Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-09-25
FAYETTEVILLE CORRESPONDENCE.
The Late District COnvention-The Candi-
date for -FayetteviIle-The
RadicaIs-CO!s. McKOy and Dockery-
Further Particulars of the Sad Ira gedy.
FAYETTEVILLE, N. c., Sept. 81, '6S.

FAYETTEVILLE, N. c., Sept. 81, '68.
Dlessrs. Editors The great wave of in
tense political feeling, bearing with it the
pregnant event of an important Convention
of the people of this section of the State,
and assembling upon our streets the most
intelligent and patriotic of our citizens, to
meet in council and deliberate as to the
best and most efectual means of offence
and defence In the approaching campaign
having subsidized, our quiet town is itself
again. [ need not here detail the action
OF that Convention; your energetic re-
porter, as one of the Secretaries, has offered
to your readers an interesting account of
the proceedings of that occasion. may,
however, be pardoned in congratulating
the citizens of this Congressional District
upon the choice Of II candidate for Con-
gress, and the people of Fayetteville upon
with which the delegates acknowledge and
appreciate the recent inequalities eX-
tended to them Surely, if the 'signs of
the times" carry with them aught of sig
nificance, the late Democratic District
Convention, held in this place, with its
5000 or 10, 600 good and true men gathered
togher, gives promise that the people are
awaking from the long nightmare of ma
tional death and ruin, to hear in the dis
lance glad music heralding returning peace
and prosperity.
As we have time and again been animated
and aroused by full Democratic meet
ings, and stirring, patriotic Democratic
speeches, SO we have recently been forced
to endure Radical conclaves in our midst,
and hear of Radical harrangues to revive
the dropping courage of dupes and tools.
JOS Holden, Abbott and Deweese paid
Fayetteville a visit the day after the Con-
vention. Strenuous efforts were made
with a drum, Il tattered standard of the
"best Government on earth," and the
seedy carpet-baggers, to produce an ex-
element. The negroes made of themselves
perceSSi0n, and ranged it in single dis
consulate file, q Ia ovation, in front of the
hotel, and were much crestfallen to receive
a verbal message from the magnates within
that their demonstration was not accept
able, and straightway disappeared but
alas only to assemble again at night, to
be hoodwinked, cajOled and lied to by
these contemplate cheats and tricksters
Col. Mckoy, of Sampson, our nominee
for Congress, met Dockery here on Wednes-
day last in public discussion. Dockery
"A TnIr id l,o1
the closing speech. The demagogue, on
this occasion, talked with his over-match.
McKoy's boldness, independence and
honesty told even with his enemies and
1 learn that many Radical negroes ex-
pressed themselves convinced that that
man would not deceive them" May
thousands more be enabled to distinguish
the honest friend from the deceiver before
they accomplish their final ruin !
4 most terrible and fatal rencontre took
place here, between two we'll known citi-
zens, on Friday evening last. Dockery
and McKoy went up on Friday morning
on the W. r. Il. train to speak at Jones'
boro', attended respectively by several of
their party friends. During the trip r.
W. Stedman, Esq, Democrat, and DR.. W.
H. Morrow, Radical, and assistant register
in bankruptcy, became engaged in a polit-
ical alteration, in which high words and
bitter feeling were displayed, though the
interpOsition of friends on both sides pre-
vented matters from being carried to ex-
tremes. During the progress of the affair
weapons were displayed menacingly, Nor
row showing pistol Though not drawing
it) and Stedman Il knife. On the arrival
of the train the two came together, and
the facts show that it was intended by
each to 'settle" the difficulty speedily.
They walked a short distance down Hay
street together from the depot and no
suspicion was entertained by those who
had been with them previously of the
bloody tragedy to which their footsteps
tended.
DIR. Morrow walked over to the Fayetteville
Hotel andstood in the passage and about the
door. Mr.. Stedman passed down the street
but soon returned, crossed over, and stood
on the pavement in front of Morrow. A
few words were interchanged, when the lat
ter drew his revolver, and Stedman did the
same, firing Immediately, the ball entering
Morrow's body just below the left nipple.
Morrow fell. and exclaiming He has
killed me-" struggled over on his elbow
and fired. Tue duel then progressed regu-
larly and deliberately. Stedman fired four
shots, of which Morrow received two, the
others lodging in the steps above which he
Was lying. Morrow fired three shots, the
second Tor perhaps third), OF which entered
Stedman's right side. and ranged over to
the region Of the heart. He then clasped
his hand to his side, staggering out into
the middle of the street, then around to
the side entrance of the Hotel, on Donald
son street, where he sat down in the door
way, and shortly fell over on his right side.
Stedman was taken in and laid on the table
in the reception room of the Hotel, where
he expired in about half an hour. Morrow
was carried up to one of the rooms, where
he fingered in great agony until the next
day, dying at about 10! o'clock, Z. NJ. His
second wound was in the cavity Of the right
thigh.
Il. W. Stedman was an unmarried man,
aged abOnt thirty the son of N. n. Sted-
man, Esq, well known and esteemed in
our town His sad death has rent with
grief large family and circle of relatives
and friends.
Morrow leaves wife and two children
to mourn n husband and father snatched
away by this terrible and sudden tragedy.
L forbear venturing to indulge in the
slightest comment upon the causes of this
fatal affray Taking its rise, as it did, from
political differences, have foreborne, in