The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1873-10-23
IDAHO WORLD.
n DESCRIBES ms DuELs.

= snr DEscRnEs ms DuEIa
In his "reminiscences Of the Past, ex
Senator Henry S. Foote discourses 0
the duelling customs of the South, rep
rebates them in good round terms, and
referring to his own duels, says:
"As to my own personal example il
the matter of duelling, l have only tt
say, in addition, to what I have said al
ready, that had the misfortune twice
to be challenged to the field of honor
in two other instances / was foolish
enough to become the challenging par
ty. On the first occasion, in 1923,
was shot in the left shoulder by one OF
the celebrated duelling pistols of Gen
eral jackson, borrowed by my antago
mist from the venerable hero Of the Her.
mitage, who, by the by, had certainly
had no hand in instigating the duel,
and who lived and died my friend, be-
bestowing upon me an important Office
almost in the last days Of his ever
glorious administration. The last time
fought was in 1887, when, after five
shots having been exchanged, the affair
terminated without the least personal
injury to myself, my. adversary having
been disabled by my fifth shot, which
had entered his hip:
In the winter of 1928, l had a
personal dispute at the bar, with the
famous S. S. Prentiss, during the trial
of capital case of much Importance.
His language, though sufficiently retail
lated by me at the time, induced me to
send him challenge, which l ought
never to have thought Of doing. He
promptly accepted, proved far better
shot than myself, and wounded me pain
fully in the shoulder. An indiscreet
friend or two of his spoke disparagingly
of my conduct on the occasion. was
highly exasperated, and wrote him a
note demanding if he had given his
sanction to this act of injustice. He at
once denied doing So l published the
correspondence. He placed such an i'll
depreciation on my letter to him as gave
him much offense He proposed re-
opening the fight, which we did on ex-
ceedingly desperate terms. He shot
me down, giving me an exceedingly
dangerous wound. In three months we
were good friends, and lived in the
greatest amity and harmony up to the
period of his death, which happened in
l848. Of this remarkable man, and Of
Alexander K. McClung, who waited on
me to the field when l had my second
duel with Mr. Prentiss, l shall have
something to say hereafter; for these
were, upon the whole, the most remark
able men have ever known. In native
intellect, l am satisfied that neither has
had a superior in the southwestern por-
ton of the Union. Both were brave,
afectionate, magnanimous and patriot
ic. l exceedingly doubt whether the
State Of Mississippi will ever have in
her midst men Of better bearing, and
more intellectual powers than those
friends of by-gone years, to whom l
A0SC Iuuo DIICuy duuuCu. HdSC uO
space here to speak of either of them
as l feel them both to deserve at my
hands, but shall take pride in doing so
hereafter"
AS to the public sentiment on this
subject Mr.. Foote says: "From the
time of my own settlement in Tuscum-
bia, Alabama, in the autumn of 1925,
for at least twenty-five years thereafter,
really do not remember to have heard
any one in the section of the country
where l resided, call in question the
of duelling, and so imperious
and exacting had public sentiment be-
come in relation to this matter, that
no individual, not in close connection
with some Christian denomination, could
have refused summons to the field of
honor, without being consigned to per-
discredit, and being shut out
from all intercourse with gentlemen.
A SAILOR, explaining quadrille to his