The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-09-12
DESPERATE WOUNDS.
New Orleans Democrat j

DESPERATE WOUNDS.
New Orleans Democrat.l
The following astounding incident of
recovery from shot through the heart
appears in the clippings of one of our
city papers
oCol. Jones ofLouisiana, was1ynched
for the murder of Gen. Liddell. He
fought duel before the war and re.
ceived an ounce rifle ball through HIS
heart. He not only recovered, but
was never afterward troubled with dis
ease of that organ, from which he had
previously suffered at the time of his
killing. He was shot no less than a
dozen times with heavy charges of
buckshot before he expired"
The circumstance of the unhappy
vendetta between Col. Jones and Gen.
Liddell cannot now be revived without
opening wounds that have been long
closed. The relatives and friends of
the two gentlemen, who were, with
others, witnesses of one of the saddest
tragedies that ever occurred in our
State, have long sinceA> consigned to
oblivion its distressing Incidents and
the passions they excited. We only
now refer to the affair for the purpose
of contradicting the startling statement
in the above paragraph respecting Col.
Jones's recovery from heart disease
and survival after being shot through
the heart. The statement has no more
foundation than consists in the fact
that Col. Jones was at the beginning of
this feud shot twice through the face
and the body, but neither his heart nor
any other vital organ was touched, and
| he lived twenty years thereafter. The
nearest approach, however, to this re-
| markable physiological fact did occur
| in the section which was tho scene of
| the Jones-Liddell feud. The recovery
from wound generally pronounced
| mortal, and the restoration of the organ
wounded to healthy action, occurred
in the Ouachita conntry, in the case of
an eminent citizen who filled the high
est political offices in the State and
was always regarded as a leader of the
dominant political party.
We refer to Gen. Solomon w. Downs,
who once represented this State in the
United States Senate. In duel be-
tween Gen. Downes and Gen. Morgan
the weapons being rifies-General
Downs was shot through the lungs.
The ball which penetrated his body
carried with it piece of cloth in which
it was the custom to wrap the balls
used with the old fashioned rifles. The
ball was extracted, but the cloth re-
manned and produced Inflammation,
which gave great pain and distress to
the wounded gentleman. His lungs,
which had been pronounced before he
died as in a very unsound condition,
and had ELECTED the most gloomy ap-
prehension of his early decease from
consumption, were much inflamed and
| irritated by the presence of this cloth
which had perforated them, and thus
| increased and aggravated the violent
coughing to which he had always been
subjected. His physician thought there
was but little hope of his recovery,
and the General himself made prepar-
ations for the early close of his mortal
career.
One day, in aspasIn of violent cough
ing and copious hemorrhage from the
lungs, the wadding was thrown up,
and carefully examined by surgeon
from this city, who astonished the
afflicted gentleman by cheerily con-
graduating him on the event, as not
only relief from cause of great suf-
fering, but as furnishing good grounds
for hope and belief of the restoration
of his lungs to q sound and healthy
condition. And SO it proved, for Gen.
Downs lived thirty years longer, and
was one of the most active and con-
spicuous of our public men, and one of
the most vigorous and successful politi-
cal and parliamentary speakers and ad-
vocate5 in the State.
CLASSICALLY DRUNK.