Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1882-10-21
A DUEL IN THE DARK,
How Ventriloquists Art Served Him.

DALLAS, Tex, Sept. 25.-The Eren
ing Times publishes letter from
Garlic Pass, 600 miles west o.
Dallas, giving an account of a hostil,
meeting between two miners in the
Pecos Mining company's, 20 mile.
north of the Mexican border last
Monday night The duellists wel't
George Hollenbeck and VIM. Strattor
both New Workers, born and raised
near Palmyra; they were of rich de.
scent of the early Hollanders. They
were educated at Cambridge; the for
mer graduated as a lawyer and the
latter as physician. They came out
of college about the same time of
Lincoln's first call for volunteers to
.suppress the Southern rebellion.
They enlisted and went through the
war, serving in Col. Gordon's One
Hundred and Forty fourth New
York regiment At the close of the
war they returned home, but finding
professional pursuits too tame for
them they concluded to go West.
Before they left home Il difficulty
arose between them which was pre-
vented from ending in bloodshed by
by the interposition of mutual
friends. Before they had a chance
to meet again Stratton sought his
fortune in the far West. He wan
dered to California where he went to
work as a miner. Hollenbcck went in
the same direction, but stopped at
Colorado, where he also became n
miner. They never heard of each other
after this. They have since followed
the business of mining, but have
never become as rich as they at first
expected. A few days ago they met
in the Pecos Mining camp and recog
nized each other. The school and
social polish had been rubbed off by
the trial and hardships incident to
life in the mining camps. Hollen
beck was overjoyed to meet Stratton,
who repealed him and said they
would settle that little unfinished diff
ficulty which arose between them at
their last meeting. Hollenbeck said
that he had forgotten all about the
difficulty referred to, and entertained
no i'll feelings whatever against him.
Stratton insisted on settlement ac-
cording to the code. Hollenbeck said
if nothing short of that would do he
would accommodate him. Accordingly
arrangements were consummated for
a duel. They were to fight with
pistols in dark room. Each was to
announce ready, after which a third
party was to count three, when they
were to fire. The room was as dark
as Egypt. They went into it and an
nounced ready from opposite corners.
'One, two, three" and Stratton fired.
Stratton fired second shot, but the
only response from Hollenbeck was
q groan. Stratton believing he had
wounded Hollenbeck, fired a third
shot in the direction of the grooming.
The reports of a pistol came from a
corner directly opposite from where
the groan appeared to proceed from
and Stratton fell No more shots be
ing exchanged the miners opened the
room and entered. A light revealed
the fact that Stratton had been killed,
while Hollenbeck was unhurt. Hol-
lenbeck is ventriloquist, and, on
entering the room, took his stand in
n diagonal corner from his adversary,
and to mako him believe he was in
the opposite corner, threw his voice
in that quarter of the room, where
the bullets from his advcrsary's
pistol harmlessly buried themselves
in the wall. IL had been so long
since they had seen each other that
Hollenbecks ventriloquism had en-
tirely escaped the memory of Stratton
The affair has caused a great deal of
excitement through the camp; but rs
anything is called fair in such bust
ness, no fault is found by the miners
with the strategy employed by Hol-
lenbeck.