The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-08-01
Editor Coleman,s Duel.

"A INoW AoEh BHptI bhyss ~ IL uOt
generally known that William Coleman,
William Cullen Bryant's predecessor on
the Evening Post, was a principal in o
fntal and mysterious midnight duel,
which created great excitement in Jour
nalistic and political circles here, seven
ty-fve years ago. At the beginning of
the century, party spirit burned at a
white heat, and newspaper controversies
were conducted with almost intemperate
zeal. Coleman's chief political opponent
was James Cheethafn, OF the american
Citizen, and the two were constantly at
war. Although the Evening Post editor
used violent language, as was the GUS
tom OF the day, he was conscientiously
averse to dueling, and had often 80 ex-
pressed himself in his editorial columns.
Nevertheless, Cheetham, after q bitter
contest of words, challenged Coleman,
who accepted the challenge, as men Of
his anti-dueling principles have cften
done before and since. The meeting
did not take place, however, because
Judge Brockholst Livingston, in his Off
cial capacity, caused the arrest of the
principals. The arrest was interpreted
unfavorably to Coleman by his political
enemies, one of whom, Capt. Thompson.
harbor master of this port, declared
publicly that the Post editor could not
be driven into fight; that he was an in
famous poltroon. Such language could
not at that time be brooked; submission
to it involved loss of influence and social
caste. Consequently Coleman determin-
ed, with the advice of his friends, to call
Thompson out. and did 30, Washington
Morton acting for the journalist, and
Cheethman for the harbor master. No
legal interference could be tolerated this
time, and the affair was managed with
the greatest secrecy. One summer
morning DIR. Mclean, well-known sur
geon. received an anonymous letter to
the effect that at eleven o'clock of the
same evening he would find at the foot
of Broadway, on the south side of Bow
ling Green, horse and gig. He was
requested to drive with these to spot
designated, on the road skirting Potter's
Field-the ncighborhood of Washington
Square at present-where he would meet
some friends anxious to see him. He
followed the directions faithfully. On
arrival he heard four pistol shots, and
by the moonlight he observed, by look
ing over the fence, one man supporting
another, and two other men at little
distance. The man supporting another
inquired, "Are you DR.. Mclean ?" Re-
ceiving an affirmative reply. the man
said, "This gentleman is wounded. He
needs your aid. Take charge of him,
please, and carry him to his friends" t"
Then he gently laid the wounded man on
the ground and went off with the others.
The doctor recognized the gentleman
thus strangely consigned to him as Capt.
Thompson, with whom he was intimate
ly acquainted. Thompson was severely
hurt, having bullet hole in his side,
and was bleeding profusely. The doc
tor stanched the wound as we'll as he
could, and drove the patient to his resi-
dence, nearly two miles away. He left
Thompson at the door, rang the bell and
hurried away. The members of the
family came; were terribly shocked to
find the husband and father they had
seen cheerful and vigorous few hours
before bleeding and helpless. They
took him to his chamber, and in tears
and distress, inquired the cause of his
pitiable plight. He refused to say any
thing more than that he had fought a
duel, and had been honorably treated.
and begged that no effort should be
made to discover or punish his adversary
whose name he would not disclose.
the ablest surgeons, he died, afto- i:.1 M
gering two or three days, with his secret
unrevealed. His petition was religiously
respected. Nobody tried to molest Cole
man, whose share in the duel necessarily
soon hecama known. M oopouanf xro,
made in the press; the editor of the
Post returned to his desk, and so the
strange tragedy ended.