The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-12-24


certain duties tn his clients as we'll ~
to himself. and would require time to
prepare for the combat. This being
reasonable, Shields readily assented to
Q postponement If the affair to suit
Trumbulrs convenience.
"The matter vas kept secret, as tar
a. possible. but . rumor leaked out
that there was to be duel between
the two lawyers. and the convent girls
were all in a high state of excitement
about it. The gossips Of the town had
enough to occupy them for . week.
and as . matter If courss. the majority
took sides with Kinney, who WAS
about to vindicate the honor Of his
father by killing the man who had
libeled him.
A day or two afterwards. armed
with letters from INV father tn John
Scott and Lewis F. Linn. went over
over to St. Genevieve to procure a
pair of duelling pistols for the use Of
the combatants. They loaned me .
pair that belonged 10 General Jones. l
think, and that had heen used in two
duels ON Bloody Island. | am not
sure but they were used by Benton
and Lucas in the duel in which the
latter lost his lite. ltook the pistols
to Kaskaskia, and hid them away ut
home. When the lawyers returned
to Belleville / followed them in Q few
DAYS afoerward to put Trumhull in
practice. I made the trip ON horse
back, like a knight Grant. and my
squire was one of my brothers colored
bows, who rode another horse and
carried the pistols in front Of him in .
mahogany case.
As We rode into Belleville the
people wondered what the niger had
in the box, Every day l took Trum
bull out into the woods in the suburbs
and instructed him in the use Of the
pistol. He was not an apt scholar,
because his heart was not in the
work. He was very near sighted.
aud could not zee twenty feet ahead oi
OF him. l practiced him at close
| range on that account. l had seen
Sherburne and Key practice firing for
. duel, and knew something about
it,"
(Which of the X, " was her
HE was the son If the author oi
tho .Star-Spaneled Banner. and "a,
af:crward killed at BIadensburg.
Well, Trumbull was very awkward
At FIRST, in wheel aud fire he c"uld mol
hit an oak tree two feet thick "ns
shot in q dozen mt ten PAGES. l saw
that the rotary motion would not do
aud prac,iced him in firing without
wheeling: IN a short time he could
hit small sapling nearly every time.
Leaving my scholar alone, wen!
home fur q week. and then returned
and gave him lessons for c"uple "'
weeks more. In the meantime ths
offensive newspaper article had led t.
investigation. aud it Was found {" bs
true. Kinney vas actually defaulter,
for q considerable amount, through
one of his clerk. The State obtained
a Judgment against Kinney for thu
amount, but it was never paid.
BY this time Trumbull was pos
sessed of sufficient skill to face Kinney
with the pistol on pretty fair term.
but to the last momen: he was oppo-ed
I! to fighting. When he was fully
prepared and ready to stand th'
racket, l went to Shields and deliver
ed the terms on which the affair wa:
to be conducted. Weapons. dueline
pistols, brace Of which bad. to bt
inspected BY him. md his principal t.
have choice of pistols. Tine, sun
rise; place. Bloody Island; thu
principals to stand face to face.
TEN FEET APART.
and to fire between the words ''one'
and "three," in the usual way. WheI
Shields read the paper he looked al
me steadily with his Irish grey eye
peering into mine, and then he ex
claimed in his emphatic way. "Mor
rison, it would he murder; BY hea
vens. sir. mnrder!" replied. You
know, Mr.. Shields. that Trumbull j.
30 near sighted that any other term
would make him the victim OF murder
and If he IL to fight-for he is moi
very anxious-he must fight upon
equal terms with his opponent"
Shields replied. by G.. sir, III
not be a party to a murder!'
THAT ended it. There was nc
duel. l resigned my commission in
the navy and settled in BelleviIIe as q
lawyer. Shields. Kinney, Trumbul
and myself became warm friends, and
the duel was seldom alluded to-"
"Who would have thought thai
Lyman Trumbull Was . 6re-eater ia
his young days!"
"No, it was not generally known
neither was it known that Trumbul
was poker player"
"Yuu don't mean draw-poker-
pairs, falIs, Pushes. AMI that sort Of
thing"
"Yes. We used to play poker three
nights in the week in Trumbull'l
subsequently, playing until mid
night"
"DO tell :"
"And that reminds me that ] have
an engagement to night to play q game
q. Wageman's. We only play for g
cent ante-just for sociabilily. you
know"
Just 30. Good luck to you"
A Druukard's Brain.
| From the Scientific American
Hyrii. by far the greatest Of the
L. L. l:-s:..