American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-02-02


tissue, and now whipped out with a dim,
blush moisture yelling the blades, until
at length Lieut.. Williams fell, hacked
almost to pieces. Gov. Reed escaped
without disabling injury,
s'He then turned his attention to
Lieut.. Aston. Being the challenged
party he had the choice of weapons. He
selected murderous weapon, now hap
PLY obsolete, but then of common use,
and known as wager. 1t was broad
mouthed, funnel-shaped, smoOth-bore
gun, that carried handful of shot, and
was warranted to hit every thing in the
neighborhood of its aim. The duel was
a most unfortunate one in its direct and
remote results. Capt. Kenon was Lieut..
Alston's second. The principals were
posted with their backs to each other.
As the word ''wheel'' was called it is
claimed that Aston slipped and stum-
| bled. The command: 'Fire-one-tw
-three!' followed almost Immediately,
and before he could recover, his gun
went off int the air. Gov. Reed took
cool aim, fired promptly at the word and
Lieut.. Aston dropped dead. Thus two
gallant young fellows had already fallen
/ in defense of the honor of an absent
comrade. But the cruel feud was hardly
| opened.
"Col. Willis Aston, then living in
! Louisiana, heard of his brothers death,
and became impressed with the idea
that he had not been fairly killed. He
| claimed that Gov. Reed should have
withheld his fire when he saw his
| brothers gun spring aimlessly toward
the sky. Indeed, it is said that sister
of Lieut.. Aston had the lead taken
from her brothers. body, and a
new bullet nodded, which she
sent to Colonel Willis Aston, and
| demanded that he should come and
avenge their brothers death. Col. AL
ston came as fast as possible to this no.
tel. Gov. Brown met him as he rode
up to the piazza, and at once OWNED his
! purpose. You have come here to chal-
lenge Reed?' he asked. Col. Aston as
! sented. Gov. Brown then begged him
to be very deliberate and cool and quiet
he was sitting near the fireplace yonder,
with large cloak around him, and his
head bowed upon his hand. He had
been sitting there only few moments
when some one brushed past him rather
roughly. Raising his head he discov-
cred that it was Gov. Reed, the very
man he had travelled so far to challenge
to deadly combat. In an instant he was
ablaze with excitement, and rising ex-
claimed: You have murdered my broth
er, sir, and now do you presume to in
suit me? Draw and defend yourself,
sir!' As quick as thought Reed drew a
six-barreled pistol and fired, tearing
away Alston's third finger, just as the
latter poured broadside into him from
a herseman's pistol, lodging ball in
his side. The fire was repeated, each
man receiving another bullet. Col. Al
ston was then out of ammunition, hav-
ing only two horseman's pistols. Throw
ing back his long cloak, however, he
drew his bowie and closed with his an
tagonist. In a few seething strokes
Gov. Reed was cut to the floor, and his
opponent sank in fainting fit. 1t was
in that melee that that bullet-hole was
made up there.
The two men were taken to their
beds, and tor several weeks were con-
fined to their rooms. Col. Aston was
the first to recover. He was very much
embittered by the contest that had taken
4 4 Al L. I
Gov. Reed on sight. A few days after
ward he met Gov. Reed on the street.
He went home and loaded double-bar.
relied shotgun, putting in one of the
barrels it is said, the bullet that his sis
ter had nodded with the lead taken from
his brothers dead body. Seeking Reed
again, he fired at him on sight, tearing
away his shoulder with the first barrel
and Kidding his heart with the second.
| The rencontre created the intensest ex-
citement, and led to some legal pro-
ceedings against Col. Aston, which,
4 however, did not result in any thing.
/ Col. Aston shortly after this went to
| Texas. He had been there but short
time when he heard that DIR. John Nc
Neil Stewart, man of prominence in
! Brazoria, had commented dispar=
agingly upon his affair with Gov.
Reed. Meeting DIR. Stewart upon the
prairie few days after this report had
come to his ears, he handed him letter
containing the offensive language, and
asked him if he was responsible for it.
Pending the discussion of the matter at
issue, they fell upon each other with
great fury. DIR. Stewart was armed
with pair of Colts pistols and Col.
Aston with bowie knife and shot gun.
When found by their friends Aston was
lying at the root of a large tree, with
four bullet holes through his body;
Stewart was lying near by, with two
loads of buckshot in his heart, stark and
stiff. Col. Aston was so badly wound
ed that he could only be carried in
blanket, slung hammockwise between
TWO men. As he was being borne into
the town in this manner, his friends
were met by company of armed men,
who fired a hundred shots into the
blanket, killing Col. Aston instantly"
SOME instructive details are copied by
a Berlin newspaper from the price-list
of a large chemical mandatory in
Mayence. Among other things coloring
matter for wine is offered for sale at