Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1859-09-20
TUEsDA AY SEPTEMBER


ihconceivable lapidity. and Immediately
became the subject Of general converse
ton; but singulsrly as itinsy seem, every
body denounced the juvenile preacher, 50
that he sunk down at once from the pin
nacle Of popularity to the lowest abyss Of
shame and degradation; aud on the sub
sequent Sunday, when be ascended the
pulpit, not half a dozen hearers attended
the service, His chosen church deserted
him as a coward for that was the real
cause Of offense, although maby disguised
the fact under the flimsg pretsxt that they
disapproved of his condact In meddling
with questions Of politics.
l3h It is impossible to paint tie emotions Of
the young miuister whet he Witnessed the
result, and saw Himself hbasdo6ad by his
Spiritual flock. Even hegrJ& aha boys
tainted him as coward whenever he ap-
peared in the streets, and his affianced
bride, lady of great beauty and intelli-
gence, gave him cold and cruel dismissal
Had he been proven guilty of burglary or
theft, his disgrace could not have been
more complete. 1ttsf sa3 sA
No one, therefore, wondered when he
withdrew from the fellowship Of the Meth
odist denomination, and shut himself up
in the solitude of his private apartment. as
many supp ,sed in a condition bordering
on mental arrangement. The following
week however revealed the fruits of his
ineditations in an unexpected manner that
startled the whole city. Another article
came out in Arkansas "Whig." and this
time over Levi Coleman's own signature,
which excelled any satire ever before seen
in the southwest for awful, boupdless,
bitter denuncation. Every swifture of the
ex-preacher'spen seemed like the flash of
an internal sword-every word pierced
like the thrust of poisoned dagger. The
editor of the "Democrat" and all his
friends-indeed, hiswhole party, and even
his family-were subjected to the penalty
of.summary massacre. He dragged into
light all their private as well as political
sins, and accused them of imaginary
crimes, that caused every reader TO turn
white with horror. sa y. b4t,.l, izsi3
Then, as soon as the newspaper was is
sued, he left his room, and promena,led
the public ythoroughfare with the proud
and lofty tread of q hero,a accompanied
by Fent holland, both thoroughly armed.
A challenge from Israel Woods, then per-
haps the most deadly duelstin the world,
was The immediate consequence, and the
youth accepted it, to combat with pistols
at ten PAGES! z. 4.aJ
The interview. took place the next
morning at sunrise, on the bank of the Ar
.hau7ar Iivor, half q lselst,yI Little Rock,
and neversdid q greater eoncourse ofspec-
tators swarm to behold similar scene. :
AT the appointed hour the seconds.
Elias Wharton for Woods, and Fent No
land for Coleman, stationed their princi-
pals in position, and the anxious throng
actually trembed in fearful expectancy OF
the brutal signal. Indeed, the proximity
of the foes was so close that the escape Of
either with life seemed altogether hopeless.
In the meanwhile wonderful change
had been wrought in the aspect of the for
merly mild and merciful minister. His
blue eyes looked luminous as fire balls,
and the thoughtful sadness of his counte-
nance had been replaced by perpetual
smile, fierce, scorching, murderous, as ap-
peared to have the power of blasting the
gazer's sight, like the flash of lightning
from thunder cloud.
As Fent Noland left his friend, he whis-
pered in his ear: "Be sure and aim at
the enemy's head, and fire at the word; it
is your only chance"
At length the signal sounded, and both
weapons roared apparently together. yet,
in fact, Coleman's s had the precedence by
some half second, and that diminutive
fragment of duration made all the differ
ence of an entire eternity in the result.
Woods fell to the earth like a stone
dropped from tie han |, with bullet hole
through his right temple. while his own
ball whistled the fourth of an inch above
his adversary g head. From that day the
fame and fortune of Levi Coleman might
be considered firmly established. He was
installed forthwith in the editorial chair of
the Arkansas Wing, and welded pen and
pistol withfthe same triumphant success,
until suddenly the angel Of pestilence cut
short his career.