Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-03-12
EEA1INIsCENoE OF COZ. BOWIE.

a EEMINISCENOE OF COL. BOWIE.
A memorable conflict took place upon
the sand bar at Natchez, Miss, on the
10Th Of September, 1927. A feud had
existed for years between two parties OF
the parish of Rapides, La. on Red river.
The principals in these parties were DR..
Maddox, Maj. Wright and the Blanch-
ards on the one part, the Curreys, the
Wellses and Bowies on the other.
A challenge had passed between DR..
Maddox and Samuel Wells, and meet
ing arranged to take place near Natchez,
In the State of Mississippi. Hither the
parties repaired with their friends. If
was agreed that no person should be
present but the combatants, their Sec
onds and surgeons. The place Of meet
ing was large sand bar, Immediately
below the upper bluff, near the city of
Natchez. The sand bar, at low water, Is
of considerable width, bordered above
and below with forest growth ; on the
opposite side of this bar were stationed
the friends Of each party; one of these
parties was something nearer the COM
batants than the other. Col Crane
was the second Of Maddox. Between
him and James Bowie and Gen. Currey
there had long existed deadly feud,
and some months before this affair Gen.
Currey shot Col. Crane with shotgun,
on Bayou Rapides, disabling one Of his
arms.
The parties to the duel approached
the spot selected for the combat from
different directions. The preliminaries
were soon arranged. The combatants
took their positions and exchanged two
shots without effect, and the difficulty
was amicably adjusted.
Bowie was just in the edge of the
woods with Gems. Wells and Currey,
armed with pistols, Bowie carrying a
huge knife. AS the dueling party start
ed to leave the grounds, Bowie and par
ty started to meet them. The friends of
Maddox and Crane on the opposite side
Of the sand-bar, seeing this, and being
furthest from the party, started In run
to meet them as soon 'as they should
reach the retiring combatants. Gen.
Currey was the first on the ground,
closely followed by Bowie. Currey i'm
mediately advasced upon Col. Crane
and remarked, "CoI. Crane, this is a
good time to settle our difficulty" and
commenced drawing his pistol. Bowie
did the same. Crane was armed with a
brace Of dueling pistols, and stood
awaiting the attack Of Currey. At this
moment Currey was seized by his broth
er and begged to desist. Bowie and
Crane fred st each other, it was said,
without effect. There were those who
said Bowie was wounded. This latter
statement I think the most probable,
for Bowie stopped, felt of his hip, and
then, drawing his knife, limped toward
Crane, who was watching Gen. Cur
rey. Released from the hold of
his brother, Cu1rey was advanc-
ing. At this moment Crane leaped
across a small ravine, cut through
the sand by the rain-water flowing from
the activities above, and, resting his
pistol upon his crippled arm, fred at
Currey, wounding him fatally. BE fell.
Crane was now disarmed and Bowie ad-
vanced cautiously upon him. Clubbing
his pistol he struck Bowie over the head,
ais he avoided his knife adroitly, and
felled him to the ground. Crane re-
treated step, as his friend Maj. Wright
approached. Bowie, In the meantime,
had risen und was sustaining himself by
holding on to snag which the river
when at flood had left sticking firmly in
the sand. Maj. Wright advanced upon
him, and, with long, slender spear,
drawn from a walking cane which he
carried, and seeing Cranes danger, at
tackled Bowie, who made a pass to parry
the spear with his knife, in which he
failed. The spear was OF cold iron, and,
striking the breast-bone, bent and went
round upon the rib. Bowie at this mo-
ment seized Wright and fell, pulling
Wright down with and on top of him,
and holding him strongly to his person
Wright was q slender and by no means
strong man, and was powerless in the
hands of Bowie, who ooolIy said to him:
Chow. Major, you die r and, piunging
his knife into his heart, killed him in
stanuy.-Col. W. II. SPARKS I'm Phila-
delphia Times.
THE DEPTH OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN
UU.. 1, &c ~, 10 4I,o oo,orora