The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-01-13

AT THE SCENE Or The UUEL--SUlES tbA iHL
SPECIAL ARTIST OF THE GRAPHIC-A SUM
MARY SKETCH OF THE MOVEMENTS Of THE
DUELLlsTs-wHAT THE NATIVES SAW AND
sAID.'1stIl ~ II 'Y:ItJo-l. siiIL j ~ 49,.
PHILADELPHIA BRANCH OFFICE OF THE
GRAPHIC, January, 10.-My Investigations Of
Marydel, Del. and Md, result in placing
certain questions and doubts. at rest with.
which / observe various newspapers yet
attach to the very mysterious Bennet-May
dlel. The parties were at the point named
were arrayed upon the "field Of honor"
according to the rules OF the code, and they
shot away, under those conditions, six car
tridges, but not at each other.
I visited the field Of blood under n strong
escort. On Monday the ground was soft.
No one trayersed the field that day except
the parties in whom we are interested.
Since Monday afternoon. the ground has
been rs hard as stone. So we have imprints
Of the presence of the party, where they
dashed through the snow, waded in the
mud, and, with but little indecision, marked
off the toe-lines with stick. The distance
by careful measurement with pocket-rulc
from line to line is forty feet. They were
placed north and south. The wind on
Monday was southerly. The osseous frag-
ments Of deceased mule led to conclusions
rs to previous encounter upon this hlsto-
ric plot OF ground.
I talked with Mr.. Nathan Meg innis, upon
whose farm the battle was fought. His
house is the only one near the scene, and ls
upon the opposite side OF the railroad. A
rise in the ground hides the spot selected
from view where Mr.. McGinnis stood at his
door. He SAYS he saw five men coming up
the track with blankets and small boxes in
their arms. They struck over into the
field-one big man being considerably in adj
yance-and disappeared down the slope.
Mr.. McGinnis went in to dinner, filled with
the belief that he had seen a party OF rail-
road directors who were prospecting Tor
site for new depot, and his soul was filled
with sunbeams OF Joy at the thought OF in
creasing value for his acres. Alas! McGin-
mis-. About the time he had ceased to feel In
terested in culinary matters six shots were
heard in quick succession. None saw tue
shooting; none heard it save the men in
the action and the family Of McGinnis. All
reports OF the eye-witnesses given in
the papers are a delusion and snare.
Shortly thereafter the five men filed
solemnly out upon the track and be-
took themselves to the station. Here the
Bennett group engaged Mr.. John Walters
to convey them to Clayton. Mr.. Bennett
sat with the driver. Mr.. Walters, in COM
mon with others, regarded them as capital
lists who were going to develop the re-
sources of the country thereabout. The
visitors were quick to note this suspicion,
and encouraged il by talking "railroad J, to
the bystanders. Soon after leaving, MIR.
Bennett appealed to his companions, ask
ing if they did not regard bis "proposl-
ton " as just and fair, and they assented.
Thereafter they conversed at length IN
foreign tongue.
Mr.. May and his companion went down
to Slaughter station, reioined their frlend
(vho had acted as 4 pickett, and proceeded
to Dover in hired conveyance. MIR. May
is reported by all who came in contact with
him as showing great good nature and en-
tire self-possession.
have said that would prove that the
shots were not fired at either man. Let the
reader measure off forty feet in any conye-
nient place-the parlor, for instance. Then
let him put his Ulster upon bolster and
set "his man" on end. Then let him pep
per away with his little shooter to the ex-
tent of its six barrels, and see il he has found
il possible to miss it more than twice out OF
the possible six. II so, he is only fit for a
duellist. SKETcHIsT.
s THE BENNETT-IAY FIZZLE.
Interest in the Bennett-M May 1lasco Is fiz-
zling out as easy as the abortive effort at
duel was brought to a bungling termlna-
ton. In the mean time the principals are
keeping themselves out OF the way Of in
ouisitivc people, especially evading the
1ninions of the press and the law. The
present feeling in the matter was well ex-
pressed yesterday by the gentleman who
arranged the preliminaries in Baltimore.
BE said he moulded the balls, prepared the
pistols, and set up till midnight to see the
parties off; but now he feels disgusted at a
party who, attracting the attention Of q
whole nation. should engage in hostile
meeting "and not mean business" He
wishes now he had had nothing to do with
il. "In California;" where he had lived,
"they did not extend challenge for no.
thing" The pistols used there were five
shooters, and the parties baZed away at each
other until one or the other fell. or until the
five shots were spent.
The New York papers say that Bennett
left that city Immediately after the arrest OF
DR.. Phelps, and his whereabouts are un-
known. II criminal proceedings continue
he would take trip abroad. 1t is also said
that DR.. Frederick May, Of Baltimore, who
acted as second for his cousin, was in New
York on Wednesday night, and that as many
other relatives assembled at the May house
It was presumed there was family council
over the unfortunate occurrences OF the
week and to decide on future action. There
are satisfactory reasons for saying, how
ever, that the circumstances are such as to
preclude the possibility Of any relation here
after that would involve association or
friendly interest, though there is no proba-
bility Of any further hostilities. s.-BGltanloTe
Sun.
Especial dispatch to the Baltimore SUM-
MORE ABOUT THE MAY-BENNETT DUEI-A MARY
LAND AFFAIR-sENSATIoNAL SUGGESTIONS
AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS.
PHILADELPHIA, January 11.-Attorney-
General Pennington, OF Delaware, visited
the battle-ground to-day, and satisfied him
self that it was within the limits of Mary
land, and that he had no need to bother
himself about it.
DR.. William Fl. Pancoast, professor OF
anatomy in the Jefferson Medical College,
returned home late on Wednesday night
from what is said to have been visit to
Maryland to attend to the wounds of Frede-
rick May, one of the missing principals in
the late Bennett-May duel. The next day
DR.. Joseph Pancoast, his father, held clinic
in his sons place, and told the students that
the latter had gone to Maryland to attend to
q wounded man, and might not return for
a number OF days.
Dr.. Pancoast returned on wednesday
night, and yesterday he was visited by
scores Of reporters, to all Of whom he eX-
pressed his ignorance OF Mays wounds or
his whereabouts, and said that he had