Morning journal and courier., 1881-08-25
Thursday Morning, August a5, 1881.
COLONEL CAsTI's ssDEFENsE."


 Some time ago we gave an account of the trouble and the duel which resulted there from between Colonel Cash and Colonel Shannon, of South Carolina Colonel Shan non in the discharge of his duty as an advo- cate had commented upon some acts of a
 member of Colo nel Cash's family as bearing
 evidence of fraud. Cash not only challenged
 Shannon, but goaded him into duel after
 he had refused to fight one. Shannon was killed, and slncc his death there has been so
 much said that Cash has thought it necessary 1 to defend himself in one of the newspapers
 of his neighborhood. His defense is most
 extraordinary one-at least it will seem so to northern readers.
 Cash begins his defense by paying hearty | tribute to the virtues of the man he murdered. He says: ''He fell at my fire, and can hon. l estly say I do not believe braver man ever bit the dust. He went down with his colors flying and fronting the foe. He died upon the ramparts of his enemy, and with a smile upon his face' he filled heros grave" Cash had, it seems, known and admired his victim for a long time He thus speaks of his in tercourse with him: ''For twenty or thirty years he was to me the genial, cultivated gentleman with whom it was pleasure to meet. We were of the same age, and when young resembled each other so much that one was often taken for the other, and when we did meet we enjoyed these mistakes I was fond of him and the feeling seemed reciprocal" And he piously ejaculates: 'God forbid that should now seek to cast reproach upon his memory Most honorably has he settled his account with me and we have passed receipts as to the affairs of this world"
 After statement of the causes leading to the duel, Cash gives full description of the affair on the field. When the arrangements were completed his brother r-in-law and his son bade him farewell. The brother flaw said: Remember, old fellow, that you are shooting at long taw," and the son said, Father, remember now how poor mother was treated" Cash replied to these inspir- ing words, 'If Colonel Shannon does not disable me before shoot will send my bull let through his heart" When Cash took his position he drew from his pocket a photo graph of Mrs. Cash, and while eng aged in looking at it failed to see the salute made by Colonel Shannon. The fact that he did not see and return this salute seems to annoy him much more than the fact that he is a | murderer We omit his account of his sue cess in hitting his antagonist precisely where ] he had aimed, and come to his remarks about l some editors who had dared to find fault ! with him for killing Colonel Shannon. He ! says on this point ''These vampires (who | now disgrace the once proud title of editor) | had found something upon which to glut-i their morbid appetites; for weeks and l months they printed any and everything, | false and true. that was calculated to keep up | and increase the natural excitement against | me. Nothing was too false to publish, noth- | ing too sacred to be assailed. They pretend ed to give an account of difficulty between | my son and MT. Pegues, who edits the Caro- lima Sun, and in space of eight inches in | one column they condensed and published | twenty six falsehoods. This article had the | desired effect and brought out every little dog cart editor in the State, and it was really amusing to see the antics these poor poodles cut'' But to offset the attacks of the ''vam- pires," ''dog-cart editors" and ''poodles Cash received letter from the late General Gary, who called the editor of the Charles ton Neaos and Courier, and Senators Hamp- ton and Butler all the vulgar names he could think of, and commended Colonel Cash's ac- tion as heightened, straightforward, fair, honest and courageous"
 We suppose that this defense" will be received by some of the inhabi- tants of South Carolina, who will believe, as General Gary did, that Cash's action was high-toned, straightforward, fair, honest and courageous" It ought however, to convict him of wilful murder.