The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-06
the entire Chinese nation to The Christian faith.
They nistook a purely political for a religious
/ urDuaUa.1a
POTTER-PRYoR.
The Facts About the Duel with Bowie
Knives that Didn't Come or.

-"
The Facts About the Duel with Bowie
Knives that Didn't Come or.
w, A. Croffnt. in New York World
A Chicago newspaper the other day published
a letter from Wisconsin speaking of the town
where John +. Potter lives and the farm which
he works, and then givesa an %e1Itorial version of
tile. duel which was barely prevented at the be
~ginnimgof the war between him and Roger A.
Pryor, of Nirginia-the popular and false YER
sion, of course. So, on Monday, | called ON Mr..
Pryor, at his Office on Wall street, to get his
version OF the story, He has been an active law
yer in this. city for some fifteen Years now, and
has risen to . large practice, his black eyes,
tawny compilation and long, black, shaggy name
being conspicuous in, all our courts. / found him
in, but when L hroaehed the matter he said, 81
must decline TO reopen the matter of that quar-
rel For a quarter of n century the people of
the North have preferred a lie to the truth,
and l do not care to go into particulars at this
late day."
Fortunately l can get along without Mr..
Pryor's testimony. Twas in Washington during
the three years subsequent to the affair, and /
know the facts from Mr.. Potter himself and
from other participants. It was the beginning
OF Buchanans last year. For a year or two
Northern congressman had been inundated by
those from the South, the latter being generally
expert swordsmen or pisrol-shots,a and the former
unfamiliar with either weapon and brought up
TO regard dueling with abhorrence. Two or
three Northerners had heen insulted, ''posted'
and bullied. replying simply that they would
fight If attacked There was, a growing feeling
among Mr.. Iincoln's friends that il Was neces-
sary for SOME Yankee to fight
Mr.. Pryor rose to q question of privilege one
morning, saying that at the Congressional Clone
Office he had found that Mr.. Potter had inserted
at the end of his IPotter'sl speech the words:
THE Republicans will be heard. let the conse-
quences be what they may" No such words,
Mr.. Pryor said, had been uttered in debate.
Mr.. Potter replied that he had used the words
= 49, - IL $500 -
from the record. and added: "He had no right
to do il. Ii. was Mons of the gentleanan's bust
ness, [ stand by what | said"
doubt if these words are properly challenge
able, but those were hot times, and Pryor sent a
challenge and escaped to Virginia to avoid ar
rest Potter answered through his friend, Col.
+. w. Lander, that he would fight with bowie
Knives In the presence of four friends Of the
parties. who should be armed with navy revolv-
ers to sea fair PLAY Distance four feet at com
nenceineut of engagement Knives OF equal
weight and leHgth1of blade. Fight to commence
at the word three 1t was added: ''These
teEms.are such as will alone enable my principal,
who is unacq Hainted with the usual weapons of
duelists, to meet your friend on equal terms
Mr. Ghisman, whom Pryor had left TO represent
him, took the strange acceptance to. several of
his principals friends, Keitt, Hindman and
others. They all agreed thatthe weapon WAS
~inadnissihle; and that Potter, instead of being
fought. should be denounced ash barbarian. So
Mr. Chisman nSwere that mot recognizing
this vulgar. barharous and inhuman mode of
settling difficulties, he could not allow Pryor to
engage in IT.
Next day Pryor came hack from hiding in Vir-
giuia, and, seeing what a mistake his seconds
hai made, straightway ~repudiated them, and
asked that the matter might be reopened, an
nouncine his willingness to accept the terms and
fight with bowie-knives. The seconds declared
a reopening iInpracticable. Lander offered him
self in Potter's place without restrictions" but
nobody had any quarrel with ham. Pryor sent
word to Potter that he would attack him at
sight, and a few hours afterwards Potter was ar
rested by the police, and put under bonds to
keep the peace.
Potters pluck caused a great furore at the
North at the time when pluck was at a premium;
and Pryor suffered from the o1tcome of it mainly
because, in the heat Of passion, the facts were
obscured, and it was generally believed that he
had refused to- fight with bowie knives, and had
rather ANONYMOUSLY backed out. lf the fight
had taken place, one or both would have been
killed, and it might have done something to
abolish the savage and preposterous custom OF
dueing:
Iremember a talk 1 had with Potter about the
affair in 1861. II always confde wholly in my
wife" he, said. land in this strange dilemma l
went to her the first thing. l showed her how
we stood; that L had done no wrong; that the
North needed a champion and that our cause
was depressed because no man would fight, and
then l asked her what to do. She had a good
crying spell, as the women call it, but she said
my duty was elear-I must fight him. She stood
by me pluckily straight through 1 got such in
structions in the use OF the bowie-knife as 1
could, and p~ractieed for an hour every day. l
am very strong and quick. Ii we had fought
should certainly have slain Mr.. Pryor. 1t is bet
ter as it u.s."
For months afterwards Potter's friends, some
what against his will, hedged him about with
their vigilance, accompanying him in his walks
to and fro. One of these was Col. VIM. S. King,
of Minnesota, who was quick as a cat and strong
as a tiger. Whenever Potter started from his
seat to leave the House King rose at his side like
an apparition.