, 1859-10-13
39tcss Trihuttc.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER -, 1852.
THE CODE DEELL0,

THURSDAY. OCTOBER II, ls5o.
THE CODE DCELLo.
Perhaps the nlost startling sermon Oh the
code du<ao afforded the American people since
the evil day when Hamilton was stretched on
The Hoboken turf, ghas,ly corpse, is that
printed at length in our columns this morning
In the faoe Of 50 damnable transaction. low
grandly eminent is tie example Of Illinois
whose frat and only duelis,s wcre-the one
shot, the other lluugi Let us recall the event
for the reader. In tho year 1920 -Aphonsp
Stewart and William Bennett fought with rifles
il St Clair county, and Stewart fell mortally
wounded on the first fire. Bennett made his
escape into Arkansas where lie remained two
yaerA = His whereabouts were discovered, lle
was arrested, brought back, indicted, tried,
eonr1efed q murder, and erccutcd. Governor
Bond was bcsieged days and weeks ly the
barbarian disciples Of the cole clamoring for the
wrctch's pardon. But lie closed Lis door
against petition and entreaty, and William
Bennett danglcd at a repe's end in the pres
ence Of some thousands ol spectators who
took in great moral lesson. This was the
first and last duel ever fought on tile soil oi
Illinois. And when the next one takes place,
if there ever be another, let us trust that lie
may CONC before On equally honest jury, m
elual'y upright Executive, and TINT lie may
meet the common assassin's doom.
What is the case before us? Two public
men, lhe keepers u great anl important trusts
too great md important to bc rightfully per"
illed, though we make no account Of their lives
-toithe1a any quarrel GO out to secluded
wood before common people hayo breakfasted,
to perforate each other with bullets On pune
lilo. One Of them-as inthc case Of Burr and
Hamilton, the moro amiahlc, md By fur tic
more vsluable Of the two 10 his State and coun-
try-1alls to the ground with Lis lnngs
pierced, and suflocatiug in Lis own blood. lie
fingers three days in dreadful agony, and then
all is orer. i Senator Of tic United States,
wloae promise Of usefulness was hig! and
grateful, whose plncc in the affections Of lis
countryn1en was becoming daily moro secure
and exalted, is the costly sacrifice to butch
erly practice aud medieval public opinion.
What avail the long mournlul procession. thc
brilliant oration pronounced 1,y o sobbing
speaker to n sobbing multitude over the cold
clay, tue decorations Of grie. the columns Of cn-
1ogi,nu? Tie man is dead. Tic places which
know him once shall know him no more for
ever. Public opinion is satistied-or ought to
be, in the name Of the pagan gods:
Read the llalf dozen letters which passed
between Terry and Brodcrick before the duel.
We hare examined item, TO find, possible, the
insult, tho quip, the counterchccl, or what
not, TINT c:llcd for tbs rhedding Of blood. It
is not there. There WIS nc quarrel between
tho men It amounts to this, simply: Terry
I'll want to shoot ut you;' Bfoderick-
"With great pleasure. sir The dead man
seems to have recognized tlat there was no
occasion for murder, and therefore i'll the semi
delirium Of lis dying bed, lie artieulatcd that
he did not mean to aim at vital point and
the thought is fortified by tile explosion Of lis
weapon before it wins raised 10 the range Of
Ills antagonist. The murdered man went to
the field in answer 10 the biting Of thumb
His murderer was 10 doubt led by tile remorsc-
less purpose Of his party 10 put their enemy
out Of the way, but the immediate difficulty
between tile principals to tho fight was moth.
ing more than q contraction Of tue eyebrows.
Perhaps it is too much to hope that this is
the las. duel, or the last between mcn holding
great otdeial trusts, that NC shall be called 10
record Indeed, tic same mail wllicl. brings
the details Of Nj. Drodrrick's funeral tells tic
story Of another duel aud another victim Of
tho codoi Life is cheap in California, but i,
will be cheaper unless All example Is shortly
nade in behalf Of civilization like TINT which
so effectually quoted tile dueling mania in Hi.
nois. The public execution Of these murder
ers would purify the atmosphere Of the Pacific
IN degree which no other human agency
could effect. Let lis hope that the end Of the
Broderick- Terry duel is not yet!