The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1878-07-17
THE DUEL.
A Story of its Far-Reaching
Effects on Two Virginia
Families.
Lfppincoft,s Magazine.

4
T. Mason, of Loudon county, Va.
entered the Senate of the United
States-young, handsome, gifted anC
wealthy, with all his family prestige
about him. He was also quick tx
anger and rather overbearing. Wher
in the Senate I believe he was the
youngest member Of that body. His
father had been United States Sen
ator before him, and was nephew
of the illustrious George Mason just
mentioned.
The McCartys were remotely in
blood, and closely in marriage to the
Masons, the sister of this Armistead
I. Mason. having married William
McCarty, afterward a member of the
House of Representatives. In 1919,
when Mason had been about four
years in the Senate, and when he
was not much over thirty years old,
there arose between him and John
NJ. McCarty, the brother Of William,
some difficulty of political nature,
which became more and more embit.
tered by the influence of injudicious
friends until the usual result of such
difficulties" in those days was reach
ed.
Mason had a young and devoted
wife, with one child, pretty little
boy but a few months old. Their
home was called Selma. in the coun-
ty of Loudon. John NJ. McCarty
was a brilliant young lawyer of the
same county, and he was soon to be
married to the lovely Lucinda Lee.
When about to start for the ''feld o f
honor" Mason persuaded his unsus-
pecting wife to go on a visit to his
mother, who lived at the old Mason
homestead, Raspberry Plain, few
miles distant. ALI were in total ig-
lOtduC VI LIS IIiGSutlOuS' AAO IClO
with his physician letter directed
to my mother, asking her in case of
his death to go to his wife and com
fort her.
They fought at Bladensburg. Ma
son fell at the first fire, and never
spoke again. The old physician and
my mother FASTENED to his young
widow and darling boy, and had the
hard task Of telling first the dread
ful news, and transforming a world
which held nothing but beauty and
happiness for them into dreary de-
sert, scarce better than the grave.
Weeks passed, so overwhelming was
her grief, before it became certain
that she would regain her senses.
Scarcely less heartrending was the
sorrow that bowed down the dead
senator's fond mother.
In the meantime McCarty had
written to Miss Lee, relating what he
had done. giving her week for re-
lection and asking her to tell him at
the end of that time whether she
would marry him after what had hap
pened. She related to me long af-
terward, the agony OF that week
how she knelt in dispair at her
mothers feet rnd asked her to de-
eide. how the old lady could only
advise her to follow her own heart !;
how at last she sent note to her
lover inviting him to call. Their
meeting she did not describe. but it
is said that sitting at the instru-
ment as he entered, she sang the
words
Come rest in this bosom, my own
stricken dear,
Though the herd has flown from thee,
thy home is here.
I know not, ] ask not, if guile's in the
heart
but know that l love thee, whatever
thou art
After their marriage they settled
in Leesburg, near Selma.
The young widow Of Mason at
length asked to go back to Selma.
the scene of her short welded life.
Not anticipating what was to fol
low, her attendants carried her into
the wide hall. There. raising her
eyes, they fell upon the hat and
coat. hanging just as he had left
them, which her husband had on
when she saw him last. She GOV
cred her face, and with a shrek beg
ged to be taken in the rear rooms
of the house. There she remained.
For twenty years she did not enter
the front part of the building. The
room there, opening from the dread
ed hall. were kept in perfect order
and guests occupied them as usual.
But on the day when her boy-the
lisping infant when his father fell
become 21 years of age, she invited
all her blood relations to dinner. |
was one of the number. We were
all sitting in the library, toward. the
rear of the house, when the door
was thrown open and the gray old
butler bowed his announcement.
Without any intimation of breaking
the habit of twenty years. Mrs. Ma
son promptly arose-a frail, fair
woman of 40-and. taking the arm
of her son. walked directly into the