Daily Republican., 1882-05-18
AUGUST BELMONT'S DUEL.
Why the Father Of Hts Son LimDs
Like an Array Of lho Potomac
victorian.

| Vot0R0u.
From the Cecil Whlg.
The recent verbal encounter at Wash
ingtOn between Mr.. Blaine and Mr.. Bel
mont, in which the latter was 80 ser
sanguinary affair which happened neal
this town nearly forty.one years ago
in which the father of Belmont the well
known banker and Democratic roliti
clan, August Belmont, was one OF the
prominent participants. On Wednesday
evening, August %, 1S4l, two parties Of
men In carriages, drove up to the twc
hotels of the town.
There was, says the chronicle of the
day, IAN apparent strangeness in their
actions" and the wiseacres of the town
were at their wits end to determine the
object OF their visit. About II O'Clock
that night conference was held be-
tween Representatives of the two par
ties, numerous inquiries in the mean
time having been made OF the distance
to the Delaware line and other ques.
tions asked, indicating that duel, or
at least some hostile encounter, was III
contemplation between these myster
ious gentry.
Late in the night or rather early in the
morning, they left the town driving di-
rectly east. They were followed by
some citizens of the village, whose
curiosity had induced them to watch
their movements, but were not over
taken, and no ons it seems resident in
Elkton, was an eye witness of the duel,
which occurred at an early hour on the
morning of the Goth, on, Grey's Hill,
about one mile east of the town. As it
afterwards proved, the principals in the
affair had taken assumed names, one Of
them being addressed as Moore, the
other as Goldsmith. In reality, how
ever, they we're Mr.. August Belmont,
of New York, the American agent Of
the Rothchilds, and who has since fig
ured very prominently as New York
Democratic politician, and Mr.. Wm.
Hayward, of South Carolina. They
had been, together. residents of the
American Hotel, in New York, and the
quarrel seems to have originated in a
"love affair.""
Hayward's brother stated at the time
that Belmont's intimacy with lady
had been resented by Hayward, and the
former having spoken of the latter in
terms not particularly complimentary,
Hayward had struck Belmont, where
upon the latter had challenged him to
mortal combat. Intent upon blood they
had arranged duel, to be fought upon
the classic soil of Delaware, and for that
purpose had taken carriages at Will.
mington and driven to Elkton, intend.
ing to meet upon the field of honor by
sunrise just over the Delaware line.
As it turned out, however, they did
not drive far enough east, and the soil
of Grey's Hill, in Cecil county, was
Redeemed with the blood of the Hebrew
banker, and which in later years, the
execution of Swift the murder of Kill
hour, rendered more notorious.
A gentleman named Lake acted as
second for Belmont, and Mr.. Purdy
served Hayward in similar capacity.
Arriving upon the ground, the princi.
pals were placed by their seconds, and
upon the first round Mr.. Belmont was
shot in the hip. One fire 1t seems was
sufficient to appease the wounded feel
ings of these chivalrous gentlemen, and
Mr.. Belmont was borne bleeding to his
carriage. At the time it was supposed
that he was mortally wounded.
Taking to their carriages, the san
culinary Southerner and the Hebrew
were driven to Wilmington, Elkton,
not then,,nOr since, 80 far az we know,
having been honored by the presence of
either Of these barbaric gentlemen.