Mohave County miner., 1883-05-13
THE PEGMY AND THE GIANT
Governor Stephens Terrible Rem co ntre yyGtIa Judge Cone in ISIS.

to Georgia. He was fresh from the
 great debates on the acquisition oi
 California and New Mexico as United
 States Territories, and for having
 taken, against the wishes of the ma.
 jority of the Southern members, a
 most prominent part in opposition to
 such acquisition, he was met with
 much adverse criticism. Judge Cone,
 who was at the time one of the lead
 ing politicians of Georgia, was par
 ticularly severe in his comments
 upon Mir. Stephens action, and was
 reported as having publicly de-
 no lnced him as traitor to the
 South.
 Hardly had Mir. Stephens reached
 his home when these and similar re-
 ports were conveyed to him. At first
 he did not credit them. but as one klnd
 friend after another informed him
 that Gene had called him traitor
 and advised, in the true Southern spi-it, that he owed it to himself to demand what Is called satisfaction, the fires of pugnacity in his nature, which are always smouldering, hissed up. ard he declared that ii Judge Cone would admit having called him traitor to the South he would slap his face" Not long after this he met the Judge at q numerously attended Wbig gather ing, and going up to Linn quietly said: Judge Cone, 1 have been told that you, for reasons of your own, have denounced me as traitor to the South, and I take this oppor- tunity Of asking you if such reports are true"
 No, sir" was Cones reply, they are not true"
 T am very glad to hear you say so," said Mir. Stephens, cordially; 1 and in the same friendly tone con 5inued: Or course I do not desire to be ID any way offensive to you, Judge Cone, but in order that we m>v have no further misEnderstand- ing through the misrepresentation of others, I think it right to tell you that l have said I would slap your face if you admitted having used the language attributed to you"
 Upon this the Judge again diB owned having spoken disrespectfully of Mr. Stephens. and so for the time 5he affair ended. It was the subject | 1f discussion all over the State how ever, and the general verdict was hat Judge Gone, a very powerful nan by the way, had shown the white feather to Little Aleck Stephens" In suci 3 community DO public man resting under such a .harge could hope either for political or popular respect Cone, # course knew this, and very much leated and annoyed by the comments which were being made upon hin, wrote to Mir. Stephens demanding an and public retraction of he threat. In reply Mir. Stephens wrote that the threat of skipping the Tudge's face had been made contin- rent upon the truth of reports r9 garding which he (Mr. Cone) had pronounced to be untrue, and that uch heinz the case there could be 10 cause for otfens7 or angry feeling ID either side. Unfortunately this etter was never received by Judge Cone. Three or four days after 1t vas written, however, he met Mir. Stephens on the plazza of hotel in Atlanta, and disregarding that friendly greeting, said n a very offensive tone:
 "Mr. Stephens, l demand that you nake an immediate retraction of your hreat5 regarding me-"
 Sick and weak though he was H. Stephens could allow 10 one to speak to him in the fashion described. Judge Cone was very .iapt in size and muscular develop nent, yet the frail man whom he ddressed, with aggravating polite less. and without hesitating mo- nent, replied: Pardon ne, sir, ave written you on that subject. must decline to discuss it further"
 "Am I to take this for your an ;wer?' asked Cone excitedly.
 It is the only answer l have to rive you" was the calm reply.
 "Then [ denounce you as a miser- lble little traitor" cried Cone mad with excitement. The last words lad hardly left his lips when a light .ane, wielded by the quick hand of he man he had insulted, left it's red scar across his cheek.
 Wild with pain and passion, with