The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-05-13
A Wonderful Escape.

TO Iom HOODS Annual
The only merit claim for the follow
ing narrative is that it is true story
1t has moral on the end Of it, but
claim nothing on that, as it is merely
thrown in TO curry favor with the relig
ious element
After l had reported Il couple Of years
on the Virginia City, Nevada, Daily En-
terprise, they promoted me to be editor.
in chief, and lasted just week by the
watch. But / made an unccmmonly
lively paper while 1 did las:, and when !
retired | had q duel on my hands and
three horse.whippings promised me.
The latter | made no attempt to col
lect but however, the history concerns
only the former. 1t was in the old flush
times Of the silver excitement, when the
population was wonderfully wild and
mixed everybody went armed to the
teeth, and all sights and insults had to
be atoned for with the best article oi
blood your system could furnish. In
the course Of my editing | made trouble
with Mr.. Lord. the editor Of rival
paper. He flew up about some little
trife or other that l said about him
do not remember now what IT was. |
suppose | called him thief, OF body.
snatcher or an idiot, or something like
Tint was, of course, obliged to make
the paper readable, and | couldn't fail in
my duty to whole community Of sub.
seribets me,ely to save the exaggerated
sensitivencss OF an individual Mr.. Lord
was offended and replied vigorously in his
paper. Vigorously meas great deal
when it refers to personal editorial in a
froniie' newspaper DueIing was all the
fashion among the upper classes in that
country, and very few gentlemen would
throw away an opportunity Of fighting
one. To kill one man in a duel caused
man to be even moro looked mp to than
to kill two men in the ordinary way
Well, out there il you abused mau aud
that man did net like it. you had to call
him out and kill him, otherwise you would
bc disgtaced. So l challenged Mr. Lord,
aud did hope he would not accept.
| knew perfectly well that he did not
want to fight, and so challenged him in
the most violent and implscsble manner.
And then | sat down and snutfcd and
snufed till the answer came. All the
boys-the reperters-were in the Office
helping me in the dismal business, and
telling about duels and discussing the
code with lot Of aged ruf6ans, who had
experience in such matters, and altogether
there was loving interest taken ia the
matter that made me unspeakably un-
comfortable The answer came-Mr.
Lord declined. Our boys were furious,
and 10 was lon the surface.
sent him another challenge, and an.
other, and The more he did not want to
fight the more blood. thirsty became
But at last the mans tone began to
change. He appeared to be waking up.
1t was becoming apparent that he was
going to fight me after all. l said l
ought to have known how it would be
be was man who never could be de.
pended upon. Our boys were jubi!nDt
| WAS not, but | tried hard to be.
1t was now time to 60 out and prac-
tice. 1t was the custom there to fight
duels with navy shooters at fifteen paoes
load and empty till the game for the
funeral WAS secure. We went to little
ravine Just cut Of the town and borrowed
barn door Tor 4 target-borrowed it
from a gentleman who was absent-.-and
We stood this barn door up and stood q
rail on end against the middle Of it to
represent Lord, and put squash on top
Of the rail to represent his head. He
was very tall, lean creature, the poor.
est sort of material for duel nothing
but line shot could fetch him, and even
then he might split your bullet. Exag-
geration aside. the rail was. of course. q
little too thin 70 represent the body &C.
curately, but the squash was all right. II
there was any intellectual difference be-
tween tho squash and his head il was in
favor of the squash.
Well, practiced and practiccd at The
barn door and could not hit 1t; and
practiced at the rail and could not bit
that, and / tried for the squash and could
not hit that. | would have become
thoroughly dishcartened but that occa.
sionally | crippled one Of the boys and
that gave me hope.
At last we began 10 hear pistol shots
hear by in the next ravine We knew
what that meant The other party was
cut practicing too. Then | was in the
last degree distressed, for Of course they
would hear our shots and then send over
the ridge, aud spies would find my barn
door without q wound or mark and that
would simply be an end to me, ior oi
course the other man would Immediately
become as blood.thirsty as was.
just at that moment a little bird 10
larger than srarrow few by aud lit ON
bush about thirty feet away, aud my
little second, Steve Gills. who was a dead
shot with pistol--muoh better than
was -snatched out his revolver and shot
the Liid's head off We all rsr to pick
up tho game. aud sure enough, Just al
th, moment, some of the other duelists
came reconnoitering over the little ridge.
They ran to Cur group to sac what the
matter was, and when they saw the bird
Lords second said
THAT was 5 splendid shot How .ar
of was il ~
Steve said with somc indifference;
"Oh, no great dietAnce About thisly
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