bis narrative. Bat he felt that
the gaze Of the stranger was upon
him, and hs began to burn with
shame and indignation It The. .rellsc-
t;on that be had encountered one
look Of ! mortal man which had mas Z
tered bic own spirit aa With 2 myste-
rioue spell. He felt in his heart :nat
bs var q coward! Again he ralsed
bis eyes to the face Of the stranger,
and met the same mystsrlous gaze,
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