Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1878-01-15
Remarkable Duet.
AnIneIa.n, OF one Rebellion

messed a duel between Captain Jones,
commanding Federal scout, and Capt.
ain Frye, commanding rebel scout 10
Greene county, East Tennessee. These
two men had been fighting each other for
six months. with the fortunes OF battles IN
favor of one aud then the other. Their
comrades were campcd on either side OF
Lick creek, large and sluggish stream,
too deep to ford aud too shallow for fer
~ boat but there bridge spanned the
stream for the convenience Of the travelling
public Each Of them guarded this bridge,
that communication should go neither
North nor South, as the railroad track had
been broken up months before. After fight
ing each other for several months and con-
testing the point as to which should hold
the bridge, they agreed to fight duel, the
conauerer TO hold the bridge uuii,puted for
the time being. Jones gave the challenge
and Frye accepted. The terms We're, that
they should fight with navy pistols at twen-
~ yards apart, deliberately walking to-
wards each other, and firing until the last
chamber Of their pistols was discharged,
unless one or the other fell before all the
discharges were made They chose their
seconds, and agreed upon rebel surgeon
as he was the only one in either COM
mand) to attend them in case Of danger.
Jones was certainly fine looking ie,-
Iow, with light hair and blue eyes, D feet
10 inches in height, looking every inch the
military chieftain. Tie was n man that
soldiers would admire and ladies' regarded
With admiration. | never saw man more
cool, determined, and heroic under such
circumstances have read Of the deeds o
chiyalry and knight-erraotry in the md
die ages, aud of brave men embalmed in
modern poesy; but when l saw this man
Jones come to the duellists' scratch, hsdt-
ing, not for real or supposed wrongs to
himself but as he honestly thought, Tor
bis country aud the glory Of his flag, |
could not help admiriug the man, notwith-
standing he fought for the freedom Of the
negro, which was opposed to-
Frye was q man of full 6 feet high,
slender, with long, wavy, curling hair, jet
black eyes, wearing a SLOUGH hat and grey
suit, and looking rather the demon than
the man. There was nothing terociouS
about him; but there was that seli.Sufhc- /
lent, nonchalance that said, al will Kill |
you" Without a doubt, he was brave, /
cool, and collected, and although sutferius 4
from a terrible flesh wound in his left arm,
received q week before, he manifested 10 .
symptoms of distress, but seemed ready .
for the fight.
The ground was stepped off by the sec
onis. pistols loaded and exchanged, ami .
the principals brought face to face new
er shall forget that meeting Jones, in his
military, boyish mood as they shook hands,
remarked tina, -
\ soldier braves desth Tor fsncirul wrcau,
When "a slory's romantic career
Frye caught ~ the rest Of the sentence,
and answered by saying
Y,t hs bends DER the foe when in battle laid low.
AID batnes every wound With tear.
They turned around and walked back to
the point designated Jones second had
the word Fire" and as he slowly SAID,
Observation-Disclosures, - they S;multal-
eously turned at the word "One" and IN
s,anty fired. Neither WAS hurt. They
cooked their pistos,and deliberately walk
ed towards each other firing as they went
At the fifth shot, jones' threw up his right
hand, and, firing MS pistol in the air,sank
down. Frye was ia the act of firing his
last shot bat, silently lowered his pistol,
dropped it TO the ground, aud sprang 10
Jones side, taking his head in his lap Is
he sat down, and asked him If he was
hurt.
| discovered that Jones was shot through
the region of the stomach, the bullet glauc-
ing around that organ, and coming out TO
the left Of the spinal column besides, be
had received three other trightful flesh
wounds in other portions OF the body. |
dressed his wounds, and gave him such
stimulents as had. lie afterwards got
well.
Frye received three wounds-one break
ing his left arm, one in the left and the
other in the right side. After months Of
suffering he got well. Neither Of them
asked for discharge, but both resumed
their commands when they got well, and
fought the war out TO the bitter end, and
to-day are partners in a wholesale grocery
business down south doing good business,
and verifying the sentiment Of Byron that
"A soldier braves death" etc., etc.
Trusting that the above truthful narra-
tive will be lesson TO some people, North
and South that staid on the outside and
yelled Seek dog - and are still not salts.
ted with the results of the war. let me
subscribe myself, a reconstructed
CONFEDERATE SURGEON.