The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-07-10
Information.
Duel Between Negro Women.

Duel Between Negro Women.
From the Richmond Dispatch June o.
One of the most extraordinary murders that II
has ever fallen the lot of Virginia journalists &c
chronicle was committed in Henrico county on
Sunday last. 1t was duel in which two negro
women were the belligerent parties, and Of
which jealousy was tie moving cause.
There was man in the case. He was one
Geo. ellis, gay and festive field hand, who,
though possessing dark skin, reioices in the
reputation of Lothario of the first water. I'm
til few months ago, Julia Ann ellis, who lives
on q neighboring plantation, was the happy pos.
SCISSOR of his affections, and although never unit
ed by the parsoa they were living together in
the slavery fashion, as man and wife. Like most
married people, they were supposed to be happy
in the connubial relation, until one black day,
when the shining star of Ella Woodson arose up
ON Georges horizon, and this sable beauty won
his heart, and he-a naughty man-aung t'other
one away.
To cut sad story short, Georges amatorisl
advances eliminated in the desertion Of Julia,
his first love, and his taking up with Ella, whose
heart he soon had gained. Jealousy was rife be-
tween the two women. They backbit each other,
they sneered, they 'iawed,," they threatened,
and finally they fought it out on q line rather
new in the history of female pugilistic encoun-
ters.
A CHALLENGE PASSED.
On Sunday morning Julia's wrath boiled over,
and, no longer able to restrain her temper, she
went over to the NEGRO quarters on Colonel
Knights place, and, standing at the door, boldly
challenged her rival to fair fight, with nobody
to interfere Ella promptly took the gauntlet
up, and together they went to the dueling
ground, without the seconds or surgeons who
gener ally accompany more civilized persons en-.
nh r,,ur
THE FIGHT BEGINS.
The spot chosen was a deep ravine long
distance from any dwelling house, and complete
ly hidden from the view Of persons who travell-
ed by the ordinary country roads. Each woman
had good, stout walking stick wit. which they
were to fight, though the use of teeth, fists, feet
and finger nails were not interdicted BY their
code. Side by side they walked into the glade,
and then, without moments parley to agree
upon distance and signals, they few at each other
with the fury Of enraged wildcats. Sticks were
soon abandoned as unwieldy, and requiring too
long range to be of use, and then the combat
ants closed in, armed only with the weapons God
had given them for defence.
bU HORRIBLE.
They wrestled moment in silence-one wo-
man with all the hate of an outraged wife bub-
bling to her finger ends, and the other burning
with jealousy and fighting for life itself. Pre-
sently they fell to the ground. Ella, though the
stOutest aud strongest, was beneath. By some
means one finger of her antagonists hand got be-
tween her teeth and she bit it to the bone.
DEATH, AND WHAT FOLLOWED.
Then came the death struggle. With her
other hand, which was free, Julia, as she admits,
managed, in spite of all resistance, to choke her
antagoni -, the breath left her body. This
done, she relinqulshed her hold, and her dusky
rival lay dead at her feet
The murderess enjoyed tut for moment the
wicked sweetness of revenge A sense Of her
crime and dread of punishment induced her to
give the PROSTATE form one last blow, to make
sure that no tales would be told by those icy
lips, and then she dragged it toward the ditch,
hoping to hide it from human sight. But this
designed was frustrated by negro, who, hap
pening to take a short cut through the woods on
his way to church. was horror-struck by the
sight of Il Withholding woman dragging q corpse
through the briery underground in the ravine
below him. He gave the alarm at once, and up.
on his information the negress who committed
the murder was speedily arrested
BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.
A jury OF inquest, summoned by order of JUS
tice Woodwork, viewed the body on yesterday
morning. Julia made her appearance before the
Coroner and acknowledged the commission of the
bloody deed, and an account of the circumstances
attending it, but claimed that it was perpetrated
in self-defense. The jury found that the de.
ceased, Ella Woodson, came to her death from
wounds and bruises received at the hands of
Julia Ann ellis.
The accused was brought to town and lodged
in cell at the Jail, where she will remain until
next Saturday, when her case will be fully in.
vestigated by court of magistrates. The de-
ceased has been decently buried.