The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1873-09-02
Misrenanu
HENRY $. FooTE.
Ule Describes His DueIs.

In his "Reminiscences of The Past
Ex Senator Henry S. +Foote discourses
of the dueling customs of the South,
them in good round terms,
and referring to his own duels says:
Gas to my own personal example In
the matter of. dueling, have only to
say, in addition to what l have said al
ready, that had the misfortune twice
to be challenged to the field of honor;
in two other instances l was foolish
enoughto be she challenging party On
the first ofcg pn. in 1928, l was shot in
the left shoulder by enc OF the cclebra-
ted dueling pistols of General Jackson,
borrowed by my. antagonist from the
venerable hero Of the Hermitage, who
had certainly no hand in in.
stigating this duel, and who lived and
died my friend, bestowing upon me an
important office almost in the last days
of his ever glorious Administration
The last time l fought was in 1897.
when, after five shots having been ex
changed, 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 I had a
personal dispute at the bar with the fa-
nous S. S. Prentiss, during the trial of
a capital case Of much Importance His
language, though sufficiently retaliated
by me at the time, induced me to send
him challenge. which / ought never to
have thought of doing. He promptly
accepted, proved far better shot than
myself, and wounded me very painfully
in the left shoulder We adjusted our
dispute before We left the ground. An
indiscreet friend or two Of his spoke
disparagingly of my conduct ON the
occasion. I,>was highly exasperated,
and wrote him a note demanding wlleth-
er be had given his sanction to this act
of injustice He at once denied doing
so. / published the correspondence
He placed such an Interpretation uron
my letter to him as gave him much Of
fence. He proposed reopening the fight,
which We did on exceedingly 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 harmo,
nv up to the period of his death, which
happened in 1S4S. OF this remarkable
man. and of Alexander K. McCluug,
who waited on me to the field when ]
had my second duel with Mr.. Prentiss,
| shall have something to say hereafter
for these were, upon the whole, among
the most remarkable meE I have ever
known. In native intellect, / am sat
isfed that neither has had a superior in
the South western section of the Unien
Both we're brave, affectionate, maenani
nous, and patriotic. exceedingly
doubt whether the State of Mississippi
will ever have in her midst men of bet
ter bearing and Of greater intellectual
powers than those friends of by-gons
years to whom | have thus briefly allu
ded. Is have no space here to speak
of either of them as I feel them both
to deserve at my hand, but shall take
pride in doing SO hereafter a8
AS to the public sentiment on this
subject, MIR, 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 country where
l resided call in question the propriety
of dueling, and so imperious aud exact
irg had public sentiment become in re
lation to this matter, that no individual
not in close connection with some
Christian denomination could have re
fused summons to the field of honor
without being consigned to permanent
discredit and being shut out from all
intercourse with gentlemen" i