New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-06-27
THAT DUEL.

THAT DUEL.
The preternatural activity Of the would-oe
virginia duellists continues, but as yet there
has been no duel One of the principals IL SAID
to be prancing about somewhere In Wes1
Virginia and the other in the immediate Vicln-
ity of Richmond. The police get on the track
of one or the other Of them every twenty -four
hours, but always with the same result-he
slips out of their grasp with the elusiveneSs OF
a creased pig at country fair. 1t is an excit-
ing chase and Richmond is becoming very
much agitated over it. The friends OF each
hero claim that their man is in earnest Whle
the other man is trying to sneak out. hecrim-
nation of this sort is dividing the city into two
hostile camps, and If the chase is kept up few
days longer there is no telling what may nap
pen What at the outset was intended Tor
duel may end in civil war, and the streets OF
Richmond may be red with blood before THIS
extraordinary chapter in modern chlyalry Is
closed.
In view of this alarming outlook we feel
called upon to exert our influence In favor OF
that solution of the problem which will entail
the least amount of slaughter. We Deseech
the two valiant editors, who are hopping about
in the woods and jumping from the back VIII
dows of farmhouses with the agility and jeIki-
ness of the uncertain grasshopper, to pause a
moment and reflect That the question at
issue between them is momentous we admit
One of them has called the other bogus
friend of the Niger" and the other has re-
sponded by calling his accuser liar and cow
ard. The question Is as to which man Is teliing
the truth. If Mr.. Bierne shoots Mr.. Elan, 1t
will be demonstrated that Mr.. Elam Is a bogus
friend of the "nigger." II MIR. Elan shoots
Mr.. Bierne, it will be demonstrated that MI
Bierne is liar and a coward That is the form
the issue took before the police scattered the
principals. If they were able to get in sight OF
each other. and the seconds could catch up with
them long enough to hand them the pistols, 1t
might be settled in few minutes, and peace
thus secured In Richmond. But the chances
are all against this. The principals not only
move with great rapidity but persist in NOV
ing in opposite directions. The further they
get apart the madden tho people in Richmond
become, and hence the peril of internecine
strife hangs over Richmond like n pail
AT present the principals are about eighty
miles apart, instead of eight PAGES, and the
danger of their damaging each other with
navy SIX SnOOteTB il EtInOtc' II IhOJ N"H y
have fight OF some kind soon, the people OF
Richmond will, and we look upon it as their
duty to avert the latter catastrophe. As moth
ing is likely to bring them any nearer together,
We suggest that the duel come of at their
present distance apart. Let Mr.. Berne ascend
n high mountain in the Greenbrier range in
West Virginia, and Mr. Elan another high
mountain in the Blue Ridge range In Virginia.
They would then be between eighty and
ninety miles apart. AS Mr.. Bierne is not likely
to be content with anything except very muir
derous weapon, both men could be furnished
with Calling gun, aud could peg away at each
other with great noise and slight danger OF
harm. This is tho only solution which occurs
to us as being at all adequate to the emergency.
IL ought to quiet The incipient civil war IN
Richmond and make everybody happy. 1t con-
tains all the elements of a successful modern
Southern duel 1t provides for murderous
weapons, big racket, and nobody hurt. We
trust that if the principals can DO held in one
spot long enough to read message, the points
of our plan will be laid before them by tele-
graph for their consideration. "Valor," ms
Bob Acres says, "will come and CO." 1t
strikes Us that the vaor of these Southern edi-
tors has been going" sufficiently long now to
come to "a stop.