The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1873-07-09
Tho Meeting Between Col. r. B RhClt, Jr.,
and Judge Cooley.


y special dispatch to tho New o.
'caus Tis,cs dated ut Montgomery
Station, mississippi, via Bay s..
Louis, states that duel was fought
.car MDntgomcry Station this Il, u a.
.ng 'b:twccl cx.Jndsc Wn'. II. Cvol y
,nd Coloncl Il. 3. Rkctt, Jr., elit,r
Of lhc f,suYunc, in which the form.c
was killed 1T the second iirc.,: Ilc
parties arrived at the grounds or the
same t,a'n at ten O'Clock, this mora.
Ing, Colonel Rhc,t was accompani 1t
by Mr.. Charles Roman and Dr.. D.c!;-
son Bruas. judy" C"olcy vas at
tended by Coio..cI Geo. ". Carter
aud Maj McR,e. The weapons
used were doublc-harrel'cd' shot gus,
one barrel Of which was loaded Win
u single ball. The distance was forty
yards. Upon tho arrival of tke
party at the place selected for the
duel, the ground was promptly meas,
ured oi, the positions sclec, cd, .nd
!the parties placed. At thc first lirS
Colouel Hhett's shot ranged high,
and Judge Cooley's to the righ..
Judge Cooley delivered his iro iirss.
Neither Of the parties was hit, and sec
ond exchange Of shots ives arrange.
At the second, fro both princip pals
fired simultaneously, and Cooley fell
mortally wounGed, the shot entering
his left side, and apparently passix
through his heart. lie expired in six
minutes, without apparent suffering.
Before dying he said to Dr.. H,!ilay,
who was attending him, "I am shot
through the breast.' This was the
only utterance Of the fylng man. Tho
gentlemen engaged in the affair, as
soon as the duel i..d terminated, ex-
changed the usual G urtc>ies und
separated with the expression of mu
tual respect and consideration.
The duel grew out of an article
which appeared in the Picayunc last
week, aud which drew from Judge
Cooley a very abusive and insulting
card, published in the New Orleans
Time: of the 9Th ult. Colonel Rhctt
is IL South Caroliuian, and has been
for some time editor Of the Picayune.
} udye Cooley was the counsel in tho
Hawkins libel suit against the Picay-
unc, in which q verdict Of $4,000
damages was rendered.. Colonel
Rhett was not touched in the cxchany,
of shots.
LATER PARTICULARS,
NEW OnLEANs,.Ju y L. The Even
ing Herald has the following par,icu-
lars Of the duel "For scvcral days
past this comMunity has been much
excited By the apprchcnsiuns of
duel between Colonel r. b. B.Ehctt, Jr.,
the editor IF the Picayune, aud Judge
Wm. Ii. Cooley, the leading counsel
in the c.sc Of Hawkins W. tho
Picayune. GA. Friday Colonel Rhctt
sent percmptory challenge to Judge
Cooley, which was accepted. The
meeting, howaycr, was agreed TO be
postponed until Tuesday on account
of Judge Cooley's engagements to
argue the rn 10 for q new trial bc.ccrc
Judge Hawkins, which came up yes
terday. Duling The course of the
argument Judge Cooley, in opposing
the motion for a continuance, remark
ed that if the case went on until
Wednesday he might not be alive to
argue It. And So it sadly turned out.
The parties left in the Mobile train
ats o'clock this morning, arrived ct
Montgomery Station about 10,
o'clock, where the party got off.
Montgomery Stati,n where the duel
occurred is wild sandy looking
place, some four or five miles this side
Of Bay 81. Louis, where tho road
passes through 81 wood Of tall rinos,
behind which is an open field. Fear
by and or thc line Of The railroad il
small cottage occupied by family,
but, with this exception, There arc no
residents nearer than three quarters
of nile. This difficulty is one of
tho sad results Of the iniquitous
Hawkins suit agminat the Picayuuc,
Of which Colonel Rhett is tho editor.
In his speech fer the prosecution
Judge Cooley medo scAec:iony upon
that p"pcr which called forth the
editorial in. tho next issue. Of the
Pioayuno pronounciog them false:
Judge Cooley then addressed d COM
munication to the editor calling for
explanations, which Not being accord
ed,..he solloScd it up by publishing
csrd asaailing Colonel .Rhctt. a
challenge promptly followed, and, the
result is now before cur readers.
This is not the first due! in which
Judge Cooley has been. concerned.
Some years lcforo tho war he
met DR.. kaufman, one of his
parishionc's, upon the field of honor,
and after an exchange Of shots an
amicablc a'iju'tmcut Of tho difficulty
was mad, and thereafter the parties
locamc warm friends. The body was
brought to the city this evening, and
was left at the Luxaberg Hospital.
The funeral will take place to-
morrow.
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