Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1866-01-18

FAYETTEVILLE, TENN; JANUARY lS, 1866.

tempting violence would do SO a
!. his peril. He then drew a brac
of pistols; his friends did th
; same, and the bidding commenced
The Virginians bid as they please'
i for the forbidden lands, but NJ
J fight resulted.
! An instance resembling, in it
circumstances, the duel betweel
Mason and McCarty occurred nea
J. one ofthe Virginia court houses
and while the court was in ses
sion, some years ago, between DR.
Branch I. Archer, a distinguish
actor in the early struggles of
Texas, and of an eminent Virgin
ian family, and a young relative
The young man, for some rather
slight cause, challenged DR.. Arch
er, who endeavored to avoid a duel
for the same reason which made
McCartyu willing to fight Mason
The young man, in this case, per.
enptorily, and with threats, de.
manded a meeting, which was Fl.
nally conceded. They fought in
a grove at five PAGES, the sound of
/ the pistols interruptihg the pro-
ceeding court. The young man
was shot dead at the first fire
Archer afterwards fought a knife
duel in Texas, with Spaniard--
their left hands tied together
and killed his antagonist. He was
one of Gen. Houston's most bitter
and unsparing foes, but never
could bring ":Old San Jacinto" to
fight.
1t is stated of the celebrated
Bowie, that he settled an amicable
controversy with a Spaniard about
the relative merits of his terribly
famous knife and The Spanish
long-knife, by knife ducl-their
left arms tied together. At the
word, Bowie by powerful jerk,
turned the Spaniard around, passed
his knife into his body, and turned
1.-THE Spaniard sinking down. a
dead man. Bowie then coolly
severed the cord and let the dead
body fall, with as much indiffer-
ence as though it had been log.
This, of course, was most salts
factory and convincing proof that
he had-the best of the contro-
versy.
One Of the most melancholy
fights that ever took place in Vir-
ginia occurred about thirteen
years ago in Manchester, across
the James river from Richmond.
1t was between John Hampden
Peasants, long a very able and
popular editor of the Richmond
Whig, and Thomas Richie, jr.,-
son of the celebrated Thomas
Ritchie, for twenty years the con-.
testant editor of the Richmond
Enquirer, in the political newspa-
per field, with Peasants. 1t was
the fatal close of a bad feeling,
which had been smothering for
some years, although there can be
little doubt that outside friends
were more active than the princi-
pals, in stimulating the matter In
to death struggle.
Peasants had been challenged,
a few years before the encounter
at Manchester, by William f. Rit-
chic, husband of Mrs. Mowatt,
and the eldest son of Thomas
Richie, senior. The challenge
was accepted-the terms being
at Clark's Springs, about a mile
from Richmond-shot guns, load
ed with twelve buck-shot-twelve
paces-the guns to be placed, un-
cooked, upon the ground, at the
feet of the principals, TO be raised
at the word and fired at will II
The duel was to have taken place
at FIVE, or six o'clock in the morn
ing, but by the exertions of two,
distinguished citizens, was fortu-
nately got in shape for adjustment
about two hours before the affair
was to come off.
The settlementwas just and hon.
orable to both parties, but there was
lingering bitterness, that finally
led the younger Richie (Thomas)
to charge Peasants with coward
ice, editorially. This led to the
fisht-for it was not formal duel,
although the terms were settled,
and seconds We're upon the ground.
The parties were to stand sixty
rln ooor& orr,o1 &c thor, soxu