New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-10-22
THE DUELLO.
Jim RODN YOUN G
AN OLD RESIDENT OF NEW ORLEANS
. TEro,p the Washington Republican.

Ofthe many characters among us-charac-
ters in the sense of each having peculiarly
singular and distinct history OF his own, and
of Which Washington may fairly lay claim
to having greater number than any city OF
it's size in the world-Jim Rodney Young is
not the least inconsiderable. Jim is now IL
bar tender He is well known to all the
men about town, and though of African ex
traction, is almost invariably taken for
a white man. He looks and acts like d white
man, and save in the pronunciation OF some
few words to which he gives a very familiar
Southern flavor, there is nothing about Jim
to indicate that he belongs to the mighty
family of Ham. He wears a moustache,
side whiskers, and a connecting isthmus OF
iron-gray hair around the chin. He is a
middle-aged man, very muscular, and keen
eyed. He has the reputation of being able
to hit a shirt button at thirty PAGES with a
pistol ball.
Jim's history is exceedingly interesting,
not so much on the score of himself and his
adventures as the character OF the business
in which he was engaged.
SHOOTING TO A PURPOSE.
Before the war he kept shooting gallery
at SO st. Charles street, New Orleans. 1t
was the most far tamed shooting gallery Ill
all the Southern States, AS any one who was
in New Orleans ten years ago viii be IN
clined to affirm. The bar and buffet were
on perfectly regal scale, and all the APP
pointments, the pistols, rifles, double-bar-
relied shot guns, bowie knives, short swords,
daggers, and long swords were OF the very
finest kind, and Kept in the highest order.
Jim's place was the resort OF the creme
de la creme of the Southern salamanderlng
chiyalry. and from morning till night the
crack Of the rifle and pistol was heard with
out cessation in his galleries. 1t was the
great training ground of all the distin-
guished duelists, professional and amateur.
But what throws such a strangely tascnl-
ating interest about Jim's history is that to
the fatal fighting element OF New Orleans
and Southern society, of Louisiana, Texas
and Mississippi he filed an exactly relative
position to that occupied by Dooney Harris,
Of New York, toward the common Iistlcuff
gentry of the prize ring. Difference this:
Dooney trains his heres to beat their enc
mics with bone and muscle; Jim trained his
patrons, both sides alike, to blow each
others brains out with gunpowder and lead
as the quickest and easiest possible way.
Such training school as this was at 80
St. Charles street never had its counterpart
in the world, except in DuvaPs, at % Rue
Bonaparte, Paris, but DuvaPs never turned
out such crack shots, neither did 1.-THE; so
many dueling parties leave its galleries for
the fighting ground. The trainor OF the
prize ring sticks to one side; jim trained
and treated both sides with a cheerful i'm
partiality. The number of duels he has at
tended will fall little short of thousand.
He had the names of all the couples who
went forth to the Oaks or Pass Christian
entered in ledger, but he lost them i'll the
fire which consumed his house during the
rebellion.
THE WAY THE THING WAS DONE.
Whenever regular duel was to be fought,
the parties involved went to Jims place and
ordered the duel to be cooked, just us you
might turn into Welcker's and Haggertys,
or Charley Godfrey's, or handsome Bob
Herzoy's for cocktail, or Harvey's famed
restaurant to order steamed oysters for
two. Jim provided everything requisite,
tolls or rifles, OF swords, as the case might
be, the carriages, the early breakfast and
Sthe midnight supper to the victor OF the
fight. In short, Jim simplitied duellng TO
that extent that it was a perfect pleasure to
the old hands, the crack shots, to leave an
order with him for little affair OF honor
in the morning at the Oaks.
When tive men fell out and pistols were
indispensable to settle the difficulty, both
adjourned, each with a numerous party OF
friends, to Jim's gallery. On entering they
ranged themselves in line along the grand
marble counter and drank for half an hour
in free and friendly way. They laughed
together, cracked jokes, drank toasts OF
'slOng life and success" to the winning man,
and then proceeded to practice. There
were two shooting galleries to accommo-
date the entire party, and after instructions
from Jim, the principals went to work, blaz-
lug away at targets all the evening. Ii
both were satisfied at midnight they were
in sufficiently good trim, Jim was ordered
to get everything ready by sunrise. If not,
the duel would be postponed until the next
day or the one after. When the evening
training ceased at midnight, it was custom,
ary to gather once more along the bar an
drink deep and heavily for an hour or so
no unfriendly words ever being uttered OF
these fatally festive occasions. When sun
rise came jim had his three carriages, with
picked drivers and horses, ready on the
street. The principals, seconds, umpire
(the latter sometimes Omitted), doctor and
Jim jumped in and started rapidly for the
Oaks. This was clear space of over a
hundred PAGES, shut in by large oak trees
and admirably adapted for the particular
use to which it was devoted.
If the duel were to be fought with pistols
Jim measured off ten PAGES and placed the
men in position. The seconds moved of
obliquely right and left, and the umpire
sang out, Gentlemen, are you ready Il
both were prepared, they simultaneously
echoed, ''ready." Then came the measured
command, "Fire! one, two, three Nc
shot was permitted after the word three,
or third second from the command fire
He who happened to get shot was instantly
attended to by the doctor, one carriage lief,
on the ground, while the rest with the un
wounded or victorious party, drove quickly
from the scene.
Jim, when he neglected, or was unable
through prior engagements, to go out with
a party to the dueling ground, sometimes
lost a pair of his splendidly mounted pistols
worth $500. The sheriff was sure to burst
in upon them in Jim's absence, and the prn
.cipals, taking to their heels, were sure t.
throw the weapons on the ground. These
of course, fell into the hands of the sheriff
and recompensed him for his enterprise
Jim was most exceptionally fortunate. II,
was never captured but once, and that, ht
says, was from overweening confidence il
his own good fort une.
SOME OF HIS RECoLLECTIoEs,
The average number of duels which jim
had to attend to per week in the bus,
season was seven. Frequently duel wa
postponed when it occurred that jim wa
busy with one or two others, in order
have the benefit of his enlightened super
vision.
He tells good story Of two dry good
clerks on Canal street, who fell out about
young lady, and came to his gallery to Civ
an order for duel. One was from tn
North, and had never handled pistol in hi
life before.
At first he couldn't hit haystack, bu
after some smart training he was able t
bring ball pretty close to the woode
figure of a man. The other was Soutl
erner, though not much of a shot, bein
more at home with a pair of scissors than
brace of pistols. Jim took them duly t
the Oaks, planted them ten PAGES apart
and nut their MeaponS in nositinn He ha,