Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-30
RENINISGENCEs GE THE BsEEF.O
AE WASHINGTON
The Duel Between sEon. Thomas l..
CiiaDss1n. Of Sor:s, Carolina, and
Hon. William T.. i.utcy. OF Ala.


WRITTEN FOR THE STAR BY COZ. Chg LEE JONES,
On January 9th 1915. while on a visit to Bal
fimOre and spending the evening at the old
club, the writer received a message from his
hotel that a gentleman from Washington-a
member Of Congress-had cahrd, and was still
awaiting. very DESTROYS of seeing him. He I'M
mediately went over to the hotel and there
found the Hon. 7. l.. CIngnan. of " c. who
introduced himself and informed the writer he
was involved in personal difficulty with Mr.
Yancey Of Alabama arising from language used
in debate on the floor OF the House OF Repre-
sentatives; and at tire instance OF friends. among
the5l Hon j. j Cri.tenden. lie desired 10 uIace
the matter in n!y hands.
With the understanding that lie would be
governed by my Judgment and that every eff
fort would b. made to bring about an amicabie
adjustment if such could IL doae compatible
WILD honor, the writer agree, to act a. second.
The cause of the difficulty arose on the 9th of
January. when Mr.. Cii.i,ciHan arraigncd the
democratic party in n powerful speech foT The
frauds ALLEGED to have been peTpetr rated at the
preceding presidential election which had term
mated with the declared election Of James h
PCfl over Mr. CLAY
The great Wing party of that day We're nearly
as Indignant and considered the fraud, alleged
to have been pcrretratcd in Louisiana and ether
states To cheat Mr. Clay out of his election al
most a. r..lpablt and disGraCeful as do the dem
ocratS OF the present day those which de!rduted
Mr.. Tien out Of his election in IS11
A cotciic OF the democratic party. known rs
the southern extremists or -,jilt-tGtl.S" took
PARTICULAR exception TO Mr.. CiiHrmdns arraiull-
nent oi the party. and for his having voted,
during the previous session i'm favor Of John
Quincy Adams resolution the right of peti-
t.oA, and Ii vas arranged among them that sir.
1ancey should answer III. Cs speech In doing
thiS Ar Aancey became extremely personal and
aggressive. The o.iciaI report says: ..Mr.
Ciingmaa here arose and " iShed to eXp3ajl
Mr.. 1aIcey--"NO. sir; i want no eX!3land-
Eion: explanation elsewhere"
MR.. CLINGHAN SENDS il; NOTE
immediately on Sir. Iancey's taking his seat
note froin Mr.. Clinenan calling upon him to
state whether or not in tiic course OF his re-
marks he intended to be personally offensive or
IN any manner to reflect on him as a man of
honor aud Gentleman was handed him by
fellow member. Hon. Samuel Chiffon. with
request for answer at his earliest convenience
Alter reading the note he replied that il would
probably be convenient for him TO answer it
the next DAY
TN the succeeding Gay. when called upon by
Mr. Chiffon. he stated that he preparing
report oi his speech and would furnish Il copy
the DAY after. Although! Hr. Cinmman had at
once fully determined To require him To con-
tIuc HIS language. Et was compelled 10 await
another day When that time arrived vi.
Ia1ccy delivered to MT. Chiffon note with
printed slip containing. as he ayeTrcd exactly
what he had intended to say.
~ UNSATISFACTORY REPLY.
This was anything but satisfactory. So Mr..
Clingmaa at once sent him note demanding
that he meet him outside the District limits. in
Baltimore. Where the formal demand for salts
faction could be made without subjrctia@ the
parties to tie penalties oi the stringent law,
then lately passed, applying to the District OF
Columbia When Mr.. Gil lton consented to de-
liver Mr. ClnGman'S note it was expressly m
derstOOd between them that If the matter should
require hostile meeting he would be relieved
from further connection with it.
TRIP To BALTIMORE
After the delivery OF the last note Mr.. Cling
man Immediately proceeded to Baltimore where
be found the writer and placed the matter in his
hands Upon inquiry ascertained that he was
entirely unacguainted with the use and hand
ling of the duelIing pistol. never having even
fred one, and that his adversary was supposed
TO be pract!eed shot He exhibited to me a
finely finished and costly pair of pistols stating
they were the property of Senator Vim. Alien
OF OhiO. who had imported them. and from
whom they had been borrowed. Upon eXami-
nation the writer thought them too heavy and
not well balanced for dropping: the mode of
hrlng he thought best for an inexperienced shot
TO adopt. So he left immediately for and re-
turned that night from Washington bringing
with him a pair of his own pistols which he
Thought better adapted for the purpose.
with thetw pairs OF pistols Mr.. Clngman was
sent into the country. two or three miles troni
the city. that he might be free from arrest and
become familiar with the handling of his pistol
with Instructions to select the pistol which he
thought he could handle best his second re-
manning in the city to receive Mr.. Yancey who
fiaH Mr. of
meet him in Baltimore without unnecessary
delay.
On Saturday morning the 18th. Mr. Yancey.
with his friend. Mr. Hu-er. of South Carolina.
arrived \ correspondence was immediately
opened by Mr. Ciing1naHs second with an earn
est effort to bring about an amicable adjust
lnent. but without avail and a hostile meeting
became inevitable. and was fixed upon to take
place at II H. on Monday. the 18TH,
NEAR BELTSvIILE
little tavern on the Baltimore and Washington
turnpike, about twelve miles from WASH
1ngton. That evening Mr.. Cling
man, his second. his surgeon. DIR.
Chas Bell Gibson and the Hon. J. NJ S Causin
Representative from Maryland. as advising
friend left Baltimore in a hack, and were car
ried by his second to the residence of a friend.
Mr.. Charles c. Hanson. living in the country.
about twelve miles from Baltimore and eight
from the place agreed on Tor the meeting We
Were received and treated by Mr. Hanson with
al the hospitality then so Characteristic of the
Maryland gentleman.
The following day. sunday. remained aft
Mr. HansOn's, when Mr.. Clingman's second at
tempted to avail himself of the first oppor, unity
that had occurred to give him some practical
instructions with the use of the pistol but the
day was too windy for more than very little
practice.
SENATOR ALIENS PISTOLS
While in Baltimore Mr.. CIingman's second
had received letter from Hon. James Alfred
Pearce. Senator from Maryland stating that the
pistols which Mr. Clingman brought with him
had been borrowed by him from Senator Allen.
OF Ohio. and that Mr.. Allen, learning that they
We're to be used by Mr.. c.. desired their imme-
date return, as when purchasing them he had
determined they should never be used against a
personal or political friend
was DESTROYS that Mr.. Clingman should Use
my own pistols, as they were lighter and better
adapted to the drop, but found he had decided
preference for Mr. Aliens Ii was therefore
i,stp as he nj tolls in,