Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-01-18

That paper six days, and then | ha,
live duels on my hands. | wouldn'
have minded that if it had been tn
custom for these other people to chal
enge me. Then would have simpl,
declined with thanks. But it was no
so. lfyou abused man in the paper
If you called him names-thev had n,
rights there such as we have here
the men didn't like it, you had to chal
lenge him and shoot him. OF eours,
l didn't want to do this. but the pub
Usher said it was the custom-societ,
must be protected. If I could not do
the duties Of my position he would
have TO hire somebody else.
Il didn't mind the first three or fom
men, but the other mani was afte,
him. l knew he didn't want to firht
SO | was going to make all the reputa.
ton out ofhim could. He got touched n,
something | said about him-I dom,
Know what it was now-I called him n
thiei, perhaps. He fought very shy OF
me at first, and so l piled him with
oioodthlrsty challenges all the more.
At last he began to take an interest in
the thing. 1t seemed As though he
really was going 10 enter in at last.
All our boys were delighted at the
prospect, but | was not. This was not
turn was expecting in things.
4 had taken for my second n fiery
peppery little fellow, named Steve.
full of fight, and anxious to have this
thing fixed up right away. lie took
me over into little rayine beyond .he
town To practice IL was the custom
70 night with Colts navy revolvers Mt
hVe steps We borrowed stable door
ana then We propped fence rail mn
against the middle of it to represent
my antagonist, and put squash on it
70 represent his head. lie was 4 vrrv
iisht tim man, cery thin-the poorest
klhd OF material for a duel-you could
not expect to do anything with a seat.
tering shot at all. But he made =
splendid line shot, and it was the linz
that practiced principally.
But there was no success ahout !,
could not hit the rail, and there was
no need that should hit the rail the
ran did not really represent him. It
was little too thin and narrow RI,
the squash was all right. Well /
could not hit the rail- and | could not
mt the squash, and inallv, when
found | could not hit the door. either
l got a little discouraged. But when
l noticed that crippled one Of tho
boys occasionally. thought i "a.
not 50 bad was dangerous with =
pistol, but not reliable.
FINALLY, we heard some shooting
over the ridge to see what was going
on, aui when they saw no bullct-holc
in that barn-door. il would be too much
for them. Just then a
little bird, little larger then j spar
row, lit on sage bush near by. Steve
whipped out his revolver and shot its
head or The boys picked up the
bird, and were talking about it, when
the other dueling party came over the
ridge, aud come down to see what was
going Oh. When the second saw the
bird, he said. How far Off was that:
Steve said about thirty steps. Who
did that Why, Twain, my man, Of
course. Did he. indeed Can lie do
that often" We'll, he can do that
about four times in five.
Il knew that little rascal was lying,
but didn't like to tell him 50. VA,
one Of them kind of men that don't
like to be too frank, or too familiar, III
matter like that, sol didn't say any
thing. But it was comfort 10 see
those fellows under jaws drop, 10 see
them turn blue about the gills and
look sick. They went oil and got
their man, and took him home, and
when got home found a little note
from these parties, peremptoriiy de-
cIning to fight How sore the boys
were: How indignant they were And
50 was | , But | was not distressed
about it. | thought could stand it,
perhaps.
We'll, was out of that scrape, and
| didn't want To get into any more of
them. turned the other duels over
To Steve. who wanted them. But when
those people found out afterwards that
he did that shooting, he didn't get any
COOL out of his duels. They wouldn't
fight him.
All that was in my younger days,
when | didn't know much-which do
now. didn't know any better then,
but now am bitterly opposed to duel
ling. won't have anything to DO
with duelling. | think that duelling
is immoral, and has a bad tendency,
and think it every mans duty to
frown down and discourage duelling.
do. discourage it on all occasions
II man were to challenge me now.
would go and take that man BY the
hand, and lead him into quiet, pri
vate room and kill him.
Ladies and gentlemen, after thank
ing you very heartily for the attention
you have given me this evening. |
desire to wish you very pleasant good
night, and at the same time assure you
earnestly that have told nothing but
the truth tonight, and l have hardly
exaggerated that
ARNoLp.-During the traitor Arnold's
predatory operations in Virginia, in 1881 ),
he took an American captain prisoner
After some general conve sation, he
asked the captain ''What he thought the
Americans would do with him if they
caught him." he said, "Why, sir, if
must answer the question, you will ex-
elise my telling YOU the truth; il my
countrymcn should catch you, believe
they would first cut off your lame leg
which was wounded in the cause OF free
dom and virtue at Qubec. and bury it
with the honOrs of war. and afterwards
hang the remainder OF your body on a
gib5eL
MEAT PTE.-Cut up some pieces Of good