The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1876-01-21
\ rHR1LL1Na WAR INCIDENT.
Duel Between Federal and Confederate
Scout Commanders.


On the 18th day of June, 1868, Witness
ed duel between Captain Jones, COM
manding Federal scout, and Captain Fry,
commanding rebel scout, insdreene coun-
ty, East Tennessee. These two men had
been fighting each other for six months,
with the fortunes of battle in favor of one
and then the other. Their commands were
camped on either side of Lick creek,
large and sluggish stream, too deep to ford
and too shallow for a ferry boat; but there
a bridge spanned the stream for the con-
venience of the travelling public. Each
of them guarded this bridge, that commu-
nicatien should go neither north nor south,
as the railroad track had been broken up
months before. After fighting each other
for several months, and contesting the
point as to which shdaiia hnid the bridge
they agreed to fight duel, the conqueror
to hold the bridge undisputed for the time
being. Jones gave the challenge, and Fry
accepted. The terms were that they should
fight with navy pistols at twenty yards
apart, deliberately walking toward each
other and firing until the last chamber of
their pistols was emptied, unless one or the
other fell before all the shots were fired.
They cl 'se tueir seconds, and agreed upon
a rebel surgsmn Gas he was the only one in
either command) to attend them in case of
danger. Jones was certainly fine-looking
fellow, with light hair and blue eyes, five
feet ten inches in height, looking every inch
the military chieftain. He was man that
soldiers would admire and ladies regard
with admiration. l never saw man more
cool, determined and heroic under such cir
cumstanees. / have read of the deeds of
chivalry and knight-errantry in the middle
ages, and of brave men embalmed in mod
ern poesy; but when saw this man Jones
come to the duelists' scratch, fighting, not
for real Or supposed wrongs to himself, but
as he honestly thought, for his country,
and the glory of tho flag, could not help
admiring the man, notwithstanding he
fought for the freedom of the negro, which
| was opposed to. Fry was man full six
feet high, SLENDER with long, wavy, curling
hair, jet black eyes, wearing q souch hat
and gray suit, and looking rather the de-
mon than the man. There was nothing fe-
rocious about him; but he had that self-suf-
ficient nonchalance that said, 81 will kill
YOU" Without doubt he was brave, cool
and collected, and, although suffering from
a terrible flesh wound in bis left arm, re-
ceived a week before, but manifested no
symptoms of distress, but seemed ready for
the fight. The ground was stepped off by
. the principals brought face to face. l
shall never forget that meeting. Jones, in
his military, boyish mood, as they shook
hands, remarked that
A soldier braves death for fanclful wreath,
When in glory's romantic career.
Fry caught up the rest OF the sentence
and answered:
Yet he bends oer the foe when in battle laid low,
And bathes every wound with a tear. - :
They turned around and walked back to
the point designated. Jones' second had
the word Fire." and he slowly said:
One-two-three-fire % They simulta-
neously turned at the word some" and in
stantly fired. Neither was hurt. They
cooked their pistols and deliberately walk
ed toward each other, Gring as they went.
At the fifth shot Jones threw up his right
hand. and firing the pistol in the air, sank
down. Fry was in the act of firing his last
shot, but, seeing Jones fall, silently lowered
his pistol, dropped it to the ground, and
sprang to Jones' side, taking his head in
his lap as he sat down, and asked him If he
was hurt. [ discovered that Jones was
shot through the stomach, the bullet glanc-
ing about in that region, and coming out to
the left of The spinal column; beside, he
had received three other frightfnl flesh
wounds in other portions Of his body. I
dressed his wounds aud gave him such
stimulants as I had. He afterward got
! WELL Fry received three wounds-one
breaking his left arm, one in the leg, and
the other in the right side. After months
of suffering he got we'll. Neither of them
asked for discharge, but both resumed
their places as soon as they recovered, and
| they fought the war out to the bitter end,
and to-day are partners in a wholesale gro
Gerry business down South, doing good
business, and verifying the sentiment of
| Byron that A soldier braves DEATH" etc.