The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-13
SOME FLORIDA DUELs.
A Personal Insult that Led to Some Half
a Dozen Fatal Encounters.
Philadelphia Times. !

Philadelphia Times.
TALLAHASSEE, Dec. T.-Some Of the
bloodiest duels on record were fought
In Florida. The Seminole war, in 1897,
brought to the front lot of reckless
young blue bloods that were full of fire
and sparkle. Gay livers for the most
part, they headed carelessly through
the world, and carried the whole defense
of their lives in their pistol fingers. A
pressure Of the trigger was the answer
they gave to protest or depreciation. The
brush they had with Osceola and his
yellow devils warmed them up sharply,
and when Prince Murat settled upon
their coast with colony Of Frenchmen,
challenges flew thick and fast. The
Frenchmen, Of necessity, and with
pleasure, fought their way through, and
very soon the already turbulent society
of Florida had received a deeper tinge
from the splendid drilling Of the cut and
thrust followers of "the Prince" 1t
was In Florida that the feud be-
gan in which the Alstons, Willis
and Augustus, lost their lives. | was
sitting one night in Brown 9 Hotei-a
Misunderstanding myself in orange
brandy and munching soaked biscuit,
when shuffling old fellow approached
me. / recognized him as Mr.. Zabran,
ragged postscript to the life Of a gen
tleman, engaged at the time in the
humble but respectable business of
washing dishes at the hotel. "Do you
see that ragged hole up there over the
furder fly brush?' asked the old man.
Upon my replying to the question,
which really did not require an answer,
but was thrown out by, the crafty old
gabbler as lasso, with It's interroga-
tory loop at the end, he reflectively
wound his cup-towel about him.
and sitting down, remarked: well,
sir, II all the blood that was
shed in the quarrel in which that
hole was made was smeared on these
walls it would redden up this whole
room, / can tell you" -,
The sanguinary seduction the old
fellow had put into his story, and push
ing him glass OF brandy, asked him
to tell me all about it. Then and there,
In that musty and half ruined hotel, full
of its wild and riotous memories, the
old fellow told me story that for fierce
gallantry and recklessness puts fiction
to shame. The actors in it, Of sunny
and heroic temper, of large wealth and
lustrous lineage, are dead. Their de-
soendants yet live and stand high
among the highest. OF course, 1t Is i'm
possible to avouch the particular cor
rectness OF the details Of this story, or
the most OF those that follow, but the
general points are believed to be just as
written.
DUEL OF THE SEMINOLE WAR.
sin the Seminole war;" said Mr..
Zabran, evidently ambling down we'll
worn groove Of conversation, "Gov.
Call, OF this State, commanded q crack
regiment. One morning he received a
note announcing that his wife was quite
| i'll. He at once repaired to her bed
side. During his absence battle was
fought. Shortly afterward An article
appeared in the Chronicle and Sentinel,
OF Augusta, insinuating that Gov. Call
had purposely absented himself from
the battle. The paper containing this
cruel article reached the camp and was
| at once the subject Of comment. Lieut..
Augustus Aston determined, In the alb
sence Of his colonel, to protect his
honor, mounted q horse and plunged
through the woods for Augusta. Reach
ing that city he made his way to the
the author of the offensive article. 1t
turned out that it was Gov. Reed, OF
Florida, for long time bitter polit-
ical enemy Of Calls. Lieut.. Aston at
once sent him peremptory challenge.
Gov. Reed replied that he would be
happy to accommodate Lieut.. Aston
with satisfaction as soon as he had con-
cluded an affair with Lieut.. Williams
Of Calls staff, who had already favored
him with note upon the same subject.
Aston thereupon had to content his
soul in patience until the affair with
Williams was over. He did not have to
ranged between Reed and Williams, the
conditions OF which were that they
were to fight with bowie kniv es
until one or the other should be
cut down. At the meeting the
stripped to their shirts. They advanced
until they met each other. They then
clasped their left hands together in 6
firm and dead game grasp, standing toe
to toe. The keen and shining knives
were then placed in their right hands
At a signal they were dropped perpen
dicularly along their legs. At the mex
then the terrible fencing began. 1t was
a brief, strenuous struggle. The Ions
knives cut and gashed and wheezet
through the flesh of the combatants
and ciashed and sparkled against eact
other: now buried In vital tissue, ant
now whipped out with a dim, bluisf
moisture yelling the blades, until a
length Lieut.. Williams fell, hacked
almost to pieces. Gov. Reed ESCAPED
without disabling injury.
Al BROTHERS REVENGE.
"He then turned his attention to Lieut.
Aston. Being the challenged party, n
had the choice Of weapons. He selected
; murderous weapon, now happily OBJ
solete, but then of common use, anss
, known as the wager. 1t was broad
mouthed, funnel-shaped, smooth-bor
gun that carried handful OF shot, an
was warranted to hit everything in tn
neighborhood Of its aim. The duel wa
a most unfortunate one in its direct ant
remote results. Capt. Kenon was Lieut.
J Alston's second. The principals wer
, posted with their backs to each other
As the word wheel was called, it il
! claimed that Aston slipped and STUN
bled. The command, 'Fire-one.,.two1-
threep followed almost Immediately
and before he could recover, his gu
want off into the air Coy. Reed too