Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1857-08-29
MlSOgasGMM 4
a DUEL UP NORTH.
DV CLARA AUoUsTA.

Jonas Whitcomb and Silas Jones had
quarrel about the b6ot-iack, on the 23rd of
May, A.. ID. 1856. The circumstances
were briefly these: Jonas purchased a pa
tent boot7jack of q travelling agent, and 81
las protested against the purchase as a piece
of reckless eXtravagincoj asserting that
the patent jack was nobctttcr than ono he
had, which was manufactured by. himself
out of a white pine back log Silas's foot
was none of your Chinese affairs, but /. req.
ular out-and-outcr of Bchcmoth- fitted by
boots No. l6, and boot7jaek No. =, back
log r. ".' y,NS SE- ,
Jonas took offence at Silas's plain speak
ing, udrctortcd bitterly, and the war of
words ran high. At length Silas, who
had been reading tho proceedings of Com
grcss, challenged Jonas to fight duel, and
threatened to call him q Boot Jack Wilt
comb - forever, and thrash him in the bar
gain, if he refused to fight Jones thought
the matter over, andafter due dclibcrtion
concluded he had rather be shot than be
dubbed Knight eof tho Boat-iack. So a
meeting was sgeca upon, to take place the
following day, in Deacon Reed tatcr patch,
being somewhat removed from tho Highway,
aud therefore favorable for the transaction
of an affair most pcremptorily forbidden by
the laws of our State. ~ ~
s The weapons were to be thebclligere,its'
own guns, two very curious and original
articles, by the way, which without doubt
dated back ito the times of Tubal Cain. -
They were to have no seconds, for fear of
betrayal, and afterwards a form of years in
tho gray stone palace of Concord. t'N
Tho ptelfminarics being arranged, both
parties went home to prepare themsclyos
for the very comfortable prospect of a break
fast of lead bullets on the ensuing morning
+ Somehow, Mrs WRitcomb Z. got wind"
OF the business, aud she (being a woman of
spirit) called Immediately on Mrs. Jones
and revealed all. s,g ~ STe
Mrs. Jones :, was u church mombers III
good standing with the brethren and, sis
tcrs, and, of course, she felt drcadfully,a at
tho idea of being the wife Of "a dllelist !, SO
the two women put their heads together,
and between them quite a little pletwas
concocted-=almost equal ia the 5gunpowGer
plot celebrated I'M English history q
II, was proposed that,eacli lady should
mpty thocontents. Of hen. husbands S pow
der horn into the rivery and sub 2tit6te Hack
sand for the powder. & This @asaeoorling-
ly.donc, after which they dwaited tine re-
suit Of the morning s rcncontre with an&-
ious hearts. - y kH@
Nine O'clock found the eombatants upon
Deaeon's Rcedss 'tater lot, each with his
powder horr along On his. shoulder, and his
guninshis hand, The distance was meas
aired off--the two men solennly shook
hands, and .thenrespectiv velyassumcdth their
positions. At preconcertedtsignOl, each
raised his weapon to his shoulder and
tried to fire. But theG0bstimte things
wodldn' 20 OFF, jonas gay6p hearty tug
atehis sheotia9 iron, but it,oaly snapped
sulkiiy, us much as to snyit woulil doas il
fadB ipind to, and no thanks to anybody,
Siias guiiwas ofsthe same opinion, and tie
mons chances of being shot seemed rather
dubioIss.6 Jonas, nftef a. little while, got
irritated, gtsd sqaatting d6@nan thogFpund;
he pounded che barreifo fifteen minutes
or;ao with a shlrh rock 8 but Bitl.s1ip pro-
'doeing my effect tAyortifmentionihg. Then
Jonas rose up, and Hiaging the ga1sassfdf
as hc could oyer the hedge, he,@icd oue,
splteiilllyyS tTsSs8 81 t. 42 y IN 3ss so!
4sspafnatioh Rdise the thing gias.I wish 3t
Yasin flanderslaS ga& @s !, ~
"Ewish mine was there, too, ,sied 81
laas oSalusniugs his artillery infinitely, and
hnding nothing satisfactory ab0aS it, bo
tossed IL after Jnnngsl "a s.H,s ~ -
Then botk mon lBoIssstl at escli other, in
blink aiauay. IS
~ What shall we do ~ exclaimed Silas.
,Sesl doiftkE0ws lrctitrned iJonae. 'tpll.
a.. lt..A.- o. ~.