The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-03-10
A DUEL no THE DEATH.
The Deadly Desperation OF Southern
ValOr when the BlO0d is Heated.
YIittIe Rock ARK y Gazette.1

| ValOr when the BIO8d is Heated.
i Little Rock (Ark.) Gazette.1
] Mr.. H. Thomas has Just arrived in the
city from Hot Springs, and having been
a witness of the desperate encounter
I which recently occurred between Col.
Robert Alexander and Col. Smiley, at
| that place, gives the facts which we
| spread before our readers. Col. Alex
ander and Col. Smiley were prominent
| claimants of mining lands at Silver City.
| Some dispute arose as to claim. Being
| unable to settle it satisfactorily, the
] dispute areumented into a quarrel, and
! the quarrel into violent threats. 1t was
| well known that both parties were men
of nerve. Smiley had won a reputation
of being desperate in a personal encOUn-
! ter. Alexander, though he had never
/ been credited with shedding blood, was
considered a man with whom it would
not be safe to trife All efforts to settle
the misunderstanding failed, and those
| who were acquainted with the Circum-
stances expected that blOOdshed would
| be the ultimate result. Several days
! ago, the day when the encounter took
| place, Smiley came to Hot Springs.
! Alexander was in the town. Smiley
went to the bank and asked of the
cashier:
"Have you seen AIexander?''
! The cashier replied that he had not
seen him, but understood that he was in
town.
''I am going to kill him before 4
| o'clock" exclaimed Smiley, and, turn
| iag, left the bank. After leaving the
bank, he had not gone far when he met
| Alexander. The furious aspect imme-
+11rv ID
| the fact that violence would ensue.
Alexander drew large revolver, and,
! rushing upon Smiley, struck him over
the head. Smiley staggered back, and
| drew q French self-cocking revolver,
and, with a rapidity almost beyond the
capacity of enumeration, fired six shots
at Alexander. Three shots took effect,
Il bali striking each arm and another
going through the lungs. AlexandeTs
pistol dropped from his hand. He at
tempted to recover it, but his right arm
had been paralyzed by the ball. He
grasped it with his left hand, but the
| left arm having also been wounded, he
was unable to cock the weapon. Smiley
was upon him. With a cool, desperate
presence of mind, Alexander kicked his
pistol into q saloon, near which the en-
COluLCL OCCI4i4Cu 444Ch CnLCl1hB1 uC
stopped and caught the muzzle of his
pistol with his left hand, raised it up,
and cooked it with his foot. He lifted
the pistol from the floor. Smiley steod
outside, peeping around q door post,
with only part of his head exposed.
Alexander neryously lifted the weapon,
took deliberate aim and fired. The ball
pIOwed along the post behind which
Smiley stood, half burying itself, and
striking Smiley in the forehead, went
through mis- brain. Smiley fell dead,
and Alexander, turning, sank from loss
of blood.
A large crowd witnessed the encoun-
ter, and the greatest of excitement pre-
vailed. The wonder is that several men
were not killed, for when Smiley fred
the six shots, the sidewalk was crowded
with people. The weapons used were
not the parlOr pistols, but the brand in
tended to kill, almost regardless of dis
tance. One of the balls frOm Smiiey's
pistol went through a signboard and
buried itself in another. The mark on
the door post, made by the ball which
killed Smiley, is full six feet from the
sidewalk Nine meB out of ten would
have escaped, as the deadly missile
would have passed harmlessly over
Alexander, at last accounts, WAS suf-
fering greatly, and is not expected to
live.