The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-11
Dueling In the Navy.

Duellng In the Navy.
Public opinion at the present time so
emphatically condemns dueling that
the present generation can scarcely i'm
agine what a great change has taken
place, particularly in the navy, within
the last thirty-five or forty years regard
ing the subject. 1t is true that even at
the time it was practiced everywhere
there were some few persons OF inf1u-
ence always opposed to the custom, but
they were only small minority 1t is
not worth while now to argue the ques-
ton whether OF notdueling was right or
wrong; the purpose of this article only
aims at relating some OF the meetings
between parties who went to the field.
In 1874, when on the African station,
under the command of Commodore
Matthew C. Perry, the flagship Mace
donian, Captain Isaac Mayo, was visit
ing the Island of Grand Canary, where
two of the Midshipmen fought; they
used the old-fashioned ships pistols,
carrying a bullet nearly as large as a
musket-ball Owingto the unavoidable
difficulties the friend of one of the gen
tlemen could not get leave from the
ship that day, so it was agreed that one
second should act for both. At the word
both fired, and both We're wounded; one
was struck just over the right eye-the
ball glanced, running around the skull
under the scalp and lodged over the left
eve; the other was hit in the side on one
OF the small ribs, and the ball brought
up against the backbone. Strange to
say, neither fell, for at the distance
ten PAGES with such heavy bullets, one
would think an OK would be obliged to
fall. The person shot in the head in
sisted upon another fire, but his oppo-
nent declared positively that nothing
could induce him to fire at man blind
ed by blood which was streaming from
the wound. The one second also de-
clared that he had enough of it; and,
also, that as both were wounded, he
thought that both ought to be satisfied
That was the first intimation that the
party demanding another shot had that
his opponent was shot, so he readily
consented to let the affair 90 no further
at that time, reserving the privilege of
another meeting when both were m
fighting trim With that understanding
the party returned to the ship.
One of the gentlemen, the one wound
ed in the side, not having very nice
coat, borrowed one of a messmate. and
the first thing he said to his friend
when getting on board ship was Your
coat is all right, but am not" He
had taken the precaution to pull the
coat off, fearing it might be injured Of
course all the midshipmen knew the
| fight was to como of, and were anx-
iOusly excited, for each was of such
| character as to cause the belief that
they were in earnest, but were greatly
pleased that it ended as it did, both be-
ing deservedly popular. The two never
met again as one Of them was ordered
| TO one of the ships of the squadron, the
other retained on board the Macedo-
MAN. Had they ever met the fight
would have been renewed without a
doubt. In 1916 or At, when the United
States feet was blockading the port of
Vera Cruz, the gentleman who was shot
in the side was drowned while rowing
| guard to the northward Of the castle; q
violent ''northeI sprung up, suddenly
as usual, and the sea swamped the boat
The morning after this sad loss his
enemy Joined the squadron. having
been sent by the Navy department un-
der these orders, and the first news he
heard was that his opponent was dead!
Some years after that the remaining
one was lost, presumably drowned, as
the ship to which he belonged has never
been heard OF since she left her last
port! Singular that both met the same
fate, is it not?
The duel caused great excitement at
Palmas (Grand Canary, for such do
ings had never been even heard of in
that entirely original town, If one OF
the officers of the frigate was on the
street nearly every person meeting him
would stop short, place himself in
position and fire off an imaginary pistol!
Even the ladies were never tired of talk
ing about it, and seemed not to know
why, if one hated the other so, he did not
stab him in the dark. or hire some one
to kill HIM. They could never COM
prehend the Americans and their ways.
The ship was crowded for days by the
best people of the place, asking thou
sand questions and visiting the wound
ed fellows. One of the girls. very
beautiful and accomplished person,
asked for and was given the ball that
struck one of the two who fought!
The Commodore and Captain were
living on shore at the time of the duel
so of course, the executive officer sent g
report of the occurrence as soon as the
parties returned to the ship. Now,
Commodore Perry was bitterly opposed
to the code, but Captain Mayo strongly
approved of it; as far as his duty per.
mitted, he gave every encouragement
to such doings. When, therefore, the
report reached them, the Commodore
gave Captain Mayo orders never to allow
either of the fighters to leave the shif
while on the station; but Captain May(
said he liked "young blood" (whatevel
that means), and ordered his steward
to 90 off to the ship with tub of ice an(
several bottles of wine for the use of the
wounded, and to tell them to let hin
know at any time if he could do any
thing for theml Commodore Perry sale
he was astonished at Captain Ms con
duct, greatly encouraging dueling, Du
NJ. did not mind that, and was evidently
proud of his spirited young officers. =