Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-07-10

steadily onward III the blue pathway
through tho varying Seasons and under
the changcful skies. Slowly, rs in
ages long gone by it arose from the
broad waters, does it sink back into
them. 1t is indeed noble symbol Of
the lava monument of Times slow
changes, more ancient than the Ec,p-
tian pyramids or the obelisk of Hell
opolis. It's crystals were dew lrops
and snoWtiakes long before the human
race was born in Eden.
The Rhett'Cooiey Duet.
The Now Orleans Herald of Tuesday
has the following particulars of the
fatal duel between Col. r. b. Riett, of
the Picayune, and Judge VIM. H.
Cooley:
For several days past the commu-
nifty has been much excited by IN mp.
pretended duel between Col. II. B.
Rhett. Jr., editor of the Picayune, and
Judge VIM. H. Cooley, the leading
counsel in the case of Hawkins vs.. the
Picayune. The facts of the controversy
will be hereafter elected. We presume
1t will suffice for the present to state
that on last Friday Col. r. b. Rhett
sent peremptory challenge IT, Judge
Cooley, which was accepted by him :;
the meeting, however, to be post
Poned until Tuesday on account of
Cooley:s engagement to argue the rule
for a new trial before Judge Hawkins,
which came up yesterday. During the
course of the argument Judge Cooley,
in opposing the motion for continu-
ance, remarked that If the case went
over till Wednesday he might not be
alive to argue it, and so it has sadly
turned out to-day. The parties left on
the Mobile tram Mt eight O'Clock,
arriving at Montgomery station at ten
A: H., where the party dlsembarked.
Montgomery station, where the duel
occurred, is a wild, sandy looking
place, some four or five miles this side
of Bay st. Louis, where the road passes
through wood of tall pines, behind
which is an open field. Near by, on the
line of the railroad, is q small cottage
occupied by family, but with this
exception there are no residents nearer
than three-quarters of a mile. This
difficulty is one Of the sad results of
the iniquitous Hawkins trial against
the Picayune, OF which Col. R6ett is
editor. In his speech for the prosecu-
ton Judge Cooley made reflections
upon that paper which called forth an
editorial in its next issue pronouncing
them false. Judge Cooley then ad-
dressed a communication to the editor
calling for explanations, which not be-
ing accorded, he followed it up by a
published card assailing Col. Rhett.
A challenge promptly followed, and
the result is now before our readers.
Judge VIM. H. Cooley was born in
Point Coupee, and was the son OF
Judge Thos. Thos. J. Cooley, his
mother being q Ledoux, also of the
parish of Pointe Coupee. He was
educated and graduated in the Acad.
envy department of Pennsylvania Uni
vcrsity, of Kentucky, in 1847, in the
same year and in the same institution
where Gov. Voorhees, graduated in
law. He was subsequently appointed
Parish Judge of Pointe Coupee by
Michael Hahn. The first appearance
of Judge Cooley prominently before
the New OrleanS public was as a repre-.
sentative from Pointe Coupce in the
Reconstruction Convention which sal
ut the Mechanics Institute, in which
he took leaking part. When the re.
construction election took place, Judge
Cooley, having select New Orleans
as his residence, was nominated by the
Democracy as their candidate for the
iudgeship of the Fifth District Court
of the city, to which position he was
elected, and which he maintained until
the recent election, when he declined
submitting his name before the Con.
vention. At the time of lis deatl,
Judge Cooley was about ~ years old.
Judge Cooley was Q widower, having
married Miss Plantinrugnc, who died
about four years ago. His only child
is now about ten or twelve years old.
His father. Judge Thos. J. Cooley,
and his two brothers, are we'll known
to the legal fraternity, and officers OF
tine courts. He was a man of extra
ordinary natural abilities, and what
he know, either of law or language,
came to him as by intuition. His mind
while it was easily warped by passion
Va PASJsN>sACO1 "Ao OACC0A1uS1y iuhlJ VIZ
and in ceses where neither personal
feeling nor party animosities interferetl
to cloud his judgment, his decisions
were almost critically correct. With
an excusable fund of humor, a keen
sense OF the ridiculous, and being an
being m adept in the use of satire, he
was ut once warm friend or a bitter
enemy This is not the first duel in
which he has been concerned. Some
years before the war he met DIR. Kauf.
man, one of his parishionels upon the
field of honor, and after an exchange
Of OTIS, sn amicable adjustment of the
difficulty was made, and thereafter the
parties became warm personal friends.
He had Il supreme contempt for shams,
and was fond of launching the arrows
of wit and sarcasm against all name,
of hypocrisy. He had religion and 4
code of morals peculiarly his own, and
with all his ecccntricities was a man oil
liberal IDEAS and warm impulses.
The kotly was brought to the city or
the evening train, ana left at the hos
pital. The funeral takes ;place to-
morrow morning ut 10 O'Clock from tho
corner Of Seventh and st. Charlie.
streets.