The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-03-03

WHten TOOK place IN 1901, as fefaten MN oy
De- Mccormick. Of New Orleans, who was
an eyewitness of the affair. The.eyents mar.
rated occurred near New Orleans and the
parties all well known---all of them being
very wealthy lin the cotton Kingdom
"The principals were Col. Augustus Ala
ton, a gradua Of West Point, and Col Lee
Reed planters, both. Long standing bit.
ter feud between the families, aggravated by
political aspirations and dsappointments-
the whole country sympathizsd with one or
or the other ...At length one of the Aston
party challenged Reed, which challenge Reed
refused to accep he wapted none but Aston
for his pistol Another Alstonian challenged,
and yet another; he destined. Then Aston
h mself sent challenge-Alston, the best
shot in the State whose citizens cult.
waited the deadly art with the zeal of saints
toiing after perfection. This challenge Lee
instantly accepted Weapons, the rife. hair
trigger, ounce ball. men to stand at twenty
Ipaces back to back, to wheel at the word
one tn fire a. soon as tliey pleased after the
.Ts
word the second to Continue Counting as
FAR as five, after which no firing.
IRE, was slow, portly mana good
shot if he could fire in his own way, with.
out this preliminary wheeling, he regarded
hluself as a dead man. :. He bought
coffin and shroud, and arranged all ais as-
fairs for Immediate death. The day before
the deed, his second, captain in the army,
ook hlm out of town and gaye him long
drill in the wheel-and fire exercises. The
pupil was inapt-could not get the knack
of wheeling '".'. -. "Lee." said the Captain,
'syou must whirl ,picker, Or you've no
chance sha .'''.'.<s - - '.'-
Lee sent his coffin and shroud to the
fed. Mrs. Aston accompanied her .hus-
band f.''T have come" she said, 'to see
lee Reed shot''f eG IHEE fI' 81 ss7sI
'a''fhe men were placed, and the second
counted one. In swiftly wheeling, the light
cape OF Aiston's coat t,uched the hair ttig.
ger, and his ball whistled over Reeds head,
who stood amazed, with rifle half presented.
The word taco, recalled him to HIMSELF he
fired, and Alston fell, pierced through the
heart Mrs. Aston few to her husband,
and found the ball which had slain him
In the sight and hearing of all present, her
dead husband at her feet, she lifted up tho
ball. and with loud. voice and fierce drama,
tic gesture, swore that that bal should kill
Lee heed. s,ra szftt,#yr 81 g,iag 4s.eue,
Now, observe the conduct of the 'chiyal-
ry' upon this OCCASION Note the public OPP
lnion Of that community. Were they touch,
ed by Lees magnificent courages Were
they moved to gentler thoughts by Alston's
just but lamentable death ]? The Montagues
and Cap,lets were rreconciled over dead ;Ju.
liet and Romeo 80, -. La, ..,,,....,
"l, brother Montague, give me thine hand
| i This is my daughters jontnre /; for no more
| gh Can demand."I ssHEaAh 'Za 7 Hga
'Not so the chivalry of the South. In the
afternoon of the same day. the Aston party,
headed by Willis. brother OF the deceased,
drew themselves up, rife in hand, bowie
knife and pistol in belt, before the hotel in
which the adherents of Reed were assembled
eongratulatipg their. chief. They sen. in .
messenger. challenging ten of the party to
come forth and fight them in the public
square, Much parleylng ensued, which ends
ed in the refusal of the Reeds to accept the
invitation. ..r, ....f r.ai.,,a So,
"a few days after Lee Reed was sea ted at
the table of the hotel, in the public dining
room,, at which sat gentlemen, ladies and
children-Dr. Mccormick among them.---
Willis Aston entered, took his stand oppo-
| site Reed, drew a pistols and shot him through
the liver The wound wa not mortal. AZ
ter some months of confinement, Lee Reed
was well again, and went about as usual, the
bloody minded Aston stin loose among the
people. hey met at length, in the streets
of New Orleans, aud Aston shot him again,
infcting this time a mortal wound. s synb
hThen there was hideous farce Of q trial.
Every man in the court room, except two,
was armed to the teeth. Fhese two werc
the judge and the principalwitness, DR.. Nc.
Cormick.d Each .juryman had a rifle at his
side in the jury box--twelve men ,gtstelve
rifles. The prisoner had two enormous horse
pistols protruding from his vesto 1.-The spec
tators were all armed !; the Reeds to prevent
a rescue in case Of eonsiction,s the Alstons
to protecttheir man in case Of accquittal.--
The counsel for the accused admitted thst
his client had shot the deceased, and con.
tended that the wound inflicted was not the
cause of his death DR. Mccormick was
called and took the stand amid the deepest
silence, the prisoner glarins at him like the
wild beast he was. +. -.
us it your belief that the deceased came
to his death from the wound Inflicted by the
prisoner at the bar?' ,.-,r. ~ e.f, ..s4.
81 have no belief on the subject replied
the witness, 1T is not matter of belief,
but fact knop he did,
THAT night, the trial not yet concluded,
the prisoner deemed il best to escape frow
prison. He went to Texas met on the road
there an old enemy, whom he shot dead in
his saddle; and on reaching the next town,
boasted of his exploit to the murdered mans
friends and neighho,s. Thirty of them ssiz.
ed him, tied him to tree, and shot him, all
thirty Of them firing at once, 70 divide the
responsibility among thep.'
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