The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1881-01-21
The Bnrr.IEnmilton Duel.

On the 4th day Of July, 1904, Alex
ander Hamilton and Aaron Burn Ind
met for the last time as public charac-
ters at the dinner Of the Cincinnati.
The arrangements for the duel, which
were of the most secret character, had
then been fully made, but not one guest
at the dinner would have suspected their
existence. Eye-witnesses long afterward
recalled the impertwhable fuce Of Burr
and the vivacity Of Hamilton, who was
in the chair, and over the walnuts and
the wine sang tho ballad Of "Tho
Drum" Eleven days later tho antago-
nists met at Weehawken-th beauties
Of which, rs sung by Halleck and Rob
ert @. Sands, the local poets of the pc
riod, have long been destroyed. Tho
rocks on which the adversaries stood
have been made into blocks of Weehaw-
ken granite and pave the streets Of the
metropolis. William p. Van Ness, who
eight years afterward filed the Office
now filled by Judge Choato, was Burr's
second on that dark day, and Judge
Nathaniel Pendleton, the grandfather Of
Senator Pendleton, was Hamilton's sec
ond. Matthew Il. Davis, "the spy Mt
Washington, journalist thought to be
closely connected with Burr, and the
famous DIR. Hosacl1 waited in dell be-
low the dueling ground near the waters
edge, where wonderingly. sat the boat
mon who had ferried the parties over.
At twelve PAGES the rivals faced each
other Hamilton placed SO TINT he took
his last look Mt the city. Burr fred as
the lips of Judge Pendleton closed ON
the word " Present., and Hamilton was
shot dead before he could bring
his pistol 10 level. 1t is
doubtful whether he meant to fire
at all on the first exchange Of shots, for
when Judge Pendleton had inquired
"Shall / set the hair trigger?' his prin-
cipal had meaningly said "Not this
time. The wound was soon pronounced
mortal by Drs Hosack and Wright Post
and certain consulting surgeons Of emil
nence whom Gen. Key, the French Con-
sui, summoned from three French frig-
ates which had anchored in the harbor.
In thirty hours after the encounter
Hamilton was dead. Possibly his death
agonies, which the surgeons described
as acute, were intensified by the re-
membrance that less than three years
previously his eldest son, Philip, had
also been killed in a duel BY his bed
side stood his fifth child, John Church
Hamilton, who still lives 1T the age Of
! 88 years. Among the other children by
the bedside were Angelica, who died I'M
married; Alexander, Jr., who left no
children; James Alexander, who mar
ried Miss Mary Morris, and died ut
Dobb's Ferry two or three years ago,
leaving four daughters and one son.
Alexander, a distinguished lawyer
William Stephan, who died bachelor
in California Eliza, who became Mrs.
Augustus Holly, and Philip, the young
est, who married the daughter Of Lonis
McLane, and whose son, DIR. Allan Nc
Lane Hamilton, is well-known phys
ician in this city. The verdict Of the
Coroner's jury, that Aaron Burr, Vice
President Of the United States, was
guilty of the murder Of Alexander Ham
ilton, and that William p. Van Mes:
and Nathaniel Pendleton were accessor.
les" !" lies now among the musty files ol
the Court of General Sessions. -Neu
York World.