The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1873-01-04

1t was now time 20 go OuI anu PA"O
tice. 1t was the custom there to tight
duels with navy six-shooters at fifteen
paces-load and empty till the game for
the funeral was secured. We went to a
little ravine Just outside of town, and
borrowed barn door for a target-bor-
rowed it of gentleman who was absent
and we stood this barn-door up, and
stood rail on end against the middle
of it to represent Lord, and put squash
on top of the rail to represent his head.
He was a very tall, lean creature, the
poorest sort of material for duel
nothing but line shot could 'ffetch"
him, and even then he might split your
bullet. Exaggeration aside, the rail
was, of course, little too thin to rep
resent his body accurately, but the
squash was all right. If there was any
intellectual difference between the
squash and his head, it was in favor of
the squash.
Well, practiced and practiced Mt the
barn door, and could not hit it; and L
practiced at the rail, and could not hit
that; and l tried hard for the squash,
and could not hit the squash. l would
have been entirely disheartened, but
that occasionally crippled one of the
boys, and that encouraged me to hope.
At last we began to hear pistol-shots
near by, in the next ravine. We knew
what that meant. The other party were
out practicing, too Then I was in the
last. degree distressed; for, OF CO.
81 those peoPls y
and the spies would find my barn<
without a wound or scratch, and g.
would simply be the end of me-for, of
course. that other man would immedi-
ately become as bloodthirsty as j was.
Just at this moment little bird, no
larger than sparrow, flew by, and lit
on sage-bush, about thirty PAGES away:
and my little second, Steve ellis, who
was a matchless marksman with pistol
much better than / was-snatched out
his revoler, and shot the birds head of.
We all ran to pick up the game, and,
sure enough,i ust at this moment some
with or immediately preceding the
seeding down to grass That the grass,
being the ultimate and paying crop, it is
of the other duelists came reconnoiter-
ing over the little ridge. They ran TO
our group to see what the matter was;
and when they saw the bird, Lords sec
ond said:
"That was a splendid shot. How far
off was it ,"
Steve said with some Indifference:
"Oh, no great distance. About thir
ty PAGES"
Thirty pacesl Heavens alive, who
did it ?"
MY man-Twain
The mischief he did, Can he do
that often?"
Well-yes. He can do it about
well-about four times out of five"
knew the little rascal was lying, but
never said anything. never told
him so. He was not of a disposition to
invite condolences OF that kind, so l let
the matter rest. But it was a comfort
to see those people look sick, and see
their under-iaws drop, when Steve made
these statements. They went off and
got Lord, and took him home; and when
we got home, half an hour later, there
was note saying that Mr.. Lord pre-
emptorily declined to fight!
1t was narrow escape. We found
out afterwards that Lord had hut his
mark thirteen tlmes IN eighteen shots
If he had put those thirteen bullets
through me it would have narrowed my
sphere of usefulness a good deal-would
have well nigh closed it, in fact. True,
they could have put pegs in the holes.
and used me for a hat-rack; but what is
a hat-rack to a man who feels he has in
tellectual powers? would scorn such
a position.
l have written this true incident of
my personal history for one purpose
only-to warn the youth of the day
against the pernicious practice of duel
ing, and to plead with them to war
against it, If the remarks and sugges-
tons I am making can be of any service
TO Sunday-school teachers and newspa-
pers interested in the moral progress of
society, they are at liberty to use them,
and 1 shall even be grateful to have
them widely disseminated, so that they
may do as much good as possible 1
was young and foolish when l challeng-
ed that gentleman, and thought it was
very fine and very grand to be duelist,
and stand "upon the field of honor. "
But I am older and. more experienced
now, and am inhexibly opposed to the
dreadful custom. / think it is every
mans duty to do everything he can to
discourage dueling. always do it now;
I discourage it on every occasion.
If man were to challenge me now
now that 1 can fully appreciate the in
EQUITY of that practice-I would go to
that man, and take him by the hand,
and lead him to a quiet, retired room
and kill him.