Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-06-10
GEN. AsHBY.

10 during tnaC periOu OF sup
lpressed excitement in Virginis
latter the John Brown incident
lat Harper's Ferry and before
1.-THE outbreak of the war, young
man from one of the Northern
IStates passed a week or two al
guest in the house of one of the
oldest and most distinguished
families of Northern Virginia,
| The young man was frankly
a Republican in politics, but the
fact made no difference whatev-
Ter in the courtesy or kindness
lof his host, or in the treatment
given to him by the gentlefolk
of the surrounding country, tc
whose houses he was freely in
yited, as a gentleman, visiting
i in the house of a gentleman,
their neighbor. His business
in the neighborhood was social,
mot political-he was, in fact,
paying his addresses to his
hosts daughter-and his politi-
cal opinions, though perfectly
we'll known, were not discussed
and perhaps were q scarcely
thought of at all. vner 81
One evening during his visit
this young man, @. D., was
invited in company with his
hosts family to attend a recep-
ton given by Turner Ashby on
the occasion Of a tournament.
He went, of course, mingled
freely with the other guests, and
found nothing in his reception
to mark any difference between
himself and other gentlemen
present until the supper was
served. Then a disagreeable
incident occurred.
A young man of the neigh
borhood, who, as g. D. af-
terwartl learned, was a rejected
suitor for the hand of the wo-
man to whom he himself was
laying siege, approached him as
he stood talking with her, and
without speaking to G. D
at all, said to the young lady:
"Isn't it a sublime piece of
impudence for a Yankee and a
black Republican to come down
here now and accept the hospi-
tality of q Virginia gentleman,
after all that has happened ?"
! The. young woman replied,
quickly: ~ g - p
aMr. B - you should be
the last person to criticise the
catholicity of my fathers hos
pitalityAyou have profited by
his indisposition to draw social
lines too sharply. You have been
received by him as a guest on
several occasions" ,saa
The reply was so stinging
that the youth straightway with
drew from the supper room, and
c.. D., thinking it better to
retire from a company in which
he might be less welcome than
he had supposed, went to the
cloak-room for his hat and coat.
He had ) scarcely entered the
door of the room when B
approached him, saying,
"What l said just now had
reference to you, and was meant
to be insulting" Young @.
D had not been used to the
encounters of this kind, and had
little disposition to engage in
affairs of honor; but he serious
ly intended to prosecute has suit
for the hand of his hosts daught-
er, and he knew instinctively
that all hope of success there
must be abandoned if he failed
to resent an insult of SO gross a
nature. He, therefore, struck
his antagonist in the face with
the glove he had just drawn
from his hand.
This was the signal for the
persons present in the room to
interfere to prevent a brutal
fight with fists. A challenge
in regular form was quickly
given and accepted, and Z.
D., anxious to have the af-
fair ended as speedily as posi-
bic, insisted that the duel should
be fought at once IN grove
near the house by the light of
torches.
All persons concerned pre-
pared themselves Immediately,
and were about to quit the room
for the appointed place, when
Turner Ashby, white with rage,
burst through the door. A
whisper of what was going on
had reached him.
He entered the room, paused
q moment, and then advanced
| to B., quivering as he went
forward so violently that half
the persons present supposed
that he meditated an assault
upon B. His voice, how
ever, was low, and his speech
very deliberate.
aWhat is the time fixed for
our meeting, Mr.. B-?" he