Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1874-02-26
Hard on Foote.
The Story of His Two Due1s with
Sargent 5. Prentiss.
Paris Kentuckianl

by the mal1Snlty OF the motive
by which he is stimulated. tits
but too patent that he is vainly
striving to attain consequence
and capital with the Black Re-
publican party. To those who
know, and who is ignorant Of
the fact, that he foisted himself
upon the State which placed
him in the Confederate Senate
as a true and firm SOutherner,
while in all his purposes and
conduct he was a marplOt, work
ing the destruction of the South
and that in the last gloomy days
of Southern depression and dis
tress, that he secretly slipped
from his Senatorial seat and
slyly passed the lines of Gen
eral Lee, into Washington City,
with intent to betray his COM
rades; that he was cOldly and
ignominiously repulsed at Wash
ington, and he again returned
secretly to Richmond and auda-
ciously essayed to resume his
seat as a Confederate Senator, it
is not surprising that in his des-
peratiOn he snatched at every
plank to save his sinking fame.
The. friends of Jefferson Davis
know we'll that lie will not soil
his character as Il statesman, a
General and Christian gentle
man, by a conflict with any such
man as Footc, and some Of his
friends think he should not have
even ncondescended'to publishthc
card in which he declines tono-
tice him. II Foote really wants,
in bis old age, to fight another
duel, he had better look down
among the renegadcs and trail
tors who were so numerous be-
tween the lines Of the late con-.
tending armies.
In speaking Of Henry S..
TOOte, we are reminded of the
account which the late talented
Sargent s. Prentiss gave Of the
causes of the two daels between
him and FOOtc.
This is the substance of the
matter we have heard as detailed |
by Prentiss: |
4 friend of Prentiss was at
the point of death from an at
tack Of manjd-a-pOtu. For q
week his physicians had essayed
every known remedy to put
their patient to sleep, but inI
vain. Prentiss knew that FoOte |
had made visit to Texas. He
was hunting his sick friend,
wien a consultation Of the doc
tors wac held ,andthey eyannouncedI
that the case was hopeless un-
less the patient could be put to |
sleep, but they would exhaust
all the means known to the pro- F.
1ession. /
Prentiss sprang from his seat, !
and said to the doctors, "dam-
nit, give him Foote'S book on
Texas to read, and | will insure
its soporific effect" The re-
mark Of Prentiss was too good
a joke to be kept, and it reached !
the ears Of Footc, who chal- !
lenged, and Prentiss was too
much of Southern cavalier to
decline, and they met, and FOOte
was wounded and the parties
made friends.
1t happened that the meeting
was so notorious that a very
large collection crossed the riv-
er at Vicksburg to Witnessit, and
among them number OF boys,
who were so anxious to get a
full sight that they climbed up
many trees about the grounds.
When the seconds had planted
the parties, Prentiss looked a.
round and saw the boys in the
trees, and jestingly remarked:
Boys, you had better take care;
Foote shoots mighty wild. =
This remark was published in
the papers, and annoyed FoOte
to such degree that he again
challenged Prentiss, who met.
him a second time as gentle.
manly solace to Foote'S wound
ed spirit. At the meeting FOOte
fired and missed, and Prentiss
fired his pistol in the mir, and
the parties were again recon-
cilcd.
Foote's Texas dropped still
born from the press, and it is
believed it would be hard 10 find
copy, valuable as it might
prove as a narcotic,