The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1873-10-04

their service together III Mexico tn'
feelings between them Were far IRON
amicablc or confidential. The devo
tiOn of Davis to tho fame and honor %
the Rifles, IL was thought, might III
duce him TO forget the old grudge, ant
TO support the pretensions of McClung
But Ii was suggested by those wh'
knew Davis high sense of duty, how
could he, under such influences, or any
other influences, sanction an appoint
ment of u person of such uncertain
temper and habits, so little qualiiieo
for the practical duties of commandant
so unfit an eXemplar for the young OIL
GERS and soldiers under him? Whether
he exercised any influence or not IN
the matter, it is certain that McClung
was passed over and did not receive
commission. This disappointment leii
him no hope in life, and the gallant
but morose and unhappy gentleman
quietly prepared to leave II world which
to him had been one of turmoil, blood
shed, strife and gloom.
Taking bath and having shaved
and dressed in his neatest and best
suit, carefully adjusting every part OF
his dress and arranging his hair, as il
preparing for ball, he took an aflec-
tionate leave of the few-the very few
who dared to be his friends, and re-
tired to his room. There he remained
for some time. In this awful interval
what were the thoughts of this unhap-
py man? He had slain several of his fell
iow-men in combat. Though morosc,
and ut times misanthropic and over
bearing, he was known to be man OF
sensibiity, of high intelligence and
vivid imagination. 1t could not be
that such n man, standing on the brinl;
of eternity, with the ghostly images OF
his victims fitting around him and
filling his imagination with scenes OF
bloodshed, gloom and sorrow, should
take that awful leap, without prelude
of the bitterest agonies to which hui
manity Is subject,
How gloomy arose TO his excited
fancy that cold, dismal picture of the
meeting early in the morning, when
the world is clothed in virgin purity
and freshness, before the quiet scenes
of Nature have been withered by the
poisonous breath of man; when the
fresh air, purified by the cool dews,
and laden with the fragrance of the
forest and the field bears such JOY and
hopeftllpess 10 tho senses and the
mind! AT this hour, in that retired
nook, with no other sounds but the
sweet natural notes of Natures choris-
tiers to break the solemn Stiffness of
the morn, may be seen a small assem-
bly of men Gin Gods own image;"
men of youth, of talent, of God-like
presence and heroic bearing bnt over
whose humanity fashion mas drawn an
icy veil Of affected misanthropy, OF
calm insensibiliiy, OF stoicnl cooiness.
In whispering accents, the tW2 KNOTS
into which the party is divided, make
the necessary arrangements. Like
murderers, each actor i'll the tragedy
ever and anon peers through the dark
forest, or glances over the surface OF
the broad Father of Waters, as II IN
fear of arrest or interruption. quickly
the plot is contrived, and two stalwart
men, in the full vigor OF manhood,
stand few feet apart, giarlng at one
another, with the deadly pistol III the
hand Of each.
care you ready, gentlemen" calls
out one of the friends, standing few
feet from the center OF Iihe between
the TWO antagonists. Two allifiiiatiso 5a,
responses are pfnhiptIH given. ~, ine,,
slowly the WORDS, ~ ireIoiioulMo =
--thS !asl Woru is iost i,l 1'ie Ic'oi' vi
the pistols ana w alHtl WoruS anu
SOUNDS are lost 10 ti'ht "ti,apiY nium ny,
who, leaping IN the ar lalis leayily
TO the ground q cory colpst, sllo'
through tiie heart. nc IS Iuicsiy SUI
rounded oy those so-caileu lriciiuS,
whist the hohiiclue nasletls VIII VIII
friends through the WOODS 10 rouu
where Il carriage awaits thein' Ihey
get III anu ure soon w o;,eli mm9 W
lnelf Irlehus 10 receive Ihc'r conS' auu.
latiohs Oh pne result; Aias low i,i"hy ~.
such scenes ilitse ptfii mi'ne'suu ns
that CAIN, hopie on stfeanil Wno'o
banks, tne rlch Tiit 9i llis eiou. neip'
factor or tne Vaiiey, nave neeii ieuoel-
ed by the pioou OF ils ehIiy setiicrs-
poured OUT, hoI III na.'le, III .iie We.
iehse OF nome anu ne, Vi piopei9
ana lloefsy, put III 'ile say az ooilio.1''
OF men ol ehe saiiie racc ui'u ii.eaS
comoats PROVOKED py the slilpiesv
causes ahn listlgateu ~ 'ite da,nauds naUsS ." nf
pitfHry etiu uufe''sor4o'p oeiisHae W
a prutal custom.
Such scenes were too fresh In the
memory, too familiar to the fancy of
Alex. .McClung, to be ignored or for
gotten in the last solemn minutes
which preceded that fatal explosion,
heard by many persons passing along
the streets of Jackson, which marked
his passage from this world to that
bourne whence no traveller returns
whose darkness and uncertainty must
be doubly dark and uncertain to the
homicide-the doors were forced-the
crowd rushed in. There lay the ele-
giant gentleman, the man Of high de-
scent, the genius and scholar, a pale
corpse, with the blood slowly trickliDg
through an aperture IN that noble and
expansive brow, once the seat of high
thoughts and aspirings. In his right
hand he clutched that trusty pistol,
whose handle was notched with marks
of its previous ex-
ploits.
The room was searched in vain for
dying declarations or messages from
the suicide. The act needed no expla-
nation, And SO thought the crowd,
1t was an appropriate conclusion of
such life, a fitting last act of this
tragedy. Such was tne deatil OF one OF
tl,o most fotnoue drelists I'm tho SotIth