Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-07
RS and Their Fate-A Couple of
counters That Happened Half a
century Ago.

| Cesar, the Duke of Wellington or Johl
Pope, whose headquarters were in hi
saddle, than the actions Ofchickens, short
| horned bulls, and our common bullies, til
having received one effectual lesson
they recognize that the race is not Il
the swift nor the battle to the strong
| Then how similar is the air and mannel
with which they stink from of their pc
culiar dunghill, ''to walk humbly before
the - crowd" 1 would have said be
fore ''the Lord" only that the humility
that results from a good thrashing has
nothing in it of religious character save
so Tar as religion" meaning a sense o.
obligation to superior power, may con
vert him from "the error of his ways
and he walks off determined to sin NJ
more in that particular direction. About
the year 1880, or may be 1886, in the en-
lightened community of Athens, Ga, un
der the very shadow of the University, q
countryman walking into a crowd
Of active belligerents, asked, SIS
this free fight" "Yesw was
me I'M" but being soon knocked on his
feet with bloody nose and blackened
eye, he got up and then asked again, 81
say, is this free fight.r eyes" "Then
count me out again!" And this l have
reason to believe describes the state OF
mind of almost every duelist when await
ing a contest, or after receiving a wound
of consequence. And do not remember
single instance of a fatal encounter
after which, however hardened-aDd har-
dened some were, even to bOasting of their
triumph-One survivor did not acknowl-
edge upon being questioned that he wished
it had not gone quite so far. Conscience
will not be entirely paralyzed in man.
Sir" said one successful duelist to a
young man, barring his head and putting
his hand on his prematurely gray hairs {:
You see here the result Of badly regu-
lated passions anda depraved ambition :"
''Take him away Take him aWay!' cried
another on his deathbed. "That wound
in his side bleeds molten lead, and burns
out my eyeballS with the fire of help
And he died, with his nails pressed into
his eyes, as if to tear them out. rather
than bear the sight.
One duel of which heard and remem-
Der, from afterward knowing one of the
actors, was that in which a noted duelist
was brought to his senses by a severe
wound. He was a lawyer, and made a
practice of insulting every newcomer to
the bar of the county courts in which he
practiced. One Door fellow, not resent
ing an insult by knocking him down with
the first thing he could lay his hand on
the best way decidedly in which to meet
such-Was asked to the bar to drink. He
accepted the invitation, raised his glass
to his lips, and received the contents Of
that of his adversary full in his facet
That night the insulted youth borrowed
a horse pistsl, cleaned it thor
or ignorantly loaded it at once
with large buckshot. Next morning
he encountered his adversary walking in
the street with another lawyer. "Remain
here" said the ruffian to his companion :;
''that fellow means mischief" and walked
into the open street. The other advanced
boldly to within few feet, aimed his pis-
tol and pulled the trigger. A flash in the
pan followed, and then shot, cOOlly
aimed and deliberately fired, was heard,
and he fell, with three buckshOt in his
forehead. In England such an act would
have brought the perpetrator to the gal
lows without benefit of clergy. In Ameri-
ca it was deeply condemned, but toll
Grated.
The next exploit was to insult a young
man on his first appearance at the bar.
No notice being taken of it the next step
was to walk up to him, on his way to the
court house, and shower upon HIM all the
abuse and insult he could command. The
youth stood quietly and patiently till his
assailant ceased and stared him insolent-
ly in the face. He then said: ''Have you
said all you have to say, sir?" 81 have"
was the reply. ''Then," said the gentle
man, bowling civilly: "GoOd morning,
Sir" Years after when suffering had
tanned the bully in him this
man declared that he had never been
so cut down in his life as by this,
and the cutting down must have been
severe indeed, as his next or a succeeding
assault of the same kind met with diff
ferent cutting down-one which knocked
him OIL his legs and nearly sent him to the
place prepared for ''the fearful and I'M
believing, the abominable and murderers
and WhOremOngers and sorcerers, and
idolaters and all liars-the lake which
burneth with fire and birthstone, which is
the second DEATH" Rev. 81, s. How he
came so near this was as follows: The
after court: Colonel, how shall l act
in this matter? You are posted
in the laws of honor / am
not; indeed know nothing of themH
"Well,'' said the bravo, Ppm a strange
one for you to ask, but l will tell you!
You should challenge me-" s'Very well;
when shall we meet?" Tomorrow at Z
O'clock" "Please let us compare
watches,' said the challenger, and they
did so. AT daylight all was ready, and 7
O'Clock arrived and the fate of the young
not so! The fates decreed otherwise, for
holding the muzzle of his pistol up at
arms length, at the word sire" he simply
bent it downward and fired. The ball
passed through both thighs of his adVer-
sary, drew his fire, and for the first time
caused this noted marksman-almOst as
notorious as Carver or Bogardus to-day
to miss his aim. In my bOyhood ] saw
the breast-bone of chicken penetrated by
= hill IL, H. i IL
walked off from it, pinned on the side of
my aunt's stable, after dinner in which
he had differed in opinion from one of her
sons at her own hospitable board. What
was in his heart may be guessed when, in
passing to the yard through the pantry,
he picked the breast-bOne Of the chicken
from the tray, pinned it to the side of the
stable, and, taking his pistols from his
pockets, he performed the feat.
That such men are enemies to society,
and should be treated as mad dogs or as a
Mohammedan fanatic running a-muckwill
scarcely be denied when observation
shows that their example is apt to oe fol-
lowed by class of men who unfortunately
exist in a more or less apparent degree in
every community, to the injury of It's
youth. For near half century before
the late war such class existed along
our seaboard from Charleston to Florida,
anu IL was always d SOUICC VI uCSp Uub
subdued qualification to the public when
one of them met the proper reward of his
crimes. Several instances of this | knew,
but one of them will do to show the state
of our manners and customs at the time.
One G. had his range from the Santee
to the Savannah, and, being on a visit
to a sea island summer resort of the
planters, thought tit to fall in love with
the daughter of his hospitable host. Walk
ing one day with a number of gentlemen
on the beach, he saw fit to insult a very
strong but amiable Irishman of the COM
pany, and received from him a blow
which sent him spinning some yards
into the, surf. The involuntary shout
that arose at his overthrow enraged
him, but instead Of challenging his
chastiser, he fixed upon a young
man visiting in the same house with him
self, a student of weak nerves, near-sight-
ed aud very bad shot, who was supposed
to be his rival in love, But he was no
coward, and promptly, though very IN
willingly, accepted the challenge. His
second was an expert with the pistol, and
on seeing his principal miss barn door
at the word ''three, )" told him, ''Your only
chance is, at the word fire. to jerk up
your pistol and fire atOnce. It may draw
his fire, and if he demands a second shot
it will be with me-" The next morning
G.. appeared on the ground in his sulky
with his trunk dashed on behind that
he might return to Charleston after kill
ing his adversary. But when he went
there it was to the delight of the COM
munity-feet foremost, for his adversary,