West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-02-01
NEW YORK DUELS.
Cincinnati Fnquircr.l

Cincinnati FuqmrcrI
The recent duel between NM. Gam
betu and De FourtOu, in France. has
given rise 10 a legislative discussion a.
10 the advisability of making personal
encounter, at least among representa-
tives OF the people, a criminal Ofense.
III this is done, the duellO will have re-
ceived its death stab i'm its chosen home.
The law will do for France what honest
public opinion long ago did for America
make the exaggerated doCCrinc of per
.sonal responsibility which holds that an
insult can be avenged by rivinr the in
sulter an equal chance to kill YOU a
shame and a disgrace.
Before that healthy revulsion Of pub
lie opinion occurred, however, many a
bloody stain had been put upon our
social records. When we did fight we
fought honestly. Desperate wounds or
death occurred, where in France "a
triiing sword scratch or q ridiculous cx-
change of hollow cOurtesics ended the
so-styled "aflair OF honor"
New York yields the onsanguincd
palm to no city i'm the land. Its duel
ing records are rs full and dark as anv.
Previous 70 the present century most of
the duels OF that city were fought on
Manhattan Island itself or on some Of
she i7lets in the bay or SOUND. Bedloe'4
Island, in particular was a favoritc
field for the adjustment OF personal diff
ierences at the swords point or the pis.
tolls mouth.
In l777 Captain Pennington, of the
Royal Army Of Occupation, took otensc
at tune which a follow officer was
singing. They quarrelcd, and the gal
liant Captain shot dead his antagonist,
who was a son Of the Earl Of Dysart,
and an officer in the Royal Navy. The
encounter occurred i'm a little grove of
maple trees by the East River, where, q
year before, Captain Talbot had been
nsSvtally wounded by Il Tory officer
m1med Dunworth. In 1888 John Coffin,
another Tory, and a brother of Admiral
Sir Isaac Coffin, r. n, was shot dead on
one of the Sound Islands by Colonel
Campbell.
The records Of those old duels, how
ever, are very meager until we come 10
the first encounter in which Aaron Burr
took part.
Aaron Burr's first duel took place on
September 2, 1899 Burr's antagonist
was Alexander Hamilton's brother-in-
law, John p Church. Church had
limited that a bill authorizing aliens 10
hold titles 10 land i'm their own riaht
had been railroadcd through the Iegis-
lature by Burr, who had accepted
thereof a bribe Of twenty thousand dol
lars
The parties met at Weehawken. then
a lovely spot three miles from the strag.
CLING hamlet of Hoboken. The famous
dueing-ground is uOw the site of a
ramifcation Of railroad tracks leading IN
row Of grimy cOal-wharves. Then it
was a rocky ledge some twenty feet
above the river, only 10 be reached from
n boat, for q steep bluff covered with
tangled underbrush bounded its land.
ward side
Apropos Of the Burr-Church duel, a
curious md little known anecdOte j.
told. Judge Edanus Burke, Of South
Carolina, acted as Burr's second. The
balls of his principals pistols were in
tentionally cast too small for the bore
and patches Of chamOis leather were cut
To put round them IT was necessary tC
grease these patches in order 20 yet the
ball home After the duelists had beer
posted, Burr noticed the Judge hammer
ing at the ramrOd with a stone, and sus
pecung the cause, when the weapon was
IdhhtA HilIf lf0ltA ll anu IOUUO IlNI
the ball was not rammed down on the
charge.
" know IT," said the Judge, moppine
the Precipitation from his face "f for
got 20 grease the leather But you see
be is ready. Don't keep him waiting
Inst take n crack Qt him as II Is and ~
grc0sC the Hcyt."
Neither shot took effect, and the affair
was adjusted amicably.
The next event i'm the history oI
Weehawken was simultaneous en-
counter between two brace of school
boys The encounter was n bloodles.
one, and ended by the furious thrashinr
of one of the callow dre-eatcrs, who's,
iratc father caught him when he landed
in New York and 6aPcIated him I'm ths
presence Of an admiring public.
Ia January, 1902, Philip Hamilton
who had just graduated from Columb,s
College, became involved in a quarrc
about q political speech at o thcatcr
Blows followed, and a friend of yOun1
Hamilton challenged one Of the in
suffers. After exchanging four shot
and declaring themselves satisfied, Ham