The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-03-08
FAMOUS DuE1s.
A Newspaper Article That Led to Terri
bic Bloodshed in Florida.

An old resident told sojourner
Florida the following story of some ia
nous and sanguinary duels that oo
CURED there years ago: I'm the Sem
mole war" said Zebran, evidently am
bling down a well worn groove of con
versatiOn, "GOvernor Call, of thi
| State, commanded crack regiment
| One morning he received q note an
nOuncing that his wife was quite ill
He at once repaired to her bedside
| During his absencea battle was fought
Shortly afterwards an article appeared
| in the Chronicle and Sentinel, of Au
gusta, insinuating that Governor Cal
had purposely absented himself from
| the battle. The paper containing thi
cruel article reached the camp anC
was at once the subject of comment
Lieutenant Augustus Aston deter
mined, In the absence of his Colonel
to protect his honor, mounted q horst
and plunged through the woods fol
Augusta. Reaching that city he made
his way to the kRsnicLe office and de
manded to know the author of the of
fensive article 1t turned. out that il
was Governor Reed, of F1oFida, for 8
long time bitter politicaE enemy oi
Calls. Lieutenant Alst,sh at once
sent hin1 fRrenlpt .schallenge
GoverDaS Reed replied that he would
be happS1to accommodate Lieutenant
Aston with satisfaction as soon as he
had concluded an affair with Lieut..
Williams, of Call's staff who had al
ready favored him with a note on the
subject. Aston thereupon had tocon-
tent his soul with patience until the
affair with Williams was over. He
did not have to wait long. Ameeting
was soon arranged between Reed and
Williams, tire conditions were that
they should fight with bowie knives,
until one or the other should be cut
down. At the meeting the two men
came upon the ground stripped to the
shirt. They then clasped their left
hands together in a firm and dead
game grasp, standing toe to toe. The
keen and shining knives were then
placed in their right hand. At a sig
nal they dropped perpendiculariy
along their legs. AT the next word
they were raised into the air, and then
the terrible fencing began. 1t was a
brief strenuous struggle. The long
knives cut and gashed and wheezed
through the flesh of the combatants
and clashed and sparkled against each
other, now buried in vital tissue and
now whipped out with a dim, blush
moisture yelling the blades, until at
length Lieut.. Williams fell, hacked
almost to pieces. Governor Reed
escaped without any disabling in
jury.
"He then turned his attention to
Lieutenant Alston. Being the chaI-
lenged party he had the choice of wea-
pons. He selected It murderous wea-
pom, now happily obsolete, but then
of common use and known as a yagar.
1t was broad mouthed, funnel shap-
ed, smooth bore gun, that carried a
of shot and was warranted to
hit anything in the neighborhood of
its aim. The duel was the most un-
fortunate one in its direct and remote
results. Captain Kenon was Lieut..
second. The principals were
posted with their backs to each other.
AS the word wheel was called it is
claimed that Aston slipped and stum-
bled. The command, 'E'ire-one-tw
= threer followed almost Immediately,
and before he could recover his gun
went off into the air. Gov. Reed took
cool aim, fired promptly at the word,
and Lieutenant Aston dropped dead.
Thus two gallant young fellows had
already fallen in defense of the honor
Of an absent comrade. But the cruel
feud was re-opened. Col. Willis AL
ston, then living in Louisiana, heard
Of his brothers. death and become i'm.
pressed with the idea that he had not
been fairly killed. He claimed that
Gov. Reed should have withheld his
fire when he saw his hrother'S gun
spring aimleSsly toward the sky. In
Iced it is said that sister of Lieut.
Aston had the lead taken from her
brothers. body and new bullet moul-
led, which she sent to Col. Willis AL
stOn and demanded that he should
come and avenge their brothers. death.
This hotel. Gov. Brown met him as
ne rode up to the piazza and at once
livined his purpose,
"YOu have come here to challenge
Reed?" he asked. Col. Aston assent
I'd. Gov. Brown then begged him to
De very deliberate and quiet about it.
On the very night he got there he was
sitting near the fireplace yonder, with
! large cloak around him, and his
head upon his hand. He had been
sitting there only a few moments
when some one brushed past him rath-
# roughly, Raising his head he dis
covered that it was Governor Reed,
he very man he had travelled so far to
challenge to deadly combat. In an
instant he was ablaze with excitment,
md rising, exclaimed "You have
my brother, sir, and now
Tou presume to insult me? Draw and
lefend yourself, SIR" As quick as
thought Reed drew Il six harrelled pis-
Ol and tearing away Alston's third
inger, just as the latter poured a
lroadside into him from hOrseman's
pistol, lodging ball in his side. The
ire was repeated each man receiving
mother bullet. Col. Aston was then
)ut of ammunition, having only two
lorseman's pistols. Throwing back
his long cloak, however, he drew his
bowie and closed with his antagonist.
IN n few strokes Gov, Reed was cut to
The floor and his opponent sank in a
ainting fit. 1t wasln that melee that
-he bullet hole was made up there.
1.-The two mea were taken to their
Oeds, and for several weeks We're con-
fined to their rooms. Colonel Aston
was the first to recover. He was
much embittered by the contest that
had taken place, and said that
ne intented to kill Gov. Reed OH sight.
\ lew udNS dlIeTWdGuS lie lDeI NON.
Reed on the street He went home
and loaded double barrel shot gun,
putting in one of,the barrels, 1t Is said,
the bullets that his sister had nodded
with the lead taken from his brothers.
dead body. Seeking Reed again, he
fired at him on sight, tearing away
his shoulder with the first barrel and
his heart with the second.
This created the intensest eX-
element andled tosome legal proceed
ings against Colonel Aston, which how
ever, did not result in any thing.
Colonel Aston shortly after this went
to Texas. He had been there but a
short time when he heard that DIR.
John Mcneil Stewart, a man of prom
Inenue in Bra2oria, had commented
upon his affair with Gov,
Reed. Meeting DIR. Stewart upon the
prairie few days after this report had
come TO hia ears, he handed him a
letter containing the offensive Ian
yuage and asked him if he was resp0n-
sible for il, Pending the discussion of
tile matter at issue they fell upon each
other with great fury. Itappears that
DIR. Stewart was armed with b pair of
Colts pistols and Col. Alton with a.
bowie knife and shot gun. When
found by their friends, Col. Aston
was found lying at the foot of large
tree, with four bullet holes through
his body; Stewart was lying near by,
with two loads of buckshot in his