Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-02-27
HARD ON FOOTE.
The story OF His Two Ducls With
Sargent $. Prentiss.

The brazen etfrontery of Heury s.
Foote, in exposing his willingness to
fight duel with Jefferson Davis. ID
only surpassed by the malignity of the
| motive by which he is stimulated. It
is but too patent that he is vainly striv-
ing to attain consequence and capital
with the black Republican party. To
those who know, and who is ignorant
of the facts that he forced himself upon
the State which placed him in the Con-
federate Senate as a true and firm
Southerner, while in all his purposes
and conduct he was marplot, working
the destruction of the South, and that
in the last, gloomy days of the Southern
depression and distress, that he secret
ly slipped from his Senatorial seat and
slyly passed the lines of General Lee,
into Washington City, with intent to
betray his comrades; that he was eoldly
and ANONYMOUSLY repulsed at Wash
irgton, and he again returned secretly
to Richmond and audaciously essayed
to resume his seat as q Confederate
Senator, it is not surprising that in his
desperation he snatched at every plank
to eave his sinking frame. The frienda
of Jefferson Davis well know that he
viii not soil his character as q states
man, a general and christian gentle
man, by a conflict with any such man
as Foote, and some of his friends think
he should not have even condescended
to publish the card in which he de-
clines to notice him. If Foote really
wants, In his old age, to fight another
duel, he had better look down among
the renegades and traitors who were
SO numerous between the lines of the
late contending armies.
In speaking of Henry S. Foote, W
are reminded of the account which the
late talented Sargent S. Prentiss gave
of the ca,ises of the two duels between
himself and FoOte.
This is the substance Of the matter
as detailed by Prentiss:
One of Prentiss' friends was at the
point of death from m attack of ma,aia-
p0t". For Il week his physicians had
essayed every known remedy to put
their patient to sleep, but i'll vain
Prentiss knew that Foote had made a
visit to TcEas. He was nuraing his
sick friend, when 4 consultation of the
doctors WAS held, and they announced
that the case was hopeless, unless the
patient could be put to sleep, but that
they would exhaust all the means
known to the profession.
Prentiss sprapg from his seat, and
said to the doctors: Damn it, give
him Foote'S book on Texas to read. I
will insure its soporiic effect" The
remark of Prentiss was too good a
joke to be kept, and it reached the ears
of Foote, who challenged, and Prentiss
was too much of Southern cavalier to
decline They met, and Foote was
wounded, and the parties made
friends.
It happened that the meeting was SO
notorious that Il very large collection
crossed the river at Vicksburg to wit
ness it, and among them a number of
boys, who were SO anxious to get full
sight that they climbed up the trees
about the grounds. When the seconds
had planted the parties, Prcntrss look
ed around and saw the boys in the
trees. and jestingly remarked: Boys,
you had better take care, Foote shoots
mighty wild" This remark was pub
lished i'll the papers, and annoyed
Foote to snch d degree, that lie chal-
lenged Prcntiss, who met him q second
time as gentlemanly solace to Foote's
wounded spirit. At the meeting Foote
fred and missed, and Prentiss fred
his pistol in the air, and the parties
were again reconciled.
Foote'S Texas dropped still-born
from the press, and it is believed it
would be hard to find copy, valuable
as it might prove as narcotic c-P0r;s
Kcnt'tcEiall.