Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-03-11

MIN Lnere was certainly no objection
to his serving, if the other side con-
sented. He replied that they had
thus far offered no objecten. He then
stated secondly, that his principal had
informed him that he intended to
throw away his fire, and he wished to
know if it would be right, with such
information, to accompany him to the
field. | answered that this was en-
tirely within his discretion.
| was then made acquainted with
the fact that the parties had been in
innate personal friends; that DR.. J..
was the family physician of Mr.. j.,
and in that relation had taken adyan-
tage of the wife of the latter and
seduced her. / was also informed that
experimenting the possibility of a fatal
result of the meeting, he had before
leaving North Carolina settled his
affairs, and if he survived the duel it
was his intention to proceed directly
to New Orleans and fix himself there
in the practice of his profession.
| was further consulted as to the
conditions of the meeting, and sug-
gested the placing of the parties at
twelve PAGES, back to back, and that
they wheel and fire; the words to be;
Are you ready? fire one, two, three;
haiti neither party to commence
wheeling until the word halt" I
also suggested, if these terms were
agreed to, that DR.. H.. instruct his
principal to drop his pistol to an aim
in the wheeling, receive his adverse
rvs FIRE, then elevate his weapon and
FIRE in the air, as | thought the move
ment of the arm and pistol might in
some measure distract his adversary's
aim and if after the fire his principal
was unhit, and the other side we're
unsatisfed and insisted upon another
fire, which was not probable, he could
protest and take his princinal from
the field. This would have necessi-
tated his procuring another second
before the matter could be renewed,
and the effect of such delay would
probably be the ending of the affair.
The terms suggested by me we're
drawn up and formally proposed, but
were strenuously objected to by the
other side, who insisted that on ac-
count of the ear-sightedness of their
principal the distance should be short
ened to ten PAGES, and that the firing
take place without wheeling. was
again consulted. L Informed DR.. II.
that the arrangement of the terms of
the meeting must be mutual that he
had no more right to dictate them
than the other side; hat the idea of
the challenged party having the privi-
lage of absolutely prescribing the
terms of a meeting was a vulgar error.
But inssmuoh az his principal had
communicated to him his intention
not to fire at his adversary, he might
take advantage of his supposed right,
and continue to insist on prescribing
the terms in the interest Of saving him
from harm, as he was exposing his life
to q man whose life he did not intend
to endanger.
| left the party about midnight, and
as the controversy relating 90 the
terms was still going on, | did not
suppose that any meeting could posi-
bly, take place until the middle Of the
next day.
About eight o'clock on the following
morning | thought | would call upon
Mr.. BaFrenger, and ascertain the
result Of the negotiations, if any had
been reached, and while standing in
front of his house, talking with a
friend whom | had casually encoun-
tered. q hack Drove up, out Of which
sprang DR.. II. and the surgeon who
had been engaged to attend Dg, j. to
the field. | entered the house With
them, and on getting within one of
them exclaimed 10 ne. Ny God :
DIR. j. is killed."
| learned that shortly after I had
left, the night before, the other side
had withdrawn their objections. and
accepted the terms precisely as pro-
posed. and insisted GpQn an immediate
meeting; that they had gone out at
daylight, each party accompanied by
his second and surgeOnF and had
sought the famGua old duelling ground
where Decatur fell. a secluded gpot
near the public road. about four miles
from Washington and one from Bla-
1 dopsburgh. 1t had been abandoned
for such purposes for many years,
owing to its hotoNs,y, end the fact
that the police Of the vicinity we've
constantly watching it when any ru.
NOR existed of a difficulty likely To
! GYoDtuate in an affair of honor. The
parues being all strangers to the
neighborho6d, we're unable 70 locate
this ground, aud hndiRg tkemselves
within sigkt Of the village Of Bladens.
burg, selected other ground and al
once proceeded to business. The
tegWs | had suggestedlwere rigidly
compiled With. AT the word fire.
Mr.. ). iRstsgilg Wheeled and fred.
hitting his adversary II de bead be.
fore he had half wheeled, aHd killed
HIM instantly, a purely accidental
shot.
In the meantime they had attracted
the attention Of the people Of the vii.
lage, and immediately upon the con.
clusion Of the affair they were sur
rounded by the police, who ayrestod
Mr.. } aud his party but DR.. II. aud
the sprgeos damaged 10 effect theii
| escape, leaving the dead body Of Dr.
J. on the field.
Upon receiving this sad intelligepe,
/ volunteered to 90 out aud bring /,
the body. procured a hack, sud Il
eompsay With an undertaken, went Il
Q B%ladensburg. | there beheld ytretehe,