The daily gazette., 1879-08-16
From the baltimore Gazette.
A 8tateenan's PePll.

The affair at NarragAnsett Pier has 10
it already quite enough,of pain and folly
and no unnecessary elements of pain
should be introduced into it. Mr..
Sprague has eufiered by far the most and
If to any one an outburst Of anger would
be admissible he is the man. The at
tempt, therefore, which the friends Of
Mr.. Conkling and the leading New York
papers are making to convey the im-
preston that Governor Sprague's violent
conduct was caused by excitement from
drink is unwise and unjust. 1t may
goad Sprague into coming out with the
whole truth and into tearing away the
flimsy subterfuges by which Conkling is
seeking to escape public censure. There
seems 10 be no denial that the following
conversation took place in the village
and this makes all the nonsense about
the German professor worse than use
less. Governor Sprague, who had fol-
lowed Senator Conkling from his house
down the ST. eet and had brought him 10
stand, was heard to say In angry reply
~ will accept no apology for what you
have dom,
"You will think better of this to-mor-
row." Mr.. Wood says he heard the Sena-
tor say.
"No, Sir; no, Sir. I want this dis
tilctly understood. Go way from here
at once. You say you are not armed.
Then g., for, by God, If you don't III
blow your brains out; and, further,
never cross my path again. If you do,
be armed. shall be armed, and il you
cross my way shall kill you."
1t is not easy to see what adequate
apology Senator Conkling could have
offered to make. "There are" said Coy
ernor Sprague a few days before the out
burst, "there are some oficns 's which
can only be washed out In blood" Had
Conkling been armed Sprague would
have forced HIM to draw his weapon, but
he would not shoot down an unarmed
man, as Daniel E. Sickles shot Philil
Barton Key. He, therefore, proposed to
Conklink the only SOFT Of duel that the
new code recOgnizes-that is: "Be
ar ned, for If you GRO my path l will
kill YOU" This, strange to say, is the
Texas form of challenge. 1t has the ad
vantage, 1t cannot be declined except by
appeal TO the protection of law. Spra.ue
knew very well that he might have shot
Conklng with impunity. No jury il
that State would have convicted him o.
blood outlines. The forbearance Of
Spraeue, when he thus had his enemy in
hir power, had in it something Of mag
nanimity and heroism. With grief and
rage, shame, disappointed love aud jeal
ousy tearing at his heart and urging him
on to the act Of sweet revenge, he yel
mastered himself and spared the man
who had brought shame and ridicule on
hirnself-and why? Why did he spare
him? Becaus, Conkling was unarmed
Yet Conkling who owes his life to this
mans mercy, goes away and gives ou
that Sprague was irresponsible through
drink. Conkling's reputation for veraci
ty was never good. Several times dur
ing the past year he has had falsehoot
fastened on him in the S nate. Genera
Burnside, angered by his false sugges
lions, arose In the Senate and said tha
Conkling, was "an habitual falsifier,
and it was generally accepted as a true
retort. But the meanest of all NEAR
falsehoOds Is to traduce the man tt
whose magnanimity he owes his life, tt
call his forbearance and mercy drunken
ness. Meantime Conkling is under chal
lenge. The formal warning to 60 arm
ed has been given, accompanied with I"
will shoot you on sight," In not havinI
caused Sprague's arrest and having hin
bonded to keep the peace, he must b
taken to have accepted the challenge
He had, however, better keep out o
Sprague's way for he cannot count upOl
his mercy q second time.