Amador weekly ledger., 1857-12-12

to answer to any charge that may be prefer
red against them At the instance of the
President of the Cleveland and Pittsburgh
Railroad Company, they have also been held
in $4,000 each to keep the peace.
FRANKLIN.
We have not given any of the details of
the unfortunate affair which took place at
Chambersburg, on Tuesday afternoon last
The causes which led to it have been made
known by others. But inasmuch as pains
have been taken to give a one-sided version
Of the affair, we deem it but justice to lay
before our readers the following authentic
statement of Hon. JosEPH c. McKIBBIN,
member Of Congress from California;
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 30th, 1857.
Col JONI W. FoRNEY-Sir: Immediately
after the difficulty at Chambersburg, | re-
turned to our farm, and have not, until this
morning, received the newspaper versions of
the affair 1t appears that nearly all the in
formation upon the subject is derived from
one Of the parties implicated, and therefore
to be taken with much allowance. In regard
to those statements gathered from parties
who could have seen but little Of the affray,
or most Of whom received it in an eXaggera-
ted form, propose, as far as my recollection
will serve me, n statement of the whole affair
My younger brother and myself first were
aware Of the presence of Craig at Chambers
burg about | o'clock in the day. My father,
apprehensive of our return to town, imposed
upon us the most positive injunction that we
should not do so until after the departure of
the ears, at ten minutes after two. Owing
to the fact that our mother was coming down
with some relatives at four O'clock, we gave
him the required promise. | then stated TO
my father that from the statements of Craig
made to many parties, Chat he expected to
fight whenever we met, | believed that he
had como himself, instead Of sending his son,
in order to irrtate and provoke me, and while
| would comply with my promise, yet if Craig
stayed an hour after the departure of the
cars, he did so at his own peril; that would
not and could not suffer the degradation of
his presence, around home that hc had made
desolate.
When we supposed the ears had started,
my brother and myself promising to await
the arrival of my mother and her friends,
started to town. When within short dis
tance Of the depot, Robert remarked the
cars had not started No words passed be-
tween us; no plan Of fight; no concert of
any kind We walked up, passing the first
car and thence to the second my brother
remarked there he is.p | looked in the
window, discovered Craig on the opposite
side and about four or five feet from me.
should have shot him there, but it has always
been my determination to open the fight face
to face, should we come in collision. | told
Robert to reman quiet, and walked back
ten or fifteen PAGES, to the front of the car
| entered the front door, advanced, | think.
about three or four PAGES, when the sound of
a shot, believe from Robert, brought my
pistol up; do not know who fred first, Craig
or myself, but my impression is, that it was
almost simultaneous. | was standing during
the first three Of my own shots, erect in the
centre Of the cars, exposed to fire so rapid,
that | could not take aim, lest, in the time of
cooking and aiming, he should take a deiber-
ate shot, as he was armed with self-cocking
reyolvers, able TO fire several shots to my one.
During this time he was almost entirely pro-
tected by the seats, shooting in STOPPING
posture. From where | stood, to the back
end Of the car, there was but one person be-
side Craig and myself | may have passed
Others in entering the car; il SO, and | under
stand chat il is the case, excitement and irri-
tation, not wantonness, made me forget that
| was perilling other lives After the above,
Craig and myself both retreated towards the
doors-he to the back one, | to the front;
(this is the pursuit mentioned / believe
we exchanged shots at the door am not
certain, but it was said my last shot was fired
outside the ear | stood upon the platform
Of the ear, supposing had expended my last
shot, and the only use could make Of my
pistol, and the use | did make, was to intimi-
date When Craig, after leaving the back
end of the car jumped upon the platform he
and Robert exchanged shots-three or four
each of them partially protected by the col
umns Of the porch.
Craig fired two shots along the car while |
was watching bis proceeding, but which did
no damage, as took my head out OF the
way. lie then jumped on his end of the ear
and down ON the other side, which was the
last saw of him. Thinking he had run
around the depot, we went around so as to
meet him and prevent him getting at us una
wares. 1t was there saw Mr. James Riley
whose name is used to substantiate the re-
ports in the Harrisburg papers, (and who
does not endose their Statements | mis-
took him, from size and dress, and pointed
my pistol at him, but in second discovered
my error My brother aud myself walked
up town to reload not thinking Craig was
hurt or that he would be able TO get off on