M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1857-04-16
A Terrible Duel.

A Terrible Duel.
A few years since, as New Eng
land gentleman, whose name We shall
call Brown, was passing few days
at a hotel in one Of our Western cit
les, he had the misfortune uninten-
tionally to offend the susceptible hon
or of a tall militia colonel, who was
one of his fellow -boarders. His apol-
ogies not being satisfactory, chal-
lenge was sent to him, which, howev-
er, he declined, upon conscientious
scruples. The colonel, who, by the
way, had won in two or three encoun-
ters quite a reputation as duelist,
at once conceived the idea that his
opponent was q coward, and resolved
to disgrace him inthe face Of all the as
sembled wisdom of the house. Ac-
cordingly, the next day, at dinner,
in marched the duelist armed with q
cowhide, and, advancing to Browns
chair, proceeded to dust his jacket
for him in the most approved STYLE
Brown was astonished. Luckily, he
had been lieutenant of militia in his
native State, and he knew the impor-
tance of incommoding his enemy by
diversion. So, seizing a gravy tur-
cen, he tossed the contents into the
face of the belligerent colonel, and
before he could recover from the
drowning sensation thus occasiOned,
he sprang upon the table and began
to shower upon him with a liberal
hand the contents Of the dishes a.
round.
"You are an infernal-"
"Coward |" the colonel was about
to say, but at that momenta plate OF
greens struck full upon his mouth and
the word was blockaded, forever!
"Hal" cried the New Englander,
whose blood was now up, fond OF
greens, are you9 Take potato, too!'
and he hurled a telling volley of hard
potatoes at him. Excellent eggs
here, capital with calves head" and
crash came a plate of soft boiled eggs
against the side of his Uranium.
The blows of the cowhide, which
had hitherto descended upon the Yam
KEGS head and shoulders, now began
to fall more weakly and wildly, anc
it became evident that the assailant
half stunned, choked, and PARTIAL!
blinded, was getting the worst OF it,
His courage was oozing out.
"Take a turkey9" shouted Brown
as a noble old gobbler descended fair
| ly upon the colonel's head, and
bursting, filled his hair and eyes witt
delicious looking stufing: "heres the
fxlngS," he continued, as the squash
and jelly followed after.
By this time the colonel was ir
retrievably defeated; and as his merci
less opponent seized huge plum
pudding, steaming hot, and holding
it above his head with both hands
seemed to bury him beneath it, he
quailed in terror, and, throwing dCwr
his cowhide, turned about end made &
rush for the door.
"Stop for the pudding, colonel, stoI
for the pudding" shouted Brown
pudding, colonel, pudding" scream
ed all fellow-boarders, and amid con
vulsions of laughter. But the colo
mel was too terrified, and did no
cease running until he had locked
himself into his room.
But, although the colonel escaped
from the pudding, he did not escape
from the ridicule which the affair oc
cas:oned. He subsequently challeng
ed four persons, against whom his ir'
was particularly excited, and they al
consented to fight, but availing them
selves Of the privilege Of the challen
ged party, appointed pudding-bag
for their weapons. At length
the unhappy duelist, finding no ON
who was willing to shoot or be sho
at, was obliged to quit the State.