The sun., 1880-07-04
THE STORY or A FAMOUS DUEL.
An Eye -yvitns.s's "Reminiscences OF the Fatal
MeeIInR tctMeen Terry and Brodrrick.


Of California none excited so much interest.
and none had such an influence on politics and
society. ns the fatal meeting between David G.
Broderick and David s. Terry. They were rep
resentative men. One was United States Sem
ator. and the other Chief Justice OF tho Supreme
Court Of California. They were nlling impor.
'nnt inches in the history OF tho young State
No such political antaRonism had existed since
h" days OF Burr and Hamilton. The Rnpubli-
wn party was h-nIthy ininnt. and growing
rapidly The State WIS controlled by n two.
winged Democracy. Gwin. T"rry Ashe
Brooks. Bcnham. and others worked the Lo-
compton wing. and Broderck. the friend OF
Stephen A. Douglas. and an ardent oppo-
nent OF the extension OF slavery. was
the soul OF the anti ti-Lecompton wing. He
and his followers occupied middle ground
between nascent Republicanism and the South
ern slave Democracy. The friends OF the Ad.
ministration cherished deep hatred for
Broderick. With him out OF tho way they
might reunite the party on the old basis and
control 1t. Broderick and his friends had
thwarted tho ambition OF the chivalrv. After
desperate struggle he had secured q seat In the
United States Senate. and had brought the
naughty Gwin TO terms. To retain his own
scat In that body Gwin had given the stone
cutter document pledging himself not to
meddle with the oflcia patronage OF the Pacific
coast. This document was known as tho
scarlet lettcr." Broderick had said in a speech
that its writer ought to be as clearly marked for
political ostracism rs Hester Prynne was so
caly marked By the initial on her breast. Ii
was II fatal letter. Politicians said that the man
who hnd Il in his possession was doomed
The Immediate cause OF the quarrel grow out
n, speech made by Judge TORY before the
Tan L.
Sacramento in 1852 Ho called Broderick an
arch traitor. Perry said:
Thcy tho anti Lccomnt ntones are the followers Of one
man the personal chattcs single Individual whom
@ @ as c btv Sc f"y tf s" ey ,o@ o %s
ashamed To acknowledge their master, and are calling
sknown. wei! known to them to US that tic gallant
IN the aivoccv OF be,nScrntic princnIc. who now ,s
not dsuni,"d IRON the Drmocrtc party. ha. aflii
hans. Mr.. President and gentlemen, am mistaken in
lap. tcy do sail anisr the dag Of Douglas but Il is the
hammer Of the Black Douglass whose name is Frederick
not stephen
Broderick read this spsech while at breakfast
~ the International Hotel. and grimly smiled
,.l,s; l see" ne remarS"I l. to D. W; Perey. lawyer
Gwin factionl. that Terry has been abusing
me. now take back the remark once made.
that he is the only honest Judge on the supreme
bench. was his friend when he was in need
OF friends. for which am sorry. Had the Wig
lance Committee disposed of him as they did
act"
He alluded to Terry's arrest by the .viciantes
in August. 1856. charged with cutting man
named Sterling 4. Hopkins, in the attempt TO
free from arrest Reuben Maloney. Had Hopkins
died. Terry would probably have hanged. As it
press and other. to save him from Punishment.
Prrey resented Broderick s remark. He pro-
fessed to be warm friend OF Judge Terry. and
sven went SO far as TO challenge the Senator on
his own account. His challenge was curtly de-
cned. with the contemptuous remark: Sir. |
~ nf my ntr tts.pff
Perey hurried off to Terry and repeated Brod-
erick,s sighting remarks. The spark did not
need tanning. IL was already alight. The Judge
wrote letter OF inquiry. to which BrodericE re-
turned the following reply:
FRIDAY EVENING Dec O. 1859
Iisnsive aIu.sn. yoars concerning me- made IN The
r. PIN june Tecn he topic addsd to your s" note note OF
JUDGE er4
%I By me y:ii,nes eP%%%ss sa6q
heretofore hat e"ndered him Judge Terry NSS the
@ rs the proper as ss to s
"ns"aSs ards good ground Or offence yemain ae.
lighting talk" and there was a resort to the
S31ei S Calhoun Benhqm lnow @ practising law in
at hs
Cotton, and Leonidas Haskell acted Tor Senator
honor. the gentlomen who assisted Ter
~. were much superior to Broderck's
ans srobaSy SS was beS9s
pated in a formal duel. D. D. Cotton lnow dead!
had been Sheriff OF Siskiyou. and the hero OF
office in those iawlsss DAYS. Haskell was an
everyday man who dabbled in politics without
Hayes on the contrary. had figured repeatedly
on the field the latter rs principal on one or
%G at he oD M 81 M Have. TPsy
been warm political friends in New York. and
measurnby so In California. Both were of
A meeting had been arranged for the 18th OF
Sertemhrr. at sunrise. near the boundary lines
of San Mnteo and San Francisco Counties. The
ground. when the Chief Of Police. Martin J.
Burke. placed them under arrest. They were
brought before Police Justice ii. p. Coon and
discharged. on the ground that there had been
no actual m s,iemranor.
Roman Catholic clergyman in New York; An
drew j. Butler a brother OF Gen. b. +. Butler.
and other friends Of, BroderIck had tried 20
all their arguments. and had replied that his
mind was made up--!he duel could not be
avoided with honor He was quiet and COM
1t was thought that tho arrest would stop
further pr,9eeedinGs, pr, but the principals were
ond meeting WIS TO take place on the following
morning Was whispered to a few reporters
several vehicles left the city and drove toward
th. laguna de 10 Mrrced about 10 or IL miles
rom tne city. Here the lght was To take place.
Il was cold and the drivers frequently lost
thcir way in ths darkness. The breeze from
the ocean cut Se n knife As day broke bug
gy WAS deserted a short distance ahead occn-
pied. rs we learned on overtaking it. by Henry
Fritz. a confidential friend of Broderick, Not
withstanding his excessive corpulence Fritz
wns blue with cold. aud his teeth ratified
like castanets.. Another buggy containing
DR.. Hammond. Judge Terrvs surgeon
was driven out OF small canon, All
right" WIS the general exclamation We are
on tho track now" The Doctor and Fritz
laughed in concert. We thought to throw You
news spaper people Off the scent" SAID the Doc
tor. "bu, we find it is no use" Other carriages
we're seen coming from different directions.
aud skirtinG, the lake; They all drew up at II
rail fence which marked tho boundaries OF
milk ranch. owned by ono Davis. who rubbed
his nycs in sleepy astunlshm-nt at such an
irruptiOn OF visitors. There WAS not much
conversation. one or two remarks were made.
and 4 partisan Of Terry'S Hulibly wished that
Broderick might ba carried dead from the field
Everybody seemed to feel that to one man, at
least that beautiful day was to be II day OF
death. Eauting over the fence. the party went
up q valley. the centre Of which had been se-
lect"d as tho scene Of tho encounter. Mr.
Bruderick had slept at the Lake House near by,
and, with his friends. was early on the ground.
Jndg" Terry and his friends were also prompt
AbpuT eighty SnppIutDrs