New-York tribune., 1874-07-22
1RC1uIIN HONICIUE.


Everybody knows that the confirmed dueiist
is usually in love with his bloody business anu
will fight anybody-his friend or a stranger
upon the smallest provOcation, or upon none
at all. There seems to be something OF thiS
feeling at the bottom of the miscellaneous use
of firearms which is constantly going on Ia
the South West. The rifle III respect Oh
bears meat and venson may have been a
useful instrument, but considering the sIauGh-
ferrous sights which pugnacious people In
Texas are always taking at each other' we
sometimes regret that it was ever invented.
Col. Bowie, when he devised the feroclous
knife which immOrtalizes his name, might
have been in better, or at least III more De-
nevolent business. IL is not pleasant state
of society when killing has become matter
of course. In Corsicana, which is in Texas
aforesaid, for instance, there would seem 10
be a deficiency of the small, sweet courtesieS
of life, and lack of that tender 1eellhS
which should always exist between brothers.
in-law. This story which we are about to re-
late is curious showing the perfect ease
with which men may fall into fight, because
fighting is the fashion, and not because they
are intolerably angry with each other. Inc
phenomenon is not unimportant, for something
like the same inconvenient propensity has,
from time to time, manifested itself in our
own beloved City of New-YOrk.
Mr.. Harrington and Mr. Boggctt, citizens OF
Texas as aforesaid, are brothers-in-law They
might have been mortal enemies, but 1t does
not appear that they We're They had dis
agreed, as brothers of this artificial or arbitrary
sort frequently do, but The Galveston News Is
good enough to inform us that Z" there was
mot much hard feeling between the two"
They were not the best friends in the world,
but nobody supposed deadly war between
them. They were like rivals in fsticuif
"matci," as our Galveston cotempOrary
phrases it. This being the state of affairs,
Mr.. Harrington went out like sweet and
go5Gissle Isaac Walton to fish, only he =" took a
pistol with him to shoot this large fish "a
kind of happy dispatch when Isaac would
hardly have approved. He also carried WITH
him his rifle, to shoot larger fish probably, if
he should happen to hook any such. Now, to
this pastoral angler came Mr.. Boggett, high
lifting over him an oar, with the remark
Now, Harrington, I've got you just where L
"want you, and you cannot get away. I'm
between you and your rifle' Here's chlvalry
tor yOu The bravest of the brave, worthy OF
anybodys steel or lead, in actual danger OF
being Drained by an ignominous and vulgar
oarl Such an exit might be fit for quarrel
some lad in a boat race, but not for a fierce.
invincible, stalwart, and easly-riled son of the
S. w. Why did he not have his trusty rifle
at that moment in the hands which had so
often in moments of dire emergency success
e,ll, lol AlnSf ba bOuOhtv
with the oar in his hand, could say: Pm
between you and your rifle" But Harring-
ton still had his pistol, which he carried with
him &" to shoot the large fish," and he used it
to such purpose that Boggett tumbled into the
water. While floating about there in
wounded state he besought his antagonist
plaintively to help him out. 1t was impossible
to resist the appeal, and when out, BOggett
further requested his antagonist to go for a
doctor. Starting upon this philanthropic er-
rand Harrington received the contents of the
rifle in the right side, and returned the COM
pliment by throwing pound OF two OF lead
from a shotgun into the person of Boggett,
who was left writhing on the ground, while
Harrington made the best of his way home to
relate the circumstances and send assistance
to his foe.
Both these belligerent gentlemen, we regret
to say, are likely to recover. The popularity
of the fight Is that it was perfectly cool one.
There was, it is true, liberal interchange of
profane language, but neither party seems to
have been angrier with the other than he
would have been with a troublesome fly. They
were not friends, but on the other hand they
were hardly enemies in human sense of the
word; they engaged as two tigers might have
engaged in a jungle; and the fight was
purely business matter. When one was toun-
dering wounded in the water, the other kindly
helped him out. This Is hardly murderous.
There may be malice prepense in it, but it is
scarcely of the usual Sort Nature commanded
each to kill the other, and each Obeyed the
murderous mandate. We have had good
deal of this curious chance medley elsewhere,
and may any day have fresh instances of 1t.
1t must be allowed that it is very different
thing from cOld-blooded, deliberate and
stealthy homicide-from the act of an assassin,
stealing under cover of darkness to the bed
side of his slumbering victim. We may even
say that it marks an unsophisticated stage of
human development. 1t is return to first
principles. 1t is confirmation of Hobbies the
ory that state of nature is a state of war.
Only it is best to get out of the state of nature
as soon AZ possible.