The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1871-10-26

maze MS Wl1e, tncn tncN ccllSufcu lIit
injury he had done her. a more
dcsolating blow was in store for her
: Her eldest son dissipatcd foolish
@ young man of twenty, excited by
o wine, -outrageously insulted q gentle
: man ut the thcater. a challenge to
: mortal combat followed. Ona SUIT
: day afternoon, in November, 1901,
f, the parties met at the usual duelling
7 ground at Hobokcn, on the very spot
, where three years later, Hamilton
, himself fell before the fire of Aaron
Burr. At the first shot, Philip Ham
ilton received mortal wound, and
he was borne from the ground
- across the river, and taken tOa house
, near the shore. He fingered thirty
: six hours, during which the most
! pathetic scenes occurred about his
; bedside. A private letter, written
} nt the time, shows us the mother
: and the father at the side of their
dying son.
"All the physicians in town were
called for,' writes this correspond
ent, "and the news spread like Il con-
1lagraton. At the theatre, | was in
formed of it about nine o'clock Mon
day evening. | Immediately ran to
the house, near the State prison, from
whence was told that they dare not
remove him. Picture to yourself
my dear girl, the emotions which
must have assaled me on my arrival
at his room, to which was admitted
as his old college classmatc. On a.
bed without curtains, lay poor Phil,
pale and langud, his rolling distort-
ed cycballs darting forth the flashes
of dclirum. On one side of him, on
the same bed, lay his agonizcd faith
er; on the other, his distracted mother;
around him, numerous friends, weep
ing and fixed in sorrow. Blanchcd
with astonishmcnt and alright was
the countcnance which, Il few mo-
mcnts before, was illumincd by the
smile of mcrriment. ! could cOntin-
ne in the room but a very short time.
Returning home, I quickcncd my
pace almost uncOnsciously, hoping
to escape the image, IA well as the re-
nlity, of what had witnessed"
The young man died next morning,
between four and five O'clock. His
father, we are told, was with difficult
ty supported to the grave, and the
mother remained at home stricken |
with grief, robbed of her offspring by
scnsclcSs custom and a dcbauchcd
public opinion.
This duel, of the reader knowns
proved to be but the prelude and re
hcarsal of the one which, three years
later, deprived Mrs. Hamilton of
husband, and her seven children of a
father. The circumstances were
startingly similar. The duel was
fought on the same ground for Il SINH
lar-oilrnsiVc word uttered by Ham
ilton. The wound which the father
received was very similar to the one
which destroyed the son, and the
father like the son, did not fire at his
borne across the river and taken to u
friends house near the shore, where
he fingered almost the same number
Of hours rs the son, and died sur
rounded by the same thronG of weep
ing friends and relations. IT was
doubtless Il consolation TO his wife, so
cruelty injured, to discover that she
had been in his thoughts the evening
before, when he had w;ittcn solemn
injunction to his children never to
forget what they owned to the chest
and most devoted of mothers" In
his will, he left all that ne possessed
TO his "dcar and excellent wife," and
then added these words:
should il happen that there is not
enough for the payment OF debts, |
cntrcat my dear children, if they, or
any of them, should ever he able, to
make up the deficiency. ], without
hesitation commit to their dclicncy Il
wish which is dictated by my own.
Though conscious that have too far
sac+iiccd the interests Of my family
to public avocations, and on this ac-
count have the less claim TO burden
my children, yet trust in their mag
nhnimity to appreciate as they ought
this my request. Ia 50 uHiaynrablc
an event Of things, the support of their
dear mother, with the most respectful
and tender attention, il II duty, all
the sacrcdncSs of which they will feel.
Probably her own patrimonial re-
sources will preserve her from indig-
cncc. But in all situations they are
charged TO bear in mind that she has
been to them the best of mothcr1.n
Thus can the eloquent tongue apol-
ogizc fnr the faults nf the weak heart;
and women IN their tondcr charity,
accept the eloquent words and for
give the mighty wrong which lays
waste their lives. Why should he not
have said to Burr: "My wife and
children have prior claim upon my
life. My life is theirs, and not my
own, sIE life j. not mine to risk
He could not say these uolds, aHd
no man at that day could have said
them, unless he had been exception
ally strong and good, which Hamil-
ton was not.
Mrs. Hamilton remained for more
than fifty years a widow, and during
all that period she was an object of
,eL"ratiOn and peculiar interest in
all the circles il, whirh she moved.
1t IL pleasing to know that her rhii.
drcn faithfully observed their fathers
injunction. She testified to the "un-
rrmitting kindness and attention"
which sir bad received from her son,
JamGs \. Hamilton. He cycn sup
piled her wants too abundanily, One
of her letters to him has been publish
ed, i'm which she tells him that she
did not need Il check which he had
sent her, and that he must not send /
her any m0re money unless she asked {
for it.
"As all good acts" she added, "arc
recorded in the habitaiion where !,
your father now is, J have no doubt /!
this one will he prpclaimcd to him,
and have thnis given him another !
motive to implnrc continued blessings
upon you. Amen, my dear sul:'
During the last years of her life she !
was much interested in the prospori- :
ty of the Widows Society Orphan
Asylum, for which she received il
great deal of money by personal ap- !
plication.
Mamma" sail her son Ia her, one
day, "you are u sturdy bcggar' Il
~ L. q