The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1872-09-25

ITlCnQ r.
The individual last addressed gave
his assent.
"Now let us adjourn to some pri.
vate room to arrange the prelimina
ries," remarked the stranger and the
principals and seconds left tho crowd
then increasing every minute, and
excited nearly to madness by the
thick crowdIng events of the hour.
The meeting took place the fol.
lowing night in dark room, with the
door locked, and the two seconds on
the outside. The principals were
placed in opposite corners of the
apartment, which was twenty feet
square, and each was armed with a
large bowie kuife-no more. 1t was
midnight--a night without moon or
stars. Black pi'chy clouds cnvelopcd
| tho sky, and II slight sitting mist rcn
! dered the shadows Of tho earth more
intense. Heuco the room where the
duel was about to begin was wrapped
i'll rayless darkness. The combatants
could not even SEQ the blades of their
own knives.
At first, they both stopped and
steaIth,ly united aud took off thei,
shoes, 81 as to make the least posi-
Bile nviso in walking over the floor.
The same thought struck them at the
same time to vancouver for the
vantage ground.
Thomas moved in circle, softly ar
cat, around the apartment, till he
got within IL few feet Of the corner
where his enemy had FIRST been plac.
cd, AMI then paused TO listen. For
four or five seconds he could hear
u"thing III the grave.iikc siionce but
the q,,ck beats Of his OWL busy heart.
Presently, however, their crept to his
ear scarcely audible sound, as Of
suppressed bre,thlns, in the c.ruer of
the room which he had previously
left ; aud then he knew that his foe
was try lug the same stratugem. The
ru>e was repeated thrice, with o like
result. Az lcue:h Thomas concluded
t. sand Perfectly still and await
Johnsou's approaoh. Motionless now
bims.lf, aud al ear, soon he could
distinguish a soft Tustling noise, like
the dropp,pS Of fakes of wool, circu.
lating around the floor and gradually
advancing toward him.
At last, when tho sound appeared
within about three foet Of the lawyers
position, he suddenly made bound.
lug Il""ga with his knife. aimed IN
tho dark air, where he supposed his
victim to 10. His blade struck
against that of the othor, and few
sparks of fire rolled at tho fierce
collision, aud fell expiring on the
floor.
Aud then, for an instant, the 500.
onds without the door heard sharp
ringing of steel, a groan, q fall, aud
all again was silent as the tomb
Tho duel at midni .ht had ended, but
how They wera appalled, at the
terrible question.
Waiting some minutes and hearing
nothing more, Col. Morton nnd the
stranger prepared a light, unlocked
the door and entered. Tho spectacle
was most affecting. There lay tho
bloody corpse of the duelist, johnson,
mangled dreadfully, and above it
stood the erect and imposing form Of
tho Notwithstanding, not a
cut on his skin or q rent in his cloth
ing.
He started back as tho flushing
light dazzled his eyes, and growing
pale as tho dead at his feet, oxclaim.
cd in accents ofimm easurable anguish
-"Oh, God how shall | endure to
mcot my dear wife, with this murder.
Gus gore on my hands ! Such stains
would dofile the very gates Of heav-
en-, and blacken the floor of holl
itself %
He did, however, afterwards meet
Emma and hor babe but we shall not
attempt to paint the scene. A week
subsequently he was shot to pioces in
bis own Office, while employed in
writing after night. The assassin
Was not known, but supposed to be a
younger brother of tho duolist John
son
The stranger who acted in the com.
Bat as tho second of Thomas was, in
deed "s.he had said, from Texas, and
then travelling through Mississippi,
and was the bruvest man, perhaps,
that ever drew tho broath OF life.
jane Bowie, who fell only with the
Alamo, whru his red knife was drunk
with the blood Of MexicaDq.
Swimming AcroSs the English Channel.
The T. ndon Times, iu connection
with 'he recent attempt to swim
across the ErIlsb Channel, says
"Tradi,inn uffirms that seventy years
age, three men, convicted of politi-
cal off nee, to csrape punishment
swam The Calais 10 d Yer. Que was
drowneJ, tue Other two landed on the
beach, one H. an inter state of exhaus.
ton from which he died the third 70.