Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1866-09-06
4 WESTERN VENDETTA.
BY ]. W. BOWEN.

In the Summer OF 1888, I was
obliged to spend a few days il
Memphis. 1t was then a consid
lerable town, though, of course,
nothing like its present size OF
business Importance. [ arrived
late at night, and in the morning.
sallying out to see the town, | was
taken somewhat aback at observ.
ing more than half the stores
unopened, though it was then after
10 o'clock. Ii did not take me
very long to arrive at the cause
Of this, for observing a stream of
people setting westward through
the main street, l questioned and
was answered that flights com
ing off just down in the gully"
| had come fresh from New
York with certain civilized notions
respecting duels, which made the
mans answer crate rather harsh
ly upon my ear, and yet with the
same morbid curiosity that makes
men travel far and pay we'll to see
a man hanged, I determined to go
out and see the fight, as | clearly
saw that it bade fair for a holiday
in Memphis, and that any business
I had to do might as well be de-
ferred until the citizens had set
tied ''the fight" | therefore join
ed the throng for the gully, and
walking overlook my original in
formant, and undertook to get
more knowledge from him. The
fight, he told me, was to be be-
tween two men, Waldron and
Jones by name, each representing
a large family of the respective
cognomens, and each fighting to
settle an old feud that had existed
for over twenty years, and had al
ready sacrificed to it three or four
members on each side; for be it
known the period of which write,
and even twenty yearsSater, these
family quarrels were carried out,
in the Southwest. with all the un-
forgivingness and venom of the l.
Italian vendetta, transmitting from
father to son, from brother to broth
er, and from kinsman to kinsman
with undying hatred. 1t was a
duel of this description | was 60
ing to witness.
Twenty minutes walk brought
me upon the ground, where l
found, already about three or four
thousand persons engagedin every
conceivable occupation, whiskey
drinking being the most stprominent.
There were a few improvised
tents upon the ground, where GER
tain antiquated darkies dispensed
luxuries in the shape of cold ham
and corn bread, fried chicken and
doughnuts, with various veg
etables, aud numberless wagons,
barrows and ox-carts, each carry
ing keg OR barrN Of whiskey, Ell
ther on private account, or to retail
at half dime a drink. On lib
eral calculation | counted the
crowd as three-quarters drunk,
when 1 arrived upon the ground,
and fast hurrying to make up the
last quarter. The fight, as my in
formant stated, was to come off at
ten o'clock, and as it was then
nearly eleven, made no doubt
that within few minutes | should
be gratifed with the smell of pow
der in the first act.
It. would have taken shrewd
guessing to have strolled over that
ground and told by the talk and
actions of the thousands there
gathered for what purpose they
had come together. Politics, bu-
siness, crops, horses and the state
of therive were discussed, washed
down with copious draughts of
"bald face" but never a word a.
bout the affair that had brought
them upon the ground. Hour at
ter hour slipped by, and the sun
beat its hottest rays down upon
the crowd, and they still held on
until nearly four o'clock, when a
whisper ran about that the fight
was about to come OFT.
Copying the example OF the
thousands about me, | ranged my
II H. x>ora 1laI Y0vyc