The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-08-05
Al .Aitai Z oissIonor., Z.

| AnoI citizen OF Washington relates The
following "Reminiscences &c On the 6tb day OIL
February. 1919. at Blsdensburg, in the Dis.
! tTict OF Columbia, was fought one Of the
most remarkable d1eIs known In the annals
Of the bloody code. The parties were Colo
mel Armistead Thompson Mason, then sena-
tor of Virginia, and Colonel John McCarty.
The parties to this sangninary conflict were
near neighbors IN the county of Loudoun,
and brothers-in.la ", and The difficulties be-
tween them grew out Of political questions
Of that diy. The 6ght was pressed by
Colonel Mason, against many protests and
expedients of Colonel McCarty to avoid
it. The distance finally settled upon
was six paces, with Duskets, rem.
dering death to one or both certain,
and at the first fire Colonel Iason fell nor
tally wounded. He left widow with one
son. then fifteen months old, and the first
Intelligence which the wife had Of the sad
event or the controversy was the announce
ment Of her husbands death. accompanied
with his remains from that bloody field called
the field of honor Even at that day there
were many Christian people who held the
duelling code in abhorrence, and theTeupon
arose grave qnestion-w whether within the
consecrated ground Of the old Episcopal
Church the remains Of duellist should
have Christian burial. These scruples were
finally overcome, and the remains OF Colonel
Mason now repose in the old church burym
grounds at Leesburg, Va, but singular|y
enough, no headstone or-cther monument
denotes the spot where the once distinguished
and honored Senator Mas0n's remains now
repose. Before the duel Colone! Mason
made his will, deyising his entire estate, con-
sisting Of some five thousand acres Of land
under high state Of cultivation, with large
retinue of slaves and other personal property,
to his wife and infant son, Stephen Mason,
Colonel Mason's death until his widows de.
mise, she was never known to speak bis name
or personally allude to her late husband,
whose fate was so tragic. The popular rel
son assigned for her singular course was that
she thought that her husband had done a
great wrong by engaging in mortal COM
bat without any intimation to her under the
circumstances in which she was placed. |
The widow remained in the family
mansion, which was capacious, ele.
gantly furnished, and everything apper::
tanning thereto was on a scale Of regal mag.
nifcence; but during the minority OF her
son, embracing period Of twenty years, she |
retired to the tack apartments of the house |
and never put her foot in the front part un-
til her son became Of fIll age, when with |
some ceremony she took she arm Of her son |
and walked into the rooms so long deserted.
At this time Mrs. Mason, with her son Ste
phen, was the rightful owner Of this immense
estate, now very much enhanced in value,
but in their possession it was destined to re-
main but few years. The son, together with
his mother very soon became involved by |
suudry endorsements and other obligations,
by which the entire estate was sold under the
sherif's BANNER. From tbenceforlh the
widowed mother and her only son were with
out shelter, and reduced TO penury and want.
The son Stephen being thus without employ.
ment or means, sought and obtained 4 cap
tain's commission in the army, and was killed
in the war with Mexico at CerrO Gordo.
Such were the sad results inflicted upon an
eminent family, and the sacrifice Of high po-
Sitiop and the wasting of palatia estate TO
that which has been falsely called the code
of honor.-New York Graphic.