Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-07-06
Local
THE BEIRNE-ELAM DUEL.
ELAN WOUNDED AT THE SECOND
FIRE.

DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUND-THE
TRIPS THE CoMBATANTs MADE TO
REACH 1.-THE DUEL-BEIRNE GOES
TO BALTIMORE AND THENCE HOME
MR.. ELAN NOT DANGEROUSLY
WOUNDED
&C., SC, &C.
[Reported for the STAUNToN INDICATOR
About two miles north of Waynesboro
on the New Hope road and just beyond
the tumbled down wreck of venerable
frame building in which the famous Han
ger whiskey was first made, nearly a GEN.
fury ago. you come to piece of woods
known as ''Kiiliau's woods the property
Of Mr.. Philip Kiiiian. From the road in
front of these woods the scenery is lovely,
rolling country dotted with solid-looking
farm houses each in a nest of shade trees.
The country is as beautiful as the road
leading to it is hilly and wretched. At
Killian's woods Saturday morning a big
farm gate was wide open having been left
SO by those who had been on the ground
through tlegate, the visitor enters grove
Of tall trees, the ground carpsted with
thin scratchy grass and rotten sticks.
Through the grove are scattered piles Of
wood corded up to season. Ascending
rise Of thirty yards in length you 60 down
into a depression in the ground, hardly
deep enough to be catiei ,llow, and at
Of ip ,iplo
covered with underground, bright and
fresh from the late rains. Iu the centre
of this, aud about City yards from worm
fence which fences off u wheat fsld, two
men met on Saturday morning last in
deadly rencoutre. Near a rotten stump
which had been pushed aside Was the well
trampled ground On which one Of them
had stood and eight PAGES from 1t was an
other trampled spot, around which the
trail slender underground bore signs of
having been trodden down. Near the spot
was box Of caps which had been left by
one of the combatauts, and little way off
were the hoof marks where a horse had
been tied. At the gate entering the grove
were wheel marks approaching from oppo-
site directions.
THE APPROACH OF THE CoMBATANTs.
Coming to this grove 10 the darkness of
Friday night and toiling along the muddy
roads to get there, were two men about to
engage in deadly combat, who had no
previous acquaintance with each other
and did not even know each other by
sight. They were coming from different
directions and were accompanied by their
friends. One party included Richard F.
Beirne, editor of the State, a tall, hand
some man Of unusual size, aged twenty
seven years. He wore d soft hat and a
sack coat. He had left the house of Au.
gustus E. White, at Ronceverte, West
Virginia, on the Tuesday night previous.
in covered Jersey wagon belonging to
Mr.. White and driven by David Brooks,
mulatto. The wagon contained valises.
blankets, and case of pistols. With
Beirne were his Older brother, Major An
drew Beirne, of Lewlsburg. a fine looking
man with gray beard, and Frank M.
Wright, of Petersburg, his second, slen-
der and good-loOking young man wearing
eyeglasses. The first night out they met
with an accident by driving into Dry
Creek in the dark. That night they drove
all night and laid upa part of the nest
day. On Wednesday hight they drove
all night and laid up part of Thursday.
Their route was across the Warm Spring
mountains and down the pastures. Thurs
day night they scent at Mr.. Montgomery's
near Deerf1eld, in Highland county. Fri.
day they drove all day and that night
shortly after dark passed through Staun-
ton. All through the trip the greatest
precaution was used, Mr.. Beirue sitting
in the back of the wagon On the whole
route. They drove slowly after passing
Staunton and on arriving near the Punch
Bowl, three miles from Waynesboro,
about 10 O'Clock. the wagon was halted
for the night after being driven some dis
lance from the road. Here Mr.. Beirne and
his brother arranged the interior of the
wagon to pass the night in it and Mr..
Wright started On foot for Waynesboro to
ascertain the exact spot for the meeting
and the route to get to 1t. And here may
be described
THE WAY WAYNESBORO WAS TAKEN IN.
On the Wednesday previous to the meet
ing tall, handsome young fellow arrived
in Waynesboro from the West on the
train He brought letter introducing
him to merchant of the town to whom
he presented it. 1t introduced W. En-
mett Chockley, who was in Wayneboro on
business and who, as he would be there
several days. wanted more quiet place
than a hotel and would like a private
boarding house. He was carried by the
merchant to the private family in which
he boarded and there took board. On the
street during Wednesday and Thursday he
was most remarkable business man. He
wanted to buy store out. and he wanted
to buy some stock. and last of all, he had
a patent bride to sell. He was anything
but dueilist. This generation of citizens
of Waynesboro will have to die out before
the stories of how neatly that young fellow
got away with the town are forgotten. Ga
Friday be hired a buggy and drove out o
town to look at some cattle but, as is now
AuoWH, W bcloCt stouHu ioi d uootiHS
On Friday night he met Mr.. Wright in the
town Of Waynesboro about midnight and
took him home to Mrs. Hangers. There
was young man sleeping in the same
room and Chockley took the preeaution of
saying to Wright, who made a bed on
two chairs, "Well be up early and 60 out
to look at those cattle.'' Next morning.
they were up by day-break and started
for the point where Beirne's wagon was.
ELAN ON HIS WAY TO THE GROUND.