The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-02-20
AN EXTRAORDINARY DUEL.
Its Cause the Hanging of n Man as n
Spy During the Wartime of the Prin-
cipals Attempts to Commit Suicide.
fha Gan

| cipals Attempts to Commit Suicide.
| From the San francisco Chronicle.
| A duel, in which were shed few
ounces of chivalrous blood, was fought
according to the code of honor on the
beach near the Ocean House yesterday
morning. The principals were Paul
Zecchj, of Oakland, high toned south
ern gentleman, formerly bailing from
Georgia, and person by the name of
Ives, a northern man temporarily So
journing in San Francisco, and who has
been stigmatized Georgia carpet
Dagger" by the southern shivall y
among his acquaintancss here. The
| two gentlemen met in this city about
three weeks ago, and their meetings
have been anything but pleasant,
finally eliminating in the encounter at
arms yesterday.
The incident which led to the duel
| grew out of the war of the rebellion.
Zecchi was a commissioned officer in
the confederate service, and Ives had a
brother serving in the ranks in the
Union army under Sherman. This
brother had volunteered to do duty as
federal spy, and while thus engaged
was captured by the confederates. He
was tried by a drum head court martial,
sentenced to death, and ignominieusly
hanged on the morning after his arrest.
Zecchi was the officer who captured
him, and he also played q prominent
part in the execution of the youthful
spy. The surviving brother remem-
bered Zecchi's name with detestation
and hatred, and upon accidentally
meeting him in q ballroom in this city,
accused him of the murder of his
younger brother. He called him an
assassin, murderer, and by other oppro-
brious epithets. Z4cchi retaliated by
calling him an infamous carpet Dagger.
Friends interfered and prevented them
from coming to blows.
THE CHALLENGE.
They met again at an Oakland ferry
boat few days ago, when abusive ep-
ithets were once more freely exchanged.
Ives finally fourished pistol, but he
was seized by his friends and the
weapon taken from him. Ives deter
mind that he would have the satisfac-
ton which one gentleman demands
from another. 50 he penned chal-
leDge to mortal combat and sent the
same by the hand of a friend to Zecchi.
The challenge was at once accepted,
Colts navy revolvers fixed upon as the
weapons, and q secluded part of the
beach rear the Ocean House determined
upon as the place of the meeting, which
was appointed for 7 o'clock yesterday
morning.
The principals. attended by their Sec
onds, were promptly on hand at the
hour and place designated. They were
driven to the locality in close carriages,
and the preliminaries were promptly
arranged upon the ground. Col. Jno.
Breckenridge officiated as ZecsEi's sec.
ond and gentleman named Williams
acted in the same capacity for Ives.
Ten PAGES were measured of, the weap-
ons examined and l.aded, and Zecch
and Ives took their respective positions.
A third gentleman in the party was to
give the command to fire, and he accord
ingly stationed himse where both Ives
and Zscchi could see and hear him.
THE DUEL.
Both principals are slender built,
srlall-sized men, aud appeared cool and
collected. Not a tremor could be seen
in either. After they had stood a few
seconds, waiting for thu word, the gen.
tleman before mentioned said:
"Are you ready, gentlemen ?"
"We are" firmly replied Ives and
zecchi together, both speaking in clear,
firm tones.
"One."
Both men raised their arms to aim.
s'Two."
The outstretched arms of the two men
were as steady as rock, and the weap-
ons were directly aimed at each others
breasts.
"Three."
The seconds held their breath.
'sFire"
A little puff OF white smoke curled
upward from Ives revolver as the re-
port OF his shot was heard. Zecchi had
his left arm Immediately below the
shoulder. But he gave no sign that he
was hurt. Ives dropped his arm after
firing. Zecchi slowly raised his revol-
yer while It's muzzle pointed upward,
when he discharged its contents into
the air. To the surprise of, those pres
emit Zecchi demanded a second fire.
The revolvers were again reloaded, but
Ives declined to fire again, and Zecchi's
second labored to dissuade his principal
from proceeding any further, entreating
him to retire from the field 80 that his
wound could be dressed.
THE WOUNDED MAN ATTEMPTS SUICIDE.
Zecchi stubbornly insisted upon an
other shot, and finding himself unac-
commodated, to the hcrror ST all pres
ent, placed the muzzle OF his revolver
against his own breast over the region
of the heart and pulled the trigger.
The cap fortunately missed fire, and
just as he had rececked his weapon his
second disarmed him and prevented him
from committing suicide. The two
parties thereupon returned to their car
riages and were driven back to town.
DIR. d. e. Richard, of 512 Sixth street.
also a southern gentleman, who was to
have joined the party as zecchi's EUR
geon, but who did not reach the ground
in time, subsequently dressed the
wound, which proved to be a very
slight one, though the bullet was firmly
imbedded in the soft part of the flesh.
Zecchi was afterward driven to his
lodgings in Oakland. The duel excited
much comment yesterday in those cir
Giles in the city freauented by southern
gentlemen.
zECCHIs STRANGE CONDUCT
in firing into the air the first time, and
or, hoc uuopflv 6ep,opI;uu n aeCnp6 shot