The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-11-11
A DUEL UP NORTH.
BY CLARA AUGUSTA.

Jonas Whi.comb and Silas Jones had
quarrel about the boot jack on the 25d
day of May, A. D. 1856. The circum
stances were briefly these: Jonas pur-
chased a patent boot-jack of travelling
agent, and Silas protested against the
purchase as piece of reckless extraTa-
gance; asserting that the patent jack
was no better than the one he had, which
was manufactured by himself of white
pine back log Silas' foot was none Of
your Chinese affairs, but reg-out-and-
outer of Behemoth-ffteen by boots
No. l6 and boot-jack No., back log
Jonas took ofenge at Silas' plain
speaking, and re.orted bitterly, and the
war of words ran high. At length. 81.
las, who had been reading the proceed.
ings of Congress, challenged Jonas tc
fight duel, and threatened to. call him
g Boot.jack Whitcomb y forever, and
thrash him in the bargain, if he refused
o fight. Jonas thought the matter
oyer, and, after due deliberation, con.
cluded he had rather be shot than be
dubbed Knight of the Boot-jaek. So Q
meeting was agreed upon, to take place
the following day, in Deacon Reeds
tater patch, being somewhat removed
from the highway, and therefore favor
able for the transaction of an affair most
peremptorily forbidden by the laws OF
our STATE.
The weapons were to be the belliger-
ent's own guns, two very curious and
original articles, by the. way, which,
without doubt, dated back to the times
of Tubal Cain. They were to have no
seconds, for fear of betrayal, and after
ward term of years in the gray-stone
palace of Concord l
The preliminaries being arranged
both parties went home to prepare them
selves for the very comfortable prospect
of . breakfast of lead bullets on the en-
suing morning.
Somehow, Mrs Whitcomb "got wind''
of the business, and she lbeing woman
of spirit) called Immediately on Mrs.
Jones and revealed all.
Mrs. Jones was church member, in
good standing with the brethren and
sisters, and, of course, she felt dreadfully
at the idea of being the wife of duel
istl So the two women put their heads
together, and between them quite littl.
plot was oncocted-almost equal to ths
gunpowder plot celebrated in Englisl
history. 49,.
1t was proposed that each lady shoult
empty the contents of her husband
powder. horn into the river, and substi
tute black sand for the powder. Thi
vas accordingly done, after which the1
waited the result of the mornings rem
counter with anxious hearts.
/ Nine o'clock found the combatant:
upon Deacon Reeds tater lot, each will
his powder horn along on his shoulder
and his gun in his hand. The distauc;
was measured off-the two men solemn
ly shook hands, and then respectively as
sumed their position. at preconcert
ed signal, each raised his weapon to his
shoulder, and-tried to FIRE. But the
obstinate things wouldn't go off? Jonas
gave hearty tug at his shooting iron,
but it only snapped sulkily, as much as
to say it would do as it had mind to,
and no thanks to anybody. Silaa' gun
was of the same opinion, and the mems
chances of being shot seemed rather du,
bious. jonas, after little while, got
irritated, and squattipg down on the
ground, he pounded the barrel for ff-
teen minutes or so with sharp rock,
but without producing any effect worth
mentioning. Then Jonas rose up, and
finging the gun as far as he could over
the hedge, he cried out spitefully-
"Damnation seize the thing wish
il was in Flanders -
.s 81 wish mine was there too," cried
Silas, examining his artillery minutely,
}.ts
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