The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-08-26
The Duel that Billy A,aern Saw.

The Duel that Billy A'Hern Saw.
Every body in Dubuque knows Billy
A'Hern, the honest, hard-working dray
man and "Mayor of Dublin. " Our
reporter CHANGED to oyerhear him few
days since relating to few of his chums
some "reminiscences of his early life in
the old country, and we herewith give
as near as we can in his own language
his account of a duel he witnessed. He
said:
"'When wor quite a young man |
was in the saryice of a gintleman named
O'Hallofan, in the County of -, and
he was one of the best masthers and
best men | ever knew. He stood over
six feet on the naked floor, and was
that big around it took six yards of cloth
to make Il coat for him. With all his
bigness he was bOuld as lion, and
didn't fear the divil himself. He was
good landlord, too, by the same token;
and all the people around about would
fight for him any day. Well, there
was a felly in. the neighborhood, an otli-
Ger in regiment, who had the reputa
ton of being a terrible shot, and was
called by way of nickname Murtherin
Mcnamara, for the number of men he
had Killed at different times in his
iuels. He was little felly, too, with
a face on him like weazel, covered
with short bristly hair, and all you
could see of him was his nose and his
eyes, and Il wicked look he had in them
same, too. He was an insultin', ag-
gravatin' kind of a chap, and was niver
continted unless he had fight on his
hands. And he niver had one that he
did not kill his man, aither.
s'Weel, my masther, who was a
rood-natured man as iver lived and not
aisiIv provoked; somehow he got into
a quarrel with this Mcnamara, and
short work they made of it until the
challenge lfad passed between them.
Who sint it, divil a one of me knows
now, but first heard of it was wan even
inc [ was sint for by Mr.. O'Halloran.
| went up to his room and there l saw
him coolly cleaning up his pistols and
whistling the Rigs of barley softly to
himself. William, avic, says he.
He always called me William and not
Billy as YOU blackgards do. William
dhrink that, and he poured me out
rousin' tumbler of punch. emptIed
the tumbler without any more akin,
and he filled it again for me, when L
saws to him: 'They tOuld me yer amer
that you wanted to see me- Yes,
saws he; Il want you to be on hand
bright and early in the morning to drive
over to Mallen's Hill 'What are you
coinr there for, masther dear?' says l.
sHoid yer tongue, says he, 'and don't
be axing foolish questions. Well, to
make a long story short, we set out at
break of day, and a rougher road new
er travelled in my life And after driv-
inc awhile we came to the top OF a hill, :,
and there way beyant we saw crowd
standin', and all of them lookln' at US;
O'Halloran lifted his eye-glass, and
looking steadily through it a minnit,
and shutting it hastily, he says, Drive
like the divil. We're late. Don't
spare the whip Wild that we set off
at a terrible gait. / had as fast team
of horses as there was in the country,
and they fairly flew over the ground
whenever gave them the Taste touch
of the whip. What wild the fear l was
in, and the excitement, and the stones
we ran over, | could hardly hould on
to the safe, but after bit we got to the
ground. and before had fairly stopped
the team, O'HallOran was out OF the
carriage, and whipping tape measure
out of his pocket, along wild his knife, he
stuck the knife through the ring
of the measure into the ground that had
already been staked off, and measuring
if off. he saws: You are three feet too
far! Here is the spot As you plaze, ,
saws the other FELIX'S second, and the
two were stuck in their places, while
the crowd, which was by this time a
biz one, darted right and left. Well,
their arms were lifted, the word was
given. and two reports went of as one.
Mcnamara half fell over, and as he
raised himself the blood was streaming
down his face from his ear which had
been shot away. O'HallOran had the
knot of his necktie cut off as slick as
daisy, but stood in his place smiling
like a morning in May. Mcnamara
was furious, however, and wanted an
other shot. Well, the pistols were
loaded again, the word was given, and
bang they went. Almost with the re-
port, Mcnamara staggered and fell like
a log on his face. They went up to
him, but he never moved. They turned
him on his back and found an ugly hole
in his forehead. O'Halloran ran up to
him, bent down and looked into his
face. The Lord love you, says he; ;
Il am sorry for you, but you would
have it so.' The body of Mcnamara
was put into the carriage and taken
away by his friends, while O'Halloran
drove home without saying Il word.
'And this said Billy, 'was the first
and only juel l iver saw, and ! niver
want to see another. " - Dubuque
Times.