, 1873-06-23

loau Honopoiy IL moro koonly 1ols, as lilo 6tatoa
have boon already nonr1y impoverished by tho
oarpet-ba8 thioyes and othor political aoounarols.
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A LIFE FOR d LIE.
Tho Archor avenuo fracas botween John Gard
nor and ". Fl. sdobothnm, which resulted In
tho donth Of tho lattor, was ono OF q class, md
1t is only distinguished from itH kind by Its fatal
result Both men nro represented as having
boon reputable and peaceful pcrsons. Ono was
'shopkeoper, the other nign-hangor.
Their relations had boon pleasant enough.
Gardner won't into gidobotham's hardware store
Thursday evening last to mako purchase, and
while there left, or thought he loft, carpon-
ters' rule on tho counter. He subsequently
returned to get It. sldobotham was not
in tho store, and his clerk permitted
Gardner to carry nway rulo which ho
claimed aa his property. Whom Bidobotharn re-
turnod, md waa told Of tho circumstance, ho
enid that the rulo which had beon taken away did
not bo1ong to Gardner, and sont Ills clerk aftor
1t. Gardner returned himself. and thoro onsuod
a wordy alteration about tho ownership Of tho
rule, probably characterized by tho rough man-
nor and language uHual in personal disputes
among tho class Of people to Which both mon
belonged. At last, Gardner called sidebotham
10 damned lar," and started to 60 out OF tho
atore. sidebotham, with IN impulse that has
como to DO. regarded "a proper and man-
" whom man Is called & liar,
gavo child ho was holding to his
vito, started after Gardner, and struck him. 4
asticuff fight followed, in which, according to
the preaont evidence, no weapons were used.
Gardner was tho moro powerful man of tho two,
and tho fight was Of short duration. Sidobotham
WIS worsted. 1t first tho resu1ta aeomod not
to bo serious on either side; Gardner went
away, and sidebotham remained at Lis buainosH
to the usual hour, then shut up his store, aud
went to bed. It WIS then that ho began to COM.
plain OF his hoad, which WAS afterwards found
to DO fractured. The wound produced doath,
and tho Coronor's Jury found that it was inflicted
by blow from Gardner's fist.
II sidobotham Ind not died, tho row woul d
mover have been heard Of ontRido of tho immo-
diato noighborhood, In which 1t would havo boon
regarded as tho most natural thing in the world,
undcr tic circumstances, aud forgotten in fcw
hours. Tho rory customary and usual character
of tho fight is attested' by tho evidence OF tho
policeman, who saya that ho passed. by shortly
after tho knook-down, heard that " there was
only little fuss. and therefore paid no more ut
tention to them" It was one OF, perhaps, twon-
tY fights in Chicago on tho same day, and Of o
score TINT occur every day III tho year. Tint 1t
resulted fatally In this case, aB similar difficult
ties result eyory now and then, makes
1t pertinent inquiry whether tile quasi
codo Of this country, which requires tint man
Rhnll fight with his fists whonever ho is called
liar, is not aa much q relic Of barbarism as tho
code which in somo places requires That he shall
fight with knife or pistol. The only real differ
enco betwcen them Is that tho latter ia moro apt
to result fatally. Both aro founded upon tho
absurd notion that d mans honor or ycracity
may DO vindicated by superior skill in tho uAe
Of weapon, Or by the creator physical strength
than oan be brought to bear in 1Rtiouff. Thore
seemed to be no danger OF q fight betwoon Bdo-,
former "a damned liar." Then sidebotham i'm
mediately gavo his child to Its mother, and fol-
lowed Gardner out Of the store to strike him, as
ii it woro tho first duty to himaolf and family,
He met Ills death in doing SO.
The practice OF of'*flghting as eoon Us the lie
is passed is wholly tho outgrowth Of custom.
In Arkansas tho use Of this epithot was formerly,
II not now, followed by tho whipping out Of
bowie-kniyes and tho elaahing open of bowels.
In California 1t meant that tho two parties to
tho dispute should fire at sight the no1t time
thoy should meet. In Virginia It brought tho
parties faco to face ut moaBured distance with
pistols in their handa. In Mississippi it called
for sllot-guns. and in Kentucky for riaca,-and
SO on, TheBo practices havo been largely
abatod by civilization. But. in tho North
tho opithet Of liax is. Us g rnlo, fol-
lowed by blow, aud nine men out Of ton
will declare even now that they aro Obliged to
strike when thoy are callod liars2 IB a mans
reputation for yeracity improved by "putting
head on anybody who darea to call 1t into quos-
toni Docs fight make him my moro truthful,
or my the 1oas liar? IL his wounded honor
cured by entering into q personal conflict, in
which lie is likely to hayo Ills faco punmolod aud
hiB oyes blacked, or to be killed, as sdebotham
was7 It may bo urged that thore Is an rresisti-
bio impulse to hit somebody when you arc called
IL damned liar." That impulse is either the ra-
suls OF a barbnrouB custom which trios to stigma
tize as coward the man who docs not rush into
fight when epithots arc hurled At him by somo-
bodywhom, perhaps, no one would bolieyo; orelHe
1t is tho Same brutal Impulse which the dog las
who shows his teeth whonoyor another cur troa-
passes on what ho prcauInes to bo Ills domain. In
elthor caso 1t is utterly unjustilable, because it
may be controlled. Tho rough-antl stumble tight III
peculiarly Anglo-Saxon amusement, and certain