The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-10-24
A Georgia Anair OF Honor.


Pusillanimous." The Cincinnati Com
mercidE gives the following summary of
what was the result: The Judge replied
to the cartel, saying that the article con-
tanning the Objectionable epithet was
written by an associate, who WAS now
absent from Rome. Calonel Farrow
tiercely rejoined that no matter who
wrote the article, the chief editor was
responsible for 1t, and the Judge must
tight or retract. The latter grew rather
nervous about the Coloneis peremptory
Communications, and published re-
traction which the Colonel declared
was satisfactory. In the meantime,
however, the associate editor and au-
thor ofthe article, Mr.. NJ. A. Nevin,
had returned. and totatally disapproved
of his seniors course. II the lat
ter wouldn't fight he determined to re-
open the quarrel himself, and he ad-
dressed Colonel Farrow one of the
most singular letters ON record. He
says in this remarkable epistle:
"I, as the associate editor of the above
named paper, am alone responsible for
the phrase, This pusillaimous and
cowardly man, &c, and not hesJudge,
and to save my life l can find no con-
ceivable objection TO the language, un-
| less that objection consist in its rhetor-
ical Observation-Disclosures and
cOwaTdly' being rather synonymous
terms. Yon remarked that it had been
charged that cowardiCe and a mortal
fear of bullets had driven you to take
refuge in the Nitre Bureau Depart
ment. The correctness of this charge
| you neither attempted to palliate or
deny, but rather thought it an excel
lent piece of strategy on your part,
| illustrating the case with an anecdote,
as usual, and ending with the triumph
ant exclamation, I'm damn glad that /
am Potash Farrow.' The language OF
the unfortunate editorial is but the re-
| Hex of your own sentiments, and L
am somewhat surprised that II recapit-
ulation should SO astound you"
The pugnacious associate editor, it
seems, has new boy baby, and but
| one leg, two facts he alludes to as fol-
lows:
"Now, L am not altogether a fighting
man, and you have already confessed
that you are not; besides, you have a
family, and so have 1. y have but re-
Gently become the fortunate daddy OF
! one of the finest boys in the ten terri
.
not wish to take the chances OF leaving
| him fatherlessi yet, if when you reply
| To this, You still insist, and Messrs.
| Harris and Walker, your surviving
references, will stand good for your
character, why SO let 1t be. have al
| ready bad the small matter of two
duels-in two OF which 1 came Off vic
| torious, and in the third only lost u
leg; and though, withal, l have not
] formed any particular attachment 10
dueling, yet whenever man has per-
sistenIly demanded fight, have al
| ways endeavored to accommodate
| him."
He concludes after this fashion:
Permit me to say, in conclusion, my
misguided friend, that think you are
| labOring under the deluslon that you
have "A character TO lose. Finally, ii
your voice is still for war, just bring
/ along your implements, and the bee
hive for your lett lower member. l
scOrn to take advantage of any man.
Yours, very easy, NJ. A. NEvIN,
Associate Editor Rome Commercial.
Colonel Farrow did not reply to this
letter until several others from thesame
source compelled him to answer it,
He declined fighting an associate edi-
tor, on the ground that he was "a mere
employee" He deemed the chief edi-
tor the responsible person, and the
chief editor had retracted. This was
all he wanted, In addition, he said:
81 have been informed by those who
have seen you, and who know some
thing OF you. TINT from an unfortunate
accident when quite boy, you lost
YOUR left leg; and that from that day to
This you have gone upon crutches. For
me to demand of you, in your crippled
condition, that satisfaction which is due
from one gentleman to another, would
Justly damn me forever. Think, sir,
for a moment, of the overwhelming and
nerited infamy which would come
down from an outraged people upon
me, and upon my children after me,
were TO challenge and take the life OF
a Crippled man, recognize the Code
and were il not for your crippled condi-
tion, you should not complain of being
ignored No, sir, no waiver on your
part can enable you to stand before me
a perfect man. And say to you in the
most positive, emphatic and unquali-
fed language, that under no circum-
stances, for no language which 1t is
possible for one person to use toward
another, could be induced to commit
so grave an error, to commit an act SO
vioiative of the Code so revolving to
true manhood, as to challenge to the
field OF honor one who Is suspended be-
tween crutches.0
Mr.. Nevin at once replied to this (as
he, termed iD "lengthy and lachrymose
episode" He accused the Colonel of
hypocrisy and evasion, and therefore
proposed to close the correspondence.
The Colonel rejoined that he objected
to losing it. According to the code"
(tiith section, second division, first
chapter, Wilson's), Mr.. Nevin's second
must tender himself in his principals
stead. 1t was Mr.. Nevin's turn to rest
moment on his oars. In his next
communication the following passage
occurs:
mYour preteTt is that am cripple
and suspended between crutches.' To
one so conversant with the code as
Yourself, you must confess to such
balderdash! Generals Hood and Ewell
are both one-legged men, and each
commanded corps after their mis-
fortune. Yet, under your construction
OF the 'code,' you could not and
would not recognize these gentle
men as being within the pale OF
honor, because suspended between
crutches.' These are the proper con-
clnsions under the code as under
stand Il; and though you refuse posi-
lively, under any circumstances what
ever to recognize me as principal In
this matter, and though forced by your
declarations, and my duty 10 my friend,
Captain O'COnnor, 1 withdraw in favor
| of the latter; yet do so under solemn
protest against any such Interpretation
OF the CODE"
The unhappy second now appears on
the scene in the following: