Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-02-18
MILLERSBURG, HOLMES COUNTY, OHIO. THURSDAY, Fl
dome, were the ideal and ultimate pcrfec.

He ceased; and then the silence, deep q
the grave before; was broken by shou
that seemed to shake the solid stones o
: the pavement. 1t was an instructive cheer
spontaneous tribute to exalted genius
that no court in crowd of passionate i'm
pulses such as that could possily have
I checked
The closing speech of Col. Evens, the
regular prosecuting attorney, was misera
bic failure. He could not even get a hear
} ing. The sworn panel gazed on him with
} vacent eyes, but their thoughts were fal
away. Every chord in every heart still
vibrated to The tones of that divine melo
dy that SO recently had swept over them
as the wailing wind over strings of ar
Eolian harp. There was no space in theil
souls for any other sound. They had
heard the angles whisper, and it made them
disdain all other symphony. They return.
ed verdict Of anot guilty!" without leav.
ing their seats.
1t was generally believed that the elo.
quent stranger was certainly Fent Noland,
of whose marvellous oratory, rumor had
repeated so many wonders, and hence Gen.
eral Sneed was earnestly employed in ex-
cogitating some method of ofsheering around
the dangerous responsibility of the chal-
lenge be had publicly threatened. As the
court adorned, however, an incident hap
pened 10 change the current of opinion as
to the mysterious incognito. Ike Alexan-
der, well known sportsman, rode up and
exclaimed, in tone of surprise-"Ho
Pete MILESTONE? You here? I can
scarcely credit my eye-sight!' And then
the two exchanged familiar greetings, and
then the young advocate retired to his
hotel. ...-.....-,.
General Sneed, dying, with curiosity and
impatience, approached Alexander. "Do
Ike, tell me who is that!"
aWhy, Pete Milestone" was the re-
joinder. .
"Where does he live?"
"On the Devils Fork, in Coon township
Carroll County"
"What business does he follow"
"Gambling, at high tide; but pleading
law at the ebb of his sea fortune
"Is he a fghter?" a.,
"When he can't get room to rum
"But he shall fight, though" cried the
General, in fit of ecstaeh at the consol-
ing intelligence just received. ale has
dared to insult me, and no man can do
that and live" And away the bully hur-
ried to indite his challenge and instruct his
second. There was mischievous devil in
Alexander's eye as he glauc;d after him,
but he said nothing
Fifteen minutes, only elapsed, and Cap
tain Leeper, on the part of Maj. General
Sneed, waited on Mr.. Milestone, in his
room at the tavern. He delivered the for
NAL note of his principal, expecting to see
the other go off into swoon, or leap out
of the window. No such comfortable de-
nouncement, however, resulted.
every good" said Pete; sand here is
my second" pointing to Alexander. Then
he added instantly-"Take the pen, Ike,
and scratch my answer. Accepted. Weap-
ons pistols. Place, the prairie in sight of
town. Distance twenty PAGES. Time one
half hour from this time. Its now precise
ly four CLOCK.
General Sneed was astonished at the an
swer He consoled himself that there was
one sign of cowardice in it. "The distance
shows the white feather" he remarked,
touching his nose with his little finger
"Why Leeper, l couldn't hit barn door
at twenty PAGES. He's no duelist you may
be sworn" - s-.---z.,.-.l. ..s.
Certainly not,' assented the second.
Immediately the news of the approach
ing duel flew as fire in prairie, and when
the moment of battle, arrived, an immense
concourse had assembled to witness the ex-
citing spectacle.
Pete MILESTONE was standing at his
place, apparently absorbed in the gloomi-
est thoughts. But Gen. Sneed strutted
about proudly, delighted, no doubt, with
the melane holy aspect of his antagonist.
The selfcomplacency of the bully, however,
was doomed to sudden, if not tragic, ter
mination. ..
James Pope, celebrated lawyer of Bates
vile, CHANGED at that moment to be pass
ing along the road, and being attracted by
the vision of such crowd, drew near, and
recognizing Whetestone, exclaimed -"Ho!
Fent you are at your tricks again, I see.
What, another duel? And with General
Sneed?'
The pseudo Pete made signs and grima-
ces, but he would not take, and finally
completed the mischief by another unlucky
exclamation-"Wby holland, what's the
matter with you9 You cut more signs
than Choctaw Indian.
At the word "Fent" General Sneed had
started as if stung by hornet; but when
the full word "Noland," rung in bis ear,
be reeled as if struck with hammer, and
turned pale as any stage hamlet that ever
shuddered at his fathers ghost.
Leeper exerted himself to the utmost to
rally his principals spirit, but all to no
purpose. The only sound that the crest
fallen bully's lips seemed capable of emit
ting were comprised in single sentence
"Compromise it! compromise it! for Gods
sake, compromise itr'
The Major Generals second hastened
to the other party with the proposition of
compromise.
"Tell your principal that 1 make it an
unalterable rule never to compromise after
my big-toe touches the battle field" was
Fant's brief answer, which drove General
Sneed almost distracted; so that foregoing
pride, shame, dignity. everything, in his
terror Of that brute instinct
which makes coward cling to life as their
all, he rushed toward holland to supplicate
in person.