The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-11-12
It was said that Clinton approached


the hands of the surgeon, and said, 81
am sorry / have hurt you so much.
Then to Col. Smith he remarked, 81
wish / had his principal here"-meaning
Col. Burr-"I will meet him when he
pleases. That meeting, however, was
not to fall to the lot of Clinton.
As result, in part, of the foregoing
encounter, and partly from political
auarrels, another duel occurred in 1903
between Robert Swartwout and Richard
Riker. The latter afterward became
Recorder of this city, and was Familiarity
known as "Dickey Riker." At this
time he was Attorney General Of the
State. He fell at the first fire, receiving
severe wound in his leg.
The poets Drake and Halleck, who
published "The Croakers" ia the EUen-
ina Post in 1919, amused themselves
and the city about this duel i'll the fol-
lowing lines:
''The Riker, like Bob Acres, stood
! Edgeways upon "A field of blood,
The why and wherefore Swartwout knows,
Pulled trigger brave man should,
And shot-God bless him-his own toes"
In 1904 followed the fatal meeting be-
tween Burr and Hamilton, when the
great statesman fell; and amid the gen
eral grief these political duels ceased.
Passing by the fatal encounter between
Isaac Gouverneur and William II. Max
well in 1915, and of others who after
ward fell beside Hamilton's monument,
we come to the year 1918, when Commo-
dore Oliver II. Perry, the hero of Lake
Heath of the United States Marines
Decatur and Lieut.. II. Nj. Desha, they
met on Oct. 10. In 1915 quarrel had
occurred between them in the Mediter-
ranean, when Perry gave Heath blow.
A courtmartial ensued, but Heath after
ward sent Perry challenge. Several
months previous to the meeting the lat
ter had addressed letter to Decatur,
saying, Although L consider from the
course he (Heath) has thought proper
to pursue, that | am absolved from all
accountability to him, yet as l did, in a
: moment of irritation, produced by strong
provocation, raise my hand against a
|, person honored with commission, |
have determined, upon mature rehec-
ton, to give him meeting, should he
call on me; declaring, at the same time,
that 1 cannot consent to return his fire,
as the meeting on my part will be en-
, iirely as an atonement for the violated
rules of the service. l request, there
fore, my dear sir, that YOU will act as
my friends on this occasion.
In accordance with this, Perry re
ceived Heath's fire without returning it.
Then Decatur stepped forward with the
!, letter, which he read, and said he pre-
sumed the aggrieved party was satisfied
Capt. Heath asserting, the quarrel was
ended.
, In 1927, William c. Graham, formerly
of Catskill, was an associate editor OF
: the New York Courier and Enquirer,
At friends house he quarreled will
) Mr.. Barton, son of the naturalist, Dr.
Barton, of Philadelphia. On Nov. 2s
they fought at the Wechawken grounds
Lewis Asbury and VIM. MLeod Were
, the friends of the parties, and DIR. r.
Pencil was the surgeon.
The night previous, Mr.. Graham wrote
this letter to his associate, Maj. NJ. NJ
| Noah:
ELEVEN O'CLOCK.
DEAR SIR What may be the result of the
unhappy renconter which il to take place il
the morning between Dir. Barton and myself
cannot of course be predicted by me. In the
supposition that it will be fatal, bid you fare
we'll in the only language that il now left t
me. / am perfectly Indifferent as to myself
but / trust most earnestly that Mr.. Barton NAV
escape. / admit that am in the wrong-tha
by giving him blow have forced him int
{ the condition of a challenge and by not doing
what he has he would have blasted his charac
ter AZ gentleman forever. In common justice
, / am bound thus to absolve him from all sus
pciOn Of unbecomng conduct respecting til,
\ ! challenOe. The OrOyOcatiOn. thOuph SLIGHT
, was still provocation which / could not over
/, look. 1t is out of the question for me to ex
plain retreat or apologize
MIR. Barton IL a talking man who dwells VERY
) complacentiy on his own skill a marksman
!, OH his experience as a duelist, and Oh his accu
, racy as person of ton. pretend to none Of
these. and therefore must oppose the most in
flexible obstinacy. After he is perfectly salts
fled, may, perhaps. apoOgize-that is in case
| am fatally wounded. IL il needless for me :,
say heartily despise and detest this absurC
, mode OF settling disputes and salviug The
wounds OF honor. But what can a poor dew
do except bow to the supremacy of custom
) God bless you ~
| On the fatal Monday morning, boil
, parties reached the ground before
| o'clock. The first fire was without in
jury to either. Then Graham's SECOND
proposed that the principals should eacl
t advance one step. They did so anC
) fired. Graham exclaimed: 81 am shot
1 am dead man. Barton, / forgive
l YOU" On being taken down the rocks
to the boat and laid i'll it, he said only
| Ct am in great pain, and in few min
utes he was dead. The ball had passed
through his body. The surgeons Ger
, tificate of the cause of death stated mere
ly that "Wm. G.. Graham, aged 81, dice
on the Odd, of Uutnus."
, Between 1885 and 1889 several en-
counters took place, and Sept. %, 1916
, witnessed the last on record, when, by
the kindly care of the seconds, the pis
, tolls were loaded with cork.
During all these long years the laws
forbade the duel, but public sentiment
, made the law of the pistol superior
Public sentiment has changed, but men
passions remain the same. And however
fatal was the quick decision of arms, il
may be questioned whether society has
now provided a surer remedy for wrong
The process is only slower in its ruin
and it is one-sided. The poor gentleman
has no defense against the entrenched vul