Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-09-28

How roGEr RID OF DUEL.-Amono the
various notifying disqualifcations under which
the Irish Catholics labOred. previously to the
passage of the Emancipation Bill, the Disarming
Act, prohibiting them from having in their
possession any offensive or defensive weapons
appears to have been not the least CALLING to
our Hibernian fellow-subjects; inasmuch as it
debarred them In many instances in cases of
real supposed aggrievance, from that dey7,,er
resort which the natives of the Emerald Isle"
have preferred, from time irGmemorial, to the
more dllatory as well as uncertain redress offered
by n court OF law. An ungenerous or timid ad-
ve-sary, especially if member of the Govern
ment church, might las has been more than
once the easel evade "A hostile meeting with a
Papist, on the ground Of the above mentioned
disqualification.
circumstance Of this kind occurred in NAL
low, county Cork, about the latter end of the
lastcentury, when the appellant devised a whim-
steal and ingenious experiment to eyatle the
law, and put himself on a level with his over
scrupulOus antagonist Mr.. Flynn, respecta-
bic Catholic halter, was, or supposed himself
grievOusly insulted by Mr.. Patrick Doolittle, 4
tailor, of the Established Church, residing in
the same town. Having in vain endeavored to
obtain satisfaction Tin the national and current
sense of the world, and being giving, moreover,
TO understand that the orthodox tailor magnani-
mOusly declined giving him the meeting for no
other reason than, lest by so doing he should be
the proximate cause of subjecting Flynn to the
penalties IN such case made and provided, the
spirited halter resolved on chaning his religion
Proternpore. and actually read his public recan-
tation, during morning service, in Mallow
church. There, as fate would have it, Mr. Doc
little CHANGED to be present and great was his
astonishment and CONSERVATION at the unex-
pected, unhoped-fo conversion of his mortal foe
TO the true faith Had it taken place in St
Stephen Capitol, he would doubtless have de-
Dreclatpd N lap
decent haste, &c, with which Flynn had desert
ed his party. HOwbeit the tailor saw and ac-
knowledged the necessity Of taking immediate
measures to avoid bloodshed. He made a pre-
cipitate retreat from the church. and took sane
tusry in the Roman Catholic chap!e which star l.
In the same street. There, having openly pro-
fessed himself an unworthy member of the
Church of Rome, he was cordially received and
initiated by the baptism and other usual cere.
monies.
Mr.. Doolittle, however, had scarcely time to
congratulate himself on his escape from the
dreaded duello when he was disagreeably unde-
eelyed by practical illustration of the proyerb.
zone good turn deserves another" The cour-
ageous halter felt indignant at what he could
not but consider a paltry subterfuqe; and WAS
not to be put of, like an old beaver, 30 easily.
lie therefore took an early opportunity of seek
Ing conference with his quandom priest and
father cOnfessor, who found him a willing con-
concile him TO the placable church, which he had
deserted; certainly through interested, but by
no means through mercenary, motives He la
mented his backsliding in due form and re-
nounced the damnable heresies to which in an
unguarded moment, he had subscribed: all this
once more IN the presence of the tailor, who now
began to be convinced that no points of doc
trlne, however tough and knOtty, had strength
To bind over his PrOtean antagonist to the peace
Nothing. he could clearly see was left him in
this emergency, but to break cover again. and
seek refuge IN the bosom of his mother church;
and this he effected with all imaginable speed:
sending at the same time notification 10 the
angry halter, that their opinions on religious
matters were so opposite, that his conscience
WOULD not let him, DoOlitte, retain any faith
whatever, that might at any time be embraced
by SO bloodthirsty and unchristian an adversa-
ry, as Flynn.
We are assured that this anecdote is an abso-
Lutte TACT, and that every circumstance, even to
the names Of the poIemical warriors. Is aeon.
rately detailed.