New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-06-10
4 SHeRT ACOUALNIANCE.

4 SHORT ACQUALNIANCE.
The state Of society in which homicide ba'
become either a licensed diversion or an &C.
knowledged necessity, in which the friendly
intercourse of men is frequently interrupted
by what Mr. Phoenix calls "the soft note Of
the pistOl,r may well be regarded as some
what more stimulahYe than salutary. Ther
and there it is that the survivors publish eE
planatory " cards in the newspapers, blandIJ
showing how utterly impossible it was fol
them TO refrain from drawing the trigger and
from suddenly sending man and a brother
TO his account with large assortment Of imper.
fections upon his head and two or three
leaden pellets in his body. Readers Of news
papers may have forgotten that in September
1871, in one of the highways of Knoxville
Tenn, Gen. ClantOn was shot by Col. Nelson
For this slight liberty taken with fellow.
citizen to whom he had been introduced only
fifteen minutes before, Col. Nelson was tried
and was acquitted.
Preliminary to all further statement Of the
affair, it must be noted that both these Mill
tary characters were in a high condition Of
Bacchus. Col. Nelson has just published
vindication of his conduct In which he says;
:" 1t may be fairly inferred that was under
the influence of liquor at the time OF tbs
unfortunate occurrence" When two men
who have known each other for only fifteen
minutes become, in that short space OF tine
mortal enemies, alcohol as controlling agent
"may be fairly inferred" Col. Nelson sayi
! that Gen. ClantOn without any prOyOcation
challenged him to mortal combat, from which
we may conjecture that the General, Wealy
of the piping times of peace was spelling
for a fight "He cursed me-" says Nel'
son, "and stood over me with his hand
under his coat "a most suspicious pos
ture, especially when there are signs OF
navy revolver also under the cOat-tais'
Nelson had, at this critical moment 10
weapon. He rushed into saloon and asked
in vain for the loan of a pistol. " At the
suggestion of friend" he then rushed mo
counting-room and seized, without ASKING
leave, a shotgun. Now, just here, 1t does
not seem to have occurred 20 Nelson, thar
being well away from his antagonist and from
the navy revolver held perdu under the Clanton
coat-tail, it was his business and duty to Keep
away Instead of so doing, he sought once noH
the pavement, and confronted the furious Gan
ton. Quite accidentally, as he wishes mo
charitably disposed to believe, one barrel OF
his shotgun was discharged. The ooa
Clanton naturally returned the fire via
his navy revolver aforesaid. The sn0F
gun in the hands of the mu@
cent and peace-loving Nelson was no'
dilatory in responding by the mouth OF j,
second barrel, and speedily the whlsAin7u
spirit of the General fed to the future stals'
How many friends and relatives wept Tor n'~
we are not informed, but nobody seems y
sincerely to have regretted his loss as '.'
man by whose hand he fell, and who al ID,
moment of his death had only been acqlaln''u
with him for fifteen minutes. Never Wa
there q more magnanimous murderer-he'"
did a manslaughterer handle his detunct n ,s'
lovingly. 81 had no malice against him ~hiI
living" says the Colonel, "and have cLeIi' cJ
"nOne since his DEATH" Thus 1t Is tha' C'-
Nelson shakes hands with the ghost n'An
friends with the shade, becomes reconcleu
the departed spirit, glOrlties bis Nctnn' 4,
praises the memory of man with whom
never had ANYTHING to do except indeed 70 'n'.
him. Of his own perfect and eolnP'L
innocence, Col. Nelson has no manner y
doubt. The quest of shotgun, the re'l.
from place of comparative safety 70 '
street, and the instantaneous discharge Oh ~ ~
weapon, Nelson considers entirely eomp".I1
with bis theory of self-defense. lie was w.
died when he did the deed-perha ps he "'''
little muddled when he wrote its history 80,
The great truth to be dedueed nom %
transaction is that persons addicted 10 W.
and the use of firearms should be eaI'iSJ
how they suffer themselves to be in'rOu@' a.
TO new acquaintance, since quarter VI ~.
hour after the ceremonious hand-shahnt
fresh friends may be hungering ana 'nuo Il
for each others lives. OF the new View
the law of self-defense which this trai'S'sl
opens, we have only to say, that their Ss"' AZ.
adoption would lead to a fusillade at On'o an
struchve and deplorable, and perhaps ~ Of
abolition OF the cherished American c"'''
introducing everybody 70 everybody
~ -. tllsaf