The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-03-26

the AlstOns adhered to this belief, although
the general statement Is that the meeting
was a fair one, General Reed using only his
Just right in firing after the explosion of Al
ston's "yager" At any rate 1t was very well
understood that Willis Aston would seek
revenge for his brothers death, as the fami-
" for generations had made one OF all their
quarrels. The first meeting between Aston
and Reed was dramatic. The l. gisature
had just met, and Reed been elected speaker.
He was q young man of exceptional power
and popularity, and his life promised to be
brilliant and illustrious. He had invited
his friends to the usual legislative supper,
and the banquet was in progress, everything
going merily and we'll. Suddenly tall fig
ure, -muffied in q swinging cloak, and with
SLOUGH hat drown down over the face,
stalked through the open door. Without
a word it made for the head of the table,
where General Reed was sitting.
Instantly cries of "Alston Alsto ~
the cloak was thrown back and Aston was
recognized. Reed rose from his seat, and,
whipping pistol out of his pocket. leveied
Ii at his assailant and fired. The ball struck
Aston in his uplifted hand, carrying away
two fingers. This did not stop him, but
brandishing bowie knife, he closed on Reed.
Before the men could be parted, Reed was
cut pretty severely, and Aston, I believe,
wounded again. Aston was taken from the
room, and for some months nothing more
was heard of the matter. One day General
Reed was walking down the streets of Talla-
hsssee, when he was fired upon by Colonel
Aston. The contents OF one barrel of a
shotgun was poured into his shoulder, and
as he turned to confront his assailant, the
other load went into his heart. He fell and
died. Colonel Alston's friends say that he
had gwen Reed notice that he intended to
kill him on sight.
KILLED By A MOI.
Willis Aston went to Texas, where he
lived for some time. He settled near Bra
zoria. There was a DR.. Stewart, who for
some reason or other, pursued the matter of
the Reed killing and used remarks deroga-
tory to Aston. Aston hearing of it wrote
the remarks down, and meeting Stewart on
the prairie one day asked him to say wheth
er or not he was responsible for those re-
marks. DIR. Stewart took the paper. and
while pretending to read 1t, put his hand
into his holsters and drew his pistol. He
jumped off his horse on the side opposite
Aston and fred into him. A desperate
fight ensued, in which Aston was shot
twice, and his stomach so cut that his bowels
protruded. He killed Stewart. however
pouring load of buckshot into him after he
was prone upon the earth. He was taken to
Jail almost dead. He was a famous fiddler,
and procuring fiddle, sat there with his
entreils protruding," as he wrote to friend,
playing the old tunes of his boyhood. His
body servant gained admission to his cell
aud had coil of rope wrapped about his
body. With this he was going to try aud es-
cape. Suddenly : mob assaulted the jail,
overpowered the sheriff. broke in the doors
and seized Colonel Aston. He was game to
the last, and fiddled up to the very instant
he was seized, his dauntless face looking
full upon his assaIlants He was tumbled
into blanket, the ends twisted. and he was
then hustled out of the Jail. Once out In
the street. he was thro 9n TO the ground, still
enveloped In the blanket and hundred
bullets were poured into his body. Thus
died the last of the Halifax Alstons" They
were a remarkably athletic and handsome
race OF men. Gideon, who was killed by
Pelat, is always cited as the handsomest
! youngster OF his day. II may be said here
that the young Cestlian who killed him was
put into the navy IS midshipman, and was
| drowned in the Mediterranean. Willis Aston
| was man of wonderful strength. He once
shouldered load of 500 pounds dead weight
and carried it through the streets of Sparta
on bet. His life was u stormy one. His
! feud with the Ingrams, brave and powerful
| family, was the sensation of Georgia for the
time it lasted. He always carried his IVA
GER with him, and escaped the whole diff
Guilty with only one finger shot away. This
feud was drams;ized under the title of s'Ths
| Watch" and sold largely. Its authors were
never discovered, or they would have been
! killed, as The heroes of that day did not toll
/ crate the publication of their troubles. The
manuscript was discovered one morning il
the yard of fearless widow, who published
it herself and sold it, making a great deal o
money by it.
COLONEL ROBERT A. ASTON.
Colonel r. A. Aston was a remark BIZ
man. Filled with all the chivairy, fearless
ness and hot-headedness of his race, b,
dreaded, above all other things meeting al
end like his ancestors. It was not fear, 70
an Aston does not know what fear is. H
was as brave a man as ever lived. In tn
army, as one of Morgan's lieutenants, b
1 was the most reckless and daring Of then
all. He once actually had biscuit sho
from between mis- teeth, but. with laugh
he continued his breakfast. He said to you
correspondent once: Il have boy who is
hot-headed fellow himself, and have take
knelt with her by his bedside, and praye
to God that might bequeath him legac
of peace and quiet death" 1t was hi
highest ambition, as he has often said, q
break the old tradition that 'an Aston mus
die in his boots" Once again, was witt
him when he was going to the field to NEE
Colonel f. Y. Clarke, of a rival newspaper
The challenge had been issued, and he wa
just going to take the midnigh
train. Suddenly, he turned to
dark wall, and, leaning his head on hi
hand, prayed aloud that God might spar
nim Inc oeatn MS people nau dled, ana q
low him to live in peace till d quiet deaf
could claim him. He never believed, how
ever, that this would be granted him. ]
made him gloomy to talk OF it, but to hi
friends he would say that he knew his de-
tiny was to Idle the Aston DEATH" HI
even had superstition that certain ma
was going to kill him. There had neve
been any trouble between them, but Alsto
always said, THAT man is my fate.'' TIL
man was his friend, and never became any
thing else. Despite these gloomy thought.
Aston was devout believer in the Gods
After he had joined the churc
! he still adhered to his belle
! sit is q peacemaker," he said. /
South Carolina where the code stood abov
the State law, there never was so quiet an
decorous community. In Charlesto
county there was not a murder in Is year
and the files of the Charleston Courier Il
nearly % years do not show the use of th
Enrd ,sliarn Mscoundrel,, 81 mi La