Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-02-13
New York Duels.

Cincinnati Enquirer
The recent duel between NJ. Gambetti
and De Fourtou, in France, has given
rise to a legislative discussion as to the
advisability of making a personal eneoun-
ter, at least among representatives of the
people, q criminal offense If this is done,
the duello will have received its death
stab in its chosen home. The law will do
for France what honest public opinion
long ago did for America-make the ex-
aggerated doctrine of personal response
bility which holds that an insult can be
avenged by giving the insulter an equal
! chance to kill you,a shame and adisgrace.
Before that healthy revulsion of public
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 oc-
CURED, where in France trifing sword
scratch or ridiculous exchange of hol-
low courtesies ended the so-styled 'affair
of honor.''
New York yields the ensanguined palm
to no city in the land. Its dueling records
are as full and dark as any. Previous to
the present century most of the duels of
that city were fought on Manhattan Island
itself or on some of the islets in the bay or
sound. Bedloe's Island, in particular, was
favorite field for the adjustment of per-
sonal differences at the swords point or
the pistols mouth.
In 1777 Captain Pennington, of the
Royal Army of Occupation, took offense
at a tune which fellow officer was sing
ing. They quarreled, and the gallant
Captain shot dead his antagonist, who
was son of the Earl of Dysart, and an
officer in the Royal Navy. The encoun-
ter occurred in a little grove of maple
trees by the East River, where, year be-
fore, Captain Talbot had been mortally
wounded by Tory officer named Dun
worth. In 1888 John Coffin, another
Tory, and brother of Admiral Sir Isaac
Coffin, R. N, was shot dead on one of the
Sound Islands by Colonel Campbell.
The records of these old duels, howev-
er, are very meager until we come to the
first encounter in which Aaron Burr took
part.
Aaron Burr's first duel took place on
September 2, 1895. Burr's antagonist
was Alexander Hamilton's brother-in-
law, John B. Church. Church had limited
that bill authorizing aliens to hold titles
to land in their own right had been rail-
roaded through the Legislature by Burr,
who had accepted therefor a bribe of
twenty thousand dollars.
The parties met at Weehawken, then a
| lovely spot three miles from the strag-
Cling hamlet of Hoboken. The famous
dueling ground is now the site of rami-
| fication of rail road tracks leading to a
row of grimy coal-wharves. Then it was
a rocky ledge some twenty feet above the
river, only to be reached from boat, for
asteep bluff covered with tangled under
brush bounded its 1andward side.
Apropos of the Burr-Church duel, a
curious and little known anecdote is told.
] Judge Bdanus Burke, of South Carolina,
acted as Burr's second. The balls of his
principals pistols were Intentionally cast
too small for the bore, and patches OF
chamois leather were cut to put round
them. It was necessary to grease these
patches in order to get the ball home. AT.
ter the duelist had been posted, Burr no.
ticed the Judge hammering at the ram
rod with a stone, and suspecting tht
cause, when the weapon was handed him
tested it and found that the ball was no
rammed down on the charge.
tsI know it,'' said the Judge, moppins
the perspiration from his face; tFI forgot
to grease the leather. But you see he il
ready. Don't keep him waiting. Jus
take crack at him as it is and I'll greast
the next.''
Neither shot took effect, and the affai
was adjusted amicably.
The next event in the history of Wee
hawken was simultaneous encounter be
tween two brace of school-boys. The EN-
counter was bloodless one, and ende
by the furious thrashing of one of tn
cal1Ow fre-eatere, whose irate fathe
caught him when he landed in New u or
and fagellated him in the presence of al
admiring public.
In January, 1902, Philip Hamilton
who had just graduated from Columbi
: College, became involved in a quarre
about political speech at a theatel
Blows followed, and friend of youn
Hamilton challenged one of the insulterE
After exchanging four shots and declal
ing themselves satisfied, Hamilton sent
challenge on his own part He fell MOI
tally wounded at the first fire, and die
next day.
The meeting between John Swartwou
g and Dewitt Clinton has been too ofte
f described to permit extended commen
: Swartwout was a Sachem of Tamman,
: and an intimate friend of Burr. The due
: was most determined one. Five shot
t were exchanged, and Swartwout ws
wounded twice. He was still unsatisfieC
h and would have popped away till night
!. Clinton had not thrown down his pistC
: in disgust and left the field.
IS Two year later Richard Riker, Clinton
! second, was famed for life by a ba
planted in his hip by Robert Swartwou
the indomitab1e Sachem's brother, on Il
same spot.
v The next affair of note was the Bur
!. Hamilton duel. It would be painting Il
:. lily to rewrite this historical tragedy, fc
) its details are as familiar to most Amer
}. cans as household words. There are son
attendant features of it, however, of I
l. markable interest. The duel had been s
d for July IL, 1904. During the intervenil
Of time neither party betrayed any sign
the impending encounter. They met s
cially at the Fourth OF July banquet
the Society of Cincinnati, of which Hal
ilton was President and Burr a membC
Long after one had moldered to du
and the other, grown old in exile, had !
X turned to his native country to die a bro
is en-, lonely man, a tellow-guest in his n