The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-10-09
THE DARK SECRET,
One Which Remained Hidden for the
} sur Space Of, Nearly, Twenty SO ~,
Years,
THE FAMOUS JACKSON WILLIAMS DUEL,
J. }yd4 FOUGHT ON THE RESERVE isrs9 !.


III his reportorial travels few days
ago q Times representative stumbled
upon anl''odest inhabitant," MILO, only
after earnest solicitation, il must be
said, recounted the details of a famous
d,sel fought fere5i in September, 1858,
nearly twenty yeats ago, tho spot chorl
sen for the slaughter being almost pre-
cisely the ono selected by United
States Senator James H. Lane, when
he sent the bullet crashing through
This brain, which put such a sudden end
to his Senatorial career. The fact of
the duel has hei etofore been Fnown as
the ''dark secret;n. and, SO far as is
known, has not, heretofore been di-
vulged, as the parties concerned we're
sworn never to reveal it until some fn-'
ture time. when gconcealment would
be no longer-a necessity. Tho neces-
sity for concealment no longer exists,
and the falLfacts relative to one Of che
most 4remarkable,j bloody. and deter
mined duels eyer fought upon the
blood stained Soil 9of historic Kansas,
are for the first time. made public
AS is we'll known, the, period prior to
| the reception OF Kansas into the Union
of States was time of trouble and
1'tribulation; a time which tried mems
souls; When tile ,Bowie knife and the
ready revolver were the sole arbiters
of qnarrels; when the value Of aIman's
life was measured solely by his ability
ITO protect it, aud when, law and order
were among the things to be, and not
of the things Which were. Tire strife
for supremacy among the Free7State
men and the border ruffians was bitter
ito the last degree; a war to the knife,
and the knife tn the 1ilt, q struggle
bloodyywithout precedent, and essenti-
itally, aggressive. Among the Free
Estate men WHO was conspicuous for
his advocacy Of equal tights 'wasi'h
youthful Massachusetts lawy erauamed
HWilliams, talented young limb Of the
[law, brave, rctolnte and daring, vic
would face battery if duty demanded
j it, and who never courtcdi upon results
: when principle was at. stake. ~ e.,
| He was marked man at the time
and the opposition was determined
he. sllonld beJpnt outpftlieiway. iEn-
rolled in the. border ruffiau ranks was
= lusty Southern named ,! jackson,
I leIn y s;a nrm pSllex.efl .lnI !lie
"code, crack snos anu utterly ie1r
less, eoid-piooae9 'ahu.cooi' d mar, %
! as, he hated the devil. He was tile ont
!? seiected 20 put w llliahi ms, oue .! .ne
way 20 .ch ai.ito hn mia t aa;a ,io .h,
anu e4e, ~ ae. wy fuio mutsa n "
Wo.n. MeosiuS pno ~ 49, auon - ~,
aware e'lee.! I'0 IVY Io..an: guy al Al
!" eo" s:sn a"r an5na ~ w D ~,
". ulsp4s1s VIII tG., Sr faaa ~ yr ynH
y Spl!Lihs ~ . l.a.,s Ia SI 1s,.,. n,a "
an insult too gross to be orooked, att
noe,nn Ju' t tao aaaa tIaa aud thn ,unu
gaeyelysn 9 sSIa in s'th 'r
a ne lesuls was s ', x sne pa..te
toihoeV upon ~:"o uot ala,:.,1 .ese'n,
!he neA' p;n e syore ohaaan aa1 af.a
- wy 's. %rt t;as fS 1nIo ~" nia
swo siots tao p',.as -. tto ..us1 ~.
"..v h.J tla so,oct;a,. 'n of tIa wae :
p" l"n ~ vs' 800, ,;.y' MI, ~
pu, aur o ~ ohosa i ,han, ~ i 1
J! , ,ssa'';n tha ;1nal1, W;lliamsi 6 ss,,;,
J o aeo ro,; S aooa,s,,nt w;,,'tba I'd
}, volner could nnt annroach his ontaao
u Ia ~ ma &c fp. tAT ,ans ,o ,sis;I
. ;,i; =, tic o bn;fe,,,a,iwas ha,lss !, no,
= " ".. Ho,uever hs con,ls M
ii hscf ont and Hs knowi n ;ney;faII
!, iasil, ~ IL. fI'd ,,esi,It he olocsedsa
.ha sror ctnssn,, datsrm; H :, ed to.sell;h
81 , , op Searlv as nnss;hla Tn the rra
KA da dag yi liz ~ thc antnmn morn;nu III Il
,e 49,. ,;,au occnn,,na ,i;sd ~ t,yn saconi
E, a"S - snrrson. mati nnon the s rsaef,
r, = short distance north " est Of the hea
ID Of Broadway, and prepared for Il
L bloody work before them. Both we
N cool md collected tile first because,
as the anticipation of an easy victory. ii
ri other firm in tie belief lie was in L
| 80. -, - $50, -, sssr,.,,. al .