Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-09-02
A Duel in Early Times.

Few are acquainted with the fact
that duel was at one time actually
fought on Grant county soil. 1t oc-
CURED in the town of Hazel Green
about the year 1885. The Bellevue
0owa) Leader of the 18th ult., gives
an account of the affair which the Ca
lena Gazette says is undoubtedly from
the pen of one who witnessed it, as
follows:
During senatorial contest in the
year 1884 or 1885 in the northern
counties of Illinois, when Galena was
the objective point of the northwest.
Hon. John Turney, of that place, and
we're the aspirants for po-
litical honors, in that district. S. M.
Bartlett, who was then editor of the
Galena Gazette, published an article
from the pen of David G. Bates re.
fecting great discredit on the charac-
ter of Mr.. Turney. The latter, feel
ing himself greatly aggrievod, called
upon MIR. Bartlett for the name of the
author, or retraction of the often
sive charges made therein, which
proposition Mr.. Bartlett declined to
agree to. After some unavailing COR
respondence upon the subject, in
which Bartlett persistently refused to
give the name of the author or to re-
tract what had been said, he was call
ed upon by the Hon. J. 2. Hogue,
(now Of California; and presented
with formal challenge. Mr.. Hogue
was referred to w. A. Warren, now
ofthis town, and arrangements were
made to fight the next day on the
Mineral Point road, across the State
line in Wisconsin. Just before the
plucky combatents were about to de-
part on their dread mission, the now
venerable ii. III. Houghton, then
printer in the Gazette office, asked
MIR. Bartlett to kneel with him in pray
er while he invoked heavens protect
ing hand to save him from harm, a
request that Bartlett complied with.
They were to fight at ten PAGES with
duelling pistols. Mr.. Bartlett, who
had anticipated that the controversy
would end in duel, had practiced
much with pistol, and was account
ed good shot, while Turney was at
best, poor marksman. Mr.. Bartlett
had secretly informed his second, w.
A. Warren, that he would not fire the
first time at his antagonist, but if Tur-
ney then insisted upon another ex-
change of shots he would use all his
skill in drawing fatal bead upon
him.
The parties met as per arrangement
on the designated GROUND with mutual
friends-Col. A. G. Wright, James
Stevenson and Maj. Leggett of the U.
S. Army. The pistols used were Maj.
Leggett's, aud the men stood so as to
fire between the command of one, two
and three. The seconds, Warren and
Hogue, tossed up for the choice of po-
sition, which was won for Bartlett.
The words, one, two, three, were pro-
nounced, when Turney fired his pistol
the ball striking the ground at Bart
let's feet, when Bartlett whirled from
his adversary and fired his pistol at
tree near by, making splendid shot.
Turney was perfectly overwhelmed
by the noble act and magnanimity of
his adversary, and throwing down his
weapon, rushed up aud embraced him
in the most feeling and affectionate
manner. From that hour they were
warm friends, and the whole party
returned ro Galena joyous over the
fact that no blood had been shed over
such a foolish controversy.
r@- Last Thursday the Hon J.
Allen Barber rode with Col. Clark
to Plattevile. The weather was
dry and warm and every Whit of
dust, every field of withered corn
and every dropping pumpkin vine
drew from the lips of the honorable
ex-member an ejaculation for rain.
From Lancaster to the spring on the
hill beyond Ellenboro the road was
sprinkled with his prayers. AS the
party returned they found four to
six inches of mud, on this part of the
the road, and the corn and pumpkin
vines looked healthier. He thinks
there is saying in an old book, ex-
tant when he was boy, which ae-
counts for this result. Col Clark
thought that, like the indian doctor,
he mixed his medicine too strong.