Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-04-18


The second Of Mr. Pryor has Published the
duolling correspondence between che diStin
quised non-combatants. II 0Onfnps essen
Tally the previoua statements ofWauhingsOn
lsisers, particularly ths letter Of the Tines
copied by The Leader. Mr.. Pryor comes out
second best ali Tound, according to the showing
Of bis own second. His pIea that POtterS
weapons were too barbarous for the barbarOus
code is humbug, and so regarded by common
sense people. What is tho difference in refine
ment pray, between The lunge Of Bowie, OF
the plunge Of q DsTrinReFi- Both Orush bone.
tear muscle, sever arteries, and make ghastlY
openings to let honor in and lie out Mr..
Pryor is evidently more bunoOmbs than brave.
lie brought to the House reputation for rare
skill in the ausllo, and has come cut of three
tr four qualreIs he has already provoked, crSst.
fallen.
The Cincinnati Commercial, whose editor
spent some time in Washington at the opening
of the session, thus dagueneOtypeS Messrs,
Pryor and Potter:
Roger A. Pryor is about thirty three years
Of ege, and very singular in personal appear
ance. He is probably six feet and an inch
high, and is unusually slender. His legs and
arms are long, and if the wosternism is not too
strong, gangling. His movements are quick,
restless and impeluOus, like his character. Ills
head is long rather than high, and gives fair
index Of the very considerable intellectual
power which he Is known 10 possess. The
feature Of his face is the nose, which is q lofty
arch, the effect of which is increased by the
thin sallow cheeks behind il. He has no beard,
and yet no one would mistake hiscountenance
for that Of boy. His hair is black and long,
and worn Gombed back and falling behind the
ears He Is, we believe, the son of Presby
terian preacher, settled ia Norfolk, but his
education does not appear to have been directed
with a design to develop in him the virtue Of
meakness, Or if it was there was a some
what decided failure in the management. As
a speaker, he is fiery, declamatoTy and pomp-
Gus, and altogether too prone to rash personal
expressions. The blood flies to his head, and
he "tiieS off the handle" he had not spoken
two minutes when he made his first effort to
address the House, before he had indicated
in very exceptional terms, that he was fight
ing man of the hair triggered description. He
was not TO be intimidated, he said, "by any.
says, much less by anything he may dare do ~
And an impression was at once made upon the
judiciOus that while the young man had some
fine qualities, and was disposed to fight at the
drop OF the handkerchief, he was sadly wanting
in cool-headed judgement. Mr.. Pryors
frequent appearance in belligerent attitudes
has given him disagreeable reputation among
those who believe peace to be better than war,
and who do not recognize the Virginian civiIi'
zatiOn as the highest type the world has seem
John F. Potter, of Wisconsin, is a very DIFF
ferent sort Of man, and is as true an example
Of Northern, as Pryor is OfSOulheTn manhood.
He is what we might call sturdy, and is as
excellent specimen of symmetry and health
as can be seen in Washington. He is not very
large, but is round and compactly built. He is
calm, self possessed, easy in his manners, and
attractive in conversation. He wears his beard,
which is slightly sandy full, and his hair,
which Is brown, rather short than otherwise
neither f)wing locks nor bristles. Seen on
Pennsylvania Avenue, going up from the Ay-
enue House, where he boards, to the Capitol,
or returning, he resembles business man in
good condition, and not particularly anxious
on any subject, walking leisurely to his count
ing house after a good dinner His step is
sPringy, aud there is so much elasticity in his
movements, that if it were not for his clear,
sober, steady gray eye, whose glitter is q .iet
and intense, and his honest, hearty, solemn
face, he would be accused of bearing himself
jauntilY. No one with common capacities for
observation and common honesty, will say that
he is one Of eowardy kind He is man
who may always be depended on in great trialr,
and we will warrant that he will never, on
any occasion, exhibit pusillanimous quality.
It would not be unfair tn say of most men.
who, in accepting challenge 70 fghU duel
should choose Bowie knives, that the presump.
ton was against stomach for the fight" and
that they proposed style of encounter that
would evidently be murderous, with tho expec.
tatiOn Of avoiding it altogether Such a pre-
sumption would be exceedingly unfair in the
case Of Mr.. Potter. Those who know him,
know that he did mean to fight, If it should
please his antagonist to meet him on terms of
equality. It is all nonsense to say that the
advantage which Potter would have over Pryor
with the knife would be very great. Pryor is
TALL long armed, alert, and quick as tiger,
precisely the man TO WELD Bowie with fatal
effect Potter is much more muscular, but
would hardly have as much agility.