Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-06-21
A DUEL IN THE DARK,
by JUDGE ARLINGTON.

! always been remarkable, even before the
! recent war gave her profound national
interest. Many years ago she supplied the
class of writer's who furnish the substra-
! tum for most of the circulating libraries
/ with plots dark and dreadful enough to
! satisfy even the present craving for scBsa-
! ton. The place had been noted from its
earliest ettlement for the bPlIigerent
character of its Inhabitants and the num-
! Der and atrocity of the violent deeds which
! ST aimed its streets with the blood of human
hearts.
1t Is not our purpose, however, to sketch
| any OF these more celebrated brnte battles,
, but merely 10 select, for the sake of its
mournfIl moral alone, solitary tragedy
! which was briefly chronced hy the press
! OF the day, and which then faded from the
recollection of all, save one from whom
the writer received the story iI it's paIticu-
; !arlty. She, OfCOuTse, could never forget.
J Io the latest hour OF her existence the wife
! OF the murdered hero wcpt at tie rcminis-
! C2nce.
| III the year 1927, a young lawyer, john
! Thomas, emigrated from Worcester, in
! massachusetts, to the state Of Mississippi
! lie was poor, had recently mairel a
! beautiful, accomplished woman, who had
renounced wealthy parents for his sake,
| and hence was anxious to better lis for
| tune i'll as little time as possible. This
consideration determined the legal adven-
turer to locate at EicEsburg, then cOnsid-
! cred through the West as the paradise of
: the bar.
l In a very short time the new LAWYER had
ample reasons to congratulate himself on
/ the choice Of his position. His bland de-
! meanor, studious habits, and moIe Than
! al, his eloquence in debate, won him pat
! rOnage, and lie rose, almost at q single
| bound, to the first place in his profession.
| lie was employed iii all the land suits, and
| III the most OF the 5 LII more numerous and
| equally lucrative eases of homicide, so that
| III the period of two years afler lis advent
| he mad cleared the round gum of thirty
| thousand dollars. Let no scertcal disci-
! pie Of Lord COX" deem this statement in
! credible. ). >. Prentiss realized, cash i'll
hand, forty thousand dollars 10y his oper-
ing speech in Niclsburg.
During his career thus far young Thomas
was remarkable i'll one respect. lie never
went armed, and although in the fierce and
fiery alterations of the forum lie necessa-
rlly made some enemies, no attack bad
hitherto been ventured on his person.
The athleticlsm Of his noble form, and the
look Of invincible determination ia his
! keen blue eyes had doubtless warned the
desperadoes that the Yankee orator, as lie
was generally termed, could hit as hard
I blows i'll the courtyard as he did III the
. court itself. However this may be, two
years elapsed, years too of eminent sue
cess, before the peaceable attorney was
even insulted. Alas! this halcynn period
was doomed TO a change alill" Sudden and
terrible.
There resided at that time in the town
a notorious duelist by the name Of John.
son, whose matchless prowess inspired
universal fear. lie had Slain half a dozen
foes Oh the public field Of horror, and a>
many in private and irregular encounters.
al the members Of the blood c!nh spoke
OF Mike Johnson's fcats with rapturous
enthusiasm. But all good men, il lovers
ofpeace, when the brave wrclril passed
| turned pale, and were silent.
At the May term OF the District Court
1929, the grand jury, mastering cXtraoldIlI.
| airy courage, returned true bill against
johnson for The murder of William Lee,
an inofensiye youth whom he had shot
down i'll a drunken 1rolic, under circuul-
stances Of peculiar aggravatiou. Thomas
was retained by friend of the decreased to
aid in the prosecution, and notwilhstand-
ing the earnest advice Of his well wishes S
to the contrary, appeared On Tie trial uf
the cause, one oi the most r>c;tInS ,vel
argued ut the bar Of Nicksh'ij~. Ga the
last evening Of the session uf.r adjourn
his wife, with looks Of such rNIhenL agita-
ton as 10 I'LL lrcr soul with ustr}ru,iiug
alarm.
My love, tell me- il. he ua,n., "t' hcaven
what las happened :" She .i,rd. l.;ii" as a
corpse, aLd shaking like y I;af ~ t!.c
wind.
Nothing" answered the husband. think
ing to conceal tie mCst fearful part Of the
intelligence. 'ENothiDg, only ihc murderer
IL, 4.
! iIsItlted me in the courtyard and Knocked
/ him down"
''And he challenged you to fight him
/ with pistOls." almost shrtked the " ife,
! anticipating the rest, with Tticknoss Of
Woman's keen common sense.
cit is even sO,' replied III" lawyer,
mOurnfully.
ooh say that you will not meet him.
OH swear that you will not turn duclist
III this Sedan Of the South implored the
wife, throwing her arms around his neck
and sobbng like child on lis bosom.
There, do not weep now. / will not
turn duelist, dear Emma, although | much
fear that the consequence viii hc my
ruin. .
"God viii protect you from ti" !old, bad
man"
The next morning it was known in
! Fick5buIg that " the Yankee orator had
been challenged and refused 10 iiclt Ac-
cOrdingly, lie was generally denounced a4
! u cOV'ard-a word which at that day might
he considered as expressing far deeper
ScUrn than either robbcr or assassin. As
! he passed through the streets, he was as
| tOnohed to witness the coldnc.s manifest
ed by his old acquaintanccS, and even pro-
fessed friends, while the great mass Of the
people seemed to regard HIM with inrfiable
contempt. g ankee white liver" '!b0aS-
ter" " poltrOon,' were the sounds most
frequently rung in his ears, especially when
near the groceries, and there was one then
on every terrace of the broken hills.
The matter grew worse. About a Wecli
afterwards, Johnson met his victim in the
public square, presented a cooked pistol al
his heart with one hand, AMI btlabOred
him numerically with cowhide which he
graspeJ in the other. II si,tauCe at he
moment was altogether out ofthn question,
for the slightest motion would have beer
the signal for immediate death. He thought
0f Emma and her sweet babe aud bore til.
caStigatiOn in silence.
After this, clients deserted his Office, gen.
tIemen refused to recognize linn or return
his salute in the thOrOughfarts OF business
or during his morning strOlls over the hills
Had his touch been contagi0n, or his
breath pestilence, he could not lave beeI
more carefully summed.
Another week passed, and the degraded
lawyer was in state Of mind bordering OF
insanity; and yet all the while he conceal
ed the mental torture from his afiectiOnatC
wife. One evening in more than com
mon bitter and gloomy mood, as he walked
through the public square. lee was again
accosted 10y Mike johnson. " itlI his cooked
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