Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-30
DUELS.
The Effective Way in Which Back
woods Bully was Dealt With.


MADE TO transmute the poet Sanconiathon
into SanchOmather, "a matter not worth
referring to bad it not brought to mind
that errors in print as trifiing had brought
a demand for explanations, which, re-
fused from pride. had led to duels of an
fortunate results. or mistakes as to
authorship produced discOrd and dis
ruptions fatal in their effects and detri-
mental to social progress. One case
recalled in which a thOughtless sugges-
ton made as to the name of a horse
led to the killing of a brilliant and
row escape OF another from the
galloWs, and another, better known,
as the duel between Cumming and Me-
Duffie, which resulted in lifelong suffer-
ing to the latter able statesman, in conse-
quence of his refusing to deny the author
ship of an article which he had neither
written, suggested nor authorized. And
these two are of many Of which l know
that they should never have taken place
nor would have, but for a false sense of
honor, or from the fault of the seconds,
very pugnacious and brave where they
ran no risks personally. | never was
present but at one, Of which have never
since thought without laughing, as l did
when l heard of the conduct of a gentle
never abandoned him under any circum-
stances. 1t was said that while on his way
to the dueling ground over III Carolina,
! he kept the boat waiting till his
! servants brought bag Of bullets and two
chairs. When asked what they were for,
he suggested the possibility Of the combat
being long one, and that the belligerents
/ might wish to sit down between the shots
/ Fortunately no evil consequences result
J 81 fT.s,ev -f,4- ~
/ mOrist from being made in after years Post
/ master at Mobile. Here, being requested
/ to inform the Post Office Department how
/ far the Alabama river ran up, .he replied
/ that it did not run up at all beyond high
water mark twice day, but that above
| that it ran dOlCn hGbitualLg, especially in
| freshets, from the mountains of Geor-
gir and Tennessee. The return mail
| brought him back the interesting but by
no means amusing information that the
United States of North America, speak
ing through the mouth Of the Postmaster
General, had no further use for his SER
vices!
Stories of this kind may amuse and
serve to show how r. ckless our progen-
itOrs were in risking life for tTjfies, but
alas valuable lives were often lost and
souls hurried unshriyen into eternity for
the most trivial causes. Political differ
ences, which could only have been recon-
ciled by dispassiOnate discussion, and
even the rivalry of volunteer militia CON-
panies have caused blOOdshed IN SaVan-
nah. In the latter case, the result was a
duel between the captains, otherwise
friendly. in which the one being hit about
midway aud for while famed.
heard it said to nv childish dis
gust, that the Blues, representa- by their
Captain, had brought the Guards, repre-
scented by theirs, to a Ealt, while others
the DOctOr-Captain, preserving for others,
most ably and scientifically, sound minds |
in sound bodies, was llmself-hipp6d. !
'-Ob, the Wickedness Of the World!" said |
my grandmother, smiling IN spite Of her. |
self and the anxiety she lad felt rs to the |
results Of the duel, 'it would laugh at its |
mothers gFaYeF' '.AHd, who. grand |
MOTHER" said /, recognizing the 'world' |
to mean the projection OF il on my map, |
or as the big globe in the Library, |
then presided over by Mt. Oemler of Set |
eEtifc memOry-"WhO is the worlds |
mother? ~
corruption, my SON. ~ she replied. an |
answer, the profound truth and scientific |
value Of which l did not appreciate till | |
read Darwin and the writers of the Eve |
luton School OF COsmOgony. Had she |
lived longer she would, doubtless. have |
said ''Protoplasm."
But ''re1epOuS q nos H1cgtORS." or as our |
little Frenchman who spoke "Eenglishe' |
as parliament as he did ''}e FTeHche," |
translated it, LET us get back to our |
Sleeps" and resume the subject Of duels |
from a serious point of view.
l presume that in all states of society |
DULLES have aud will exist, but it is ore
of the mysteries of psychology how there
should be men of education. fine |
tastes, good minds, and otherwise of no
very bad morals, who seem to delight in |
dlscOrd, and TO waive no opportunity Of /
fered TO insult and even to kill inOffen-
siTe citizens. Ofthese there were several !
in my boYhood, within hundred miles
OF savannah, who prided themselves on |
their skill in the use Of Wea pOnS, and never
lost an opportunity TO DrOw-beat and i'm
pose on those with whom they were in
any way thrown into competition. My
father one Of the most amiable and long |
suffering Of men, bit so much Of an Irish |
man as 10 be MADE Vice President of the |
Hibernian Society when none but a 1ull
blood could be President, and of course |
with little of the tendency of the native |
OF Erin to tread on the coat tail if too |
boldly dragged }, fearing that | mliqht in
herlt some Of the same propensity, en-
cOuraged me to become expert in the use |
of all ''arts and arms,'' prefacing his direc-
lions with this sage advice, which being |
Endorsed by the Tattnalls, Jacksons,
FlOyds, Whites, Hardens and other brave |
men OF that dag, may be received as an
expression of their sentiments and be |
valuable to our rising youth under the |
new condition of cur society. "My son."
said he, "neyer Intentionally do harm or
injustice to any one, and if you do, let no |
sense of shame, or pride, or interest, pre-
vent you from promptly making all posi-
bic amends. If you can't do this, and he |
demands your life, risk it, but it is a
sacred trust which you must not throw
away. Therefore, defend 10 to the utmost, |
or till your adversary is satisfied. But if
you are the injured or insulted, especially
bg bully, don't get In a rage, but keep |
cool TIL the time for action, and then
come down upon him like Capt
Tattnall or Joe Jackson { 1, the writer,
forget which }, did upon the back-cOuntry
bravo, on one occasion. This is the sto.
ry: he was on the circuit, attending
court, and, on his way, arrived one even
ing at q tavern in one Of our courthouse |
villages. He hitched his horse and, pass
ing through a crowd of persons before the
door, entered the sitting room. Here one
man was sitting before the fire, spraWled |
out on several chairs, with his hat cooked
on one side, chewing tobacco and splitting
right and left around him, while the land
lord stood behind the bar with his hands
In his pockets and a most discOnsolate,
cowed look upon his face. Taking
near the window, on bench,
with his back to the wall, he took out
paper and began to read, first calling to
the landlord Tor glass of brandy and wa
ter. This was soon brought and placed
beside him. Seeing this, the man by the
fire got up, threw his tobacco quid into
the fireplace, yawned, stretched himself,
and then deliberately walked to the table.
When there he took the glass, and saying
Stranger, your good health drank the
half Of its contents, wiped his mouth, and
then placing the glass on the table walked
back TO his seat by the fire, cut a quid |
from his tobacco and recommended chew
ing. The gentleman quietly called for
another glass. AS soon as it was placed
on the table the scene was en-
acted precisely as before, but with
a different conclusion, for as he said,
Stranger, your good health,' and reached
out his hand to take the glass, a sudden
blow from a dirk pinned it firmly to the
table, and the gentleman, rising and bow
ing politely, said, Stranger, your good |
health drank half the brandy, drew the |
dirk from the transfxed dexter paw Of |
the backwoodsman, returned it to its
sheath, and, sitting down quietly, re-
sumed his reading. The wounded man
retired to the door, where he was met by
hos rr-I,o ho1 xrvsk,, L A..