The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-07-25
BLADENSBURGAsAD A ADUELLINa GROUND
THE AFFAIRS OF HONOR THxRH
ENUMERATED.

A correspondent of the Cleveland Pzdia
Dealer, writes in late letter from Biadens-
burg Md:
This place SO noted for its polite and refined
murders, is about Eve miles from the city,
fresh and handsome, in full livery Of green,
adorned with flowers, and should blush in il
beauty for the scenes it has Witnessed. Here,
in beautiful little grass-plat surrounded By
trees, forms, made after the image of God,
come to insult nature and defy Heaven. In
1914, Edward Hopkins was killed here in .
duel. This seems to have been the first Of
these, fashionable murders on this dueliing
| ground. ~ g
In 1919, A. T. Mason, United States
Senator from Virginia, fought with his sisteTs
husband, John McCarty, here McCarty
was ayerse to fighting and though thsre was
no necessity for It but Mason would Gght.-
McCarty named muskets loaded gith grape
| shot, and so near together that they could hit
heads if they fell on their faces. This Was
changed by the seconds to loading with bullsts
and taking twelve feet as the distance. Ma
son was killed instantly, and McCarty. who
had his collar bone broken, still lives with Ma
sons sister, in Georgetown. His hair turned
white SO soon after the fight as to Cause much
comment. He has since been solicited to act
as q second in a duel, but refused, in accord
anee with pledge made to his wife soon after
killing her brother.
LIN 1920, Commodore Decater vas killed In
duel here by Commodore Barron. At the
| first fire both fell forward and lay with their
heads within ten feet Of each other, and %
each supposed himself mortaily wounded,
each fully and freely forgave the other, still
lying on the ground. Decater expired imme-
diately, but Barron eventually recovered. In
| 1921, two strangers named Lsga and Sega,
appeared here, fought, and Sega was Instantly
killed. The neighbors only learned this much
of their names from the marks on their gloyes
left on the ground. Lega was not hurt.
| In 1922, Midshipman Looks was killed here
/ in duel with Clerk of the Treasury De-
partment named Gibson. The latter was
not hurt. In 1926, Henry Clay fought his
second duel with John Randolph, Just across
the Potomac, as Randolph, preferred to die, IL
at all, on Virginia soil, received Clays shot
and then fred his pistol in the air. This was
in accordance with declaration made to DIR.
Benton, who spoke to Randolph Of . cali tho
| evening before on Mrs. Clay, and alluded 10
| the quiet sleep of her child and the repose Of
the mother, Randolph quickly replied, sI
child or the repose of the mother" Gen.
Jessup, whose funeral attended last week
was Clay's second. la. 5a.
| When Randolph fred he remarked, al do
not shoot at you Mr. Clay" and extending
his hand advaE ced toward Mr.. Clay, who rush
ed to meet him. Randolph showed Clay
where his ball strnck his coat and said face
tiously: "Mr. Clay, you owe me coat" Clay
replied: Thank God the debt is no greater"
They were friends ever after. In 1882, Mar.
! tin was killed here by Carr. Their first names
are not remembered. They were from the
South. In 1888, Mr.. Key, son of Frank Key,
and brother of barton s. Key, of Sickles mo-
toriety, met Mr.. Sherborn aud exchanged .
shot, when Sherborn said: "Mr. Key, / have
no desire to kill you" @No matter" said
Key, "I came to kill you" "Very web,
then" said SEerborn, al will now kin you" |"
and he did,
In 1888, W. J. Graves, of Kentucky, a.
suning the quarrel of james Watson Webb
with Jonathan JCilley, of Maine, selected this
4 place for Cilley's murder, but the parties
learning that VI ebb with two friends, jackson
and Morrel, well armed and in pursuit, fox
the purpose Of assassinating Cilley, moved to-
ward the river and nearer the city. Their
pursuers followed toward the river, but miss.
ed the parties and then returned to the city,
to which they we're soon followed by Graves
and the corpse of Gilley In 1S45, lawyer
named Jones, fought with and killed o Dr..
johnson. In 1851, r. A. Hoole and A. J.
Dallas had hostile meeting here. Dallas
was shot in the shoulder, but recovered. In
1852, Daniel and johnson, two Richmond edi-
tors, held harmless set-to here, which term
mated in coffee. In 1858, Davis and Ridg-
i way fought here--Ridgway allowed his anta9.
list to fire without returning the shot.