Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-08-02
DUELING IN NEW ORLEANS
How a Young Kentuckian went to his
Death Twenty-Five Years Ago.

HOW q IOunS kenGucklan went 10 III!
Death Twenty-Five Years Ago.
From the New York Times.
More than quarter of century
ago New Orleans was the central point
Of duel, the particulars of which are
vividly recalled by the leading events
of the recently performed tragedy
| At the date alluded to, a young man
hailing from the State of Kentucky,
made his appearance in the city, who
attracted attention from his remarka-
BILE personal beauty, great intelligence
and winning manners. He was tall,
| fair complexioned, with bright, smil-
ing face, set off with profusion of
golden hair. The era was one of hos
pitality, especially for the sons of the
dark and bloody ground" and young
Burt, in furtherance of his pursuit
the study of law-though without the
| possession of liberal means, soon found
an anchorage in the Office of one of
the best lawyers, who instructed him
in the mysteries of his chosen profess
sion, with such success that, between
the careful teachings Of the master
and the natural ability Of the pupil,
ere year elapsed the young adven-
turer found himself, not only a lawyer,
but in possession of a paying practice.
His course was continued success.
Every one hailed his good fortune
He seemed to beexempt from creating
the hostility of envy. Flattered by
society, he was the central point of the
fashionable party. Acknowledged as
rising star in his profession, he was
a favorite with the elder members of
the Bar and Bench. High-spirited,
ambitious, and desiring to excel in all
honorable ambitions, he united him
self with one of the two great politi
cal organizations of the day, and was
soon the acknowledged leader of the
young men of his adopted home;
the head and front of the very best
blood and talent from all parts of the
United States, that superior enterprise
and prospects of success had at the
time attracted to the Crescent City"
But young Burt, in all this triumph,
had source of constant uneasiness
and apprehension. He was eminently
self-made man. Left an orphan in
the tenderest years, he was indebted
to the sacrifices of devoted mother
and two accomplished sisters for the
means that carried him through his
studies, and placed him on his feet;
and this sacred history nettled him;
he had no proud title of family prece.
dence; no social distinction of reflect
ed lights no patent, he feared, of ac-'
knowledged station, and oyerestimating
the value of what he did not possess,
he evidently conceived the idea that in
high spirited society of the great
Southern metropolis, he must be the
hero of duel to make unquestioned
the place his personal and intellectual
merits were rapidly assigning him. In
short, the fiend of the duello was
weaving q net about his feet; the
brilliant reputation" of the great Cd
duelist triumphs appear loosely held
in his grasp-the temptation of fiend
possessed him.
Of all the magnificent gatherings
that distinguished the st. Charles
Hotel that winter we allude to, none
reached the splendOr achieved the
night when young Burt led into the
center of the ballroom the acknowl-
edged belle of the evening. The ladies
looked with unconcealed envy upon
the lovely representative of their sex;
the gentlemen felt without show of
jealousy that they were once fifty rep
resented. The Jam was overwhelm-
ing, the sets were always instantly
made up, and it appeared that Burt
and his lovely partner, for want of
indecent haste, would find no place
when an opening presented itself, and
without apparently noticing that a lady
for the moment unaccompanied by
gentleman, was intruded upon, the re-
splendent couple, as by right of royal
precedence, took possession and waited
for the music to begin.
A moment more and most quiet,
unpretentious Englishman, but little
known in New Orleans, and that little
simply as business man, politely sig
nified to young Burt. that he had in
truded, and pointed to his lady partner
as an evidence of his assertion. The
fiend triumphed; his noble represen-
tative of natural courtesy forgot him
self, and taking from his right hand
his unsoiled glove, he gracefully dashed
it across the face of the astonlshed
stranger; then handing him his card,
he turned to receive the proud glances
of approval shot from the eyes OF his
resplendent partner.
The deeply wronged man, to the sur
prise of all who noticed the transac-
ton. displayed no excitement ; without
looking around to see the effect of
what had occurred, without even look
ing at the superscription, he put the
card, as it were very valuable, carefully
in his pocket-book, and offering his
arm to the lady in his charge, quietly
moved away, and was in moment
more lost in the crowd. The profess
sed duelists at the ball-and there was
many who noticed the affront and the
manner of its reception-shrugged
their shoulders and passed telegraph
signals; something had evidently oc--
Cured which met their APPROVAL
Meanwhile the music struck up, and
Burt and his beautiful partner were
more than heretofore the center OF
admiration-Burt prouder than ever
that he had so CALAMITY achieved
place on the floor, and the lady more
radiant because her escort had posi-
bly, imperiled his life that she might
not be disappointed in polka.
The expected challenge came the
day following the insult, and the meet
ing was secretly arranged for the af-
ternoon of the following day. The
morning preceding, Burt surpassed
himself in a splendid argument before
one of the district courts: At Its con-
clusion. his admirers, all unconscious
of the pending meeting, congratulated
him ON his success. =.
An hour later, with few friends.
he was on his way to the 'Meterie
RIDGE There they discovered the
Englishman and his friends already on
the ground.
The story is now quickly ended
The Cooley and Rhett duel repeated
most strangely the eeremony-the
weapons, the distance, and the orders
| we're exactly followed. On the first
| fire both parties escaped. As Burt
.11I8z1,,