The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1855-02-07
non Sense What lifts from their


conscienccs their solemn oath? We
labor in vain to imagine reply
The planest of all murders is the one
most easily found to be no murder.
What bloody dclusion is it which,
upon this subject, has SO crazcd the
public mind, that it makes void the
laws which Heaven declared and Hin.
manity approves, makes that honora
| Die which is the highest crime, and
declares that chivalric which is unnat.
ural and affected. And how much is
each individual. whose sentiments on
this matter go to make up public
opinion III favor of duclling, answera.
ble to his own conscience for the
PerPetnalion of the practice, for the
lives it has sacrificed, for the suffering
and anguish Of heart it has caused, and
Tor the pcrvcrsion Of moral sentiment
it has effected How many there
are, especially of the youthful, who.
IN the unrclcctivcness and impc:uosity
nat.'ral 20 their age, become compli.
Gated iE affairs OF honor" that find
themselves, almost unconsciously, car.
r'ed onward by the ponJerous ma.
chincry Of the institution to ,he dread
consummation oft times facing each
other with deadly weapons in their
hands, but with no malice in their
hcarts-onc perhaps to fall, victim
TO false principles of honor, the other
to lead liic of bitter regret. We
icti convinced that, in the majority ol
fatal duels, it is not the unhappy sur.
:lvor who is the real murderer. but
Society. which by its perverted moral
sentiment has set in action influences
mechanically, as it were, Nr,oduc,i i've Of
the disastroas effects. %
We ask not to be. ,eaoncd f;,r
having thought thus - y, %, III, -
! lect tor it l.. one : + every fnc.n
her Of The c"nnn".,y ,s.ou'd kc inlc
rested In) but we feel That, perhaps
we have trcspasscd hy the too lengthy
expression of our Imperfect and ram
bling thoughts. The ccms:lc;:.. ion &,
the subject at This time, was suggested
|" us by the following which we take
from the correspondence Of tn,
Charleston Courier:
NEw-OnLEAxs, Jan. 10.
The duello has ut last been dccrccd
Il crime by ajury. Juan Pages, who
as ] mentioned in my letter Of vcster,
LAY, killed some three years since an.
other Spaniard. named juan Pa,tcr,
III duel with knives, has been con.
vIclcd of manslaughtcr by twelve i'm.
partial citizens. The verdict, though
tempered by a recommendation to
mercy, consequent on the chivalrous
manner in which Pages conducted his
portion Of the affair, by giving 10 to
his adversary an advantage which he
sIad IN weapons, yet establishes IL
precedent which it is to be hoped will
have - good effect in dcterring many
from engaging in such horrible butch.
cries as have ut times disgraccd this
secti"n of the country. Up to this
period" says the Crescent, {" it has
been next TO impossible to obtain Il
jury that would convict in any case
where fair duel had been fought,
notwithstanding the numerous laws
that have been Incorporated into our
different constitutions, and STRINGENT
statutes that have been passed by
different Legislatures on the subject Of
duelIins."
We have thought this fit time for
these comments, because there are no
contempornncous circumstances to
which they can be applied, and we
cannot therefore be charged with per.
sonality.
In concluding we would, to corrobo
rate our opinion us to where the sin
lies, advert to what has been stated of
Illinois: that the survivor Of the first
and only duel in that State WAS con.
vIcted of murder by the Jury. 1t
stopped there. Shall this degcncratcd
feature of the DarkAgcs longer darken
this enlightened age? 1t is for the
men ofthe country, the sworn Juries
OF the country, to say when it shall be
cffaccd.
J --------z1. <.<so.b- s-eA----
INTERESTING STATISTICS OF TIE PnEs.
nYTERIANs. Baltimore has one Pres.
bytrrIan communicant to llS of the
population Philadelphia one to 70
littSburg one to At; Richmond one