Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-07-04


GRoveA
IBy Major Ben. Truman-l
The fan Of TIE noble and shivalrO1a
Decatur nc Bladensburu. en- March 2,
$50. prodnced profound sensation
the co1ntry; and this unfoe-
innate affair, In which the distinguished
naval hero lost his life. has been gener-
silly v,esed a. the Second most noted
dcei in the Cnitsd Stsfss. Stsphsn De-
cssur aud James Barron we're and had
been for several y-ars p,-t captains IN
the Americas navy. B.rrJn had been
found guilty Of the charge OF neglect
ing hIs duty while in commsnd OF the
friRase Chesapeake by a Cart OF III
quiry and Court N ,rtial upon bgsh OF
which Decatur had s-rv-d) and bad
hsen suspended from the service. de
had subsequently applied for restora-
ton Of rank. and had BEEN opposed by
D-catnr from an honorable standpoint
This was she prime cause OF an enmity
which sprung up and grew bstveen tins
two officers, and which vas followed By
a long and acrimonious correspondence
between them and eliminated IN hos
tile meeting. in which Dccstur WAS
mortAlIy and his ANTAGONIST dzneerens-
Iy wounded at the first ere. Captain
William BainbridGe, U. B. N, no.
campsnied Decatur TO the hsld, and
Captain Jesse ID. Elliott, q. 5. N, acted
az second for Barron They fouRht
with pistols. at eight PAGES. and both
fred and fell together, and then osrrled
on a short conversation while they lay
ON the ground. What they said IN not
positively kuswn, except that they ex-
chanesa forgiveness Ut each other. Be-
fore the mischief had been committed.
however, Barron remarked 20 Decatur
that he hoped that on meeting him IN
another world thsy would be better
friends than in this: to which Decstur
replied: IL have never been your enemy
cir" The dying officer WAS taken to
his residence in Washington. near La
fayette Square, where he expired at a
quarter TO eleven o'clock the same night.
barron vas also conveyed 20 Washing
ton. where be Vas confined by his
wound until the 10Th Of April following,
when he departed for his home al
Hampton, Virginia. Decstur's remains
were taken 70 PhilAdel shia in 1874. and
deposited 10 Sc. Peters churchyard. over
which vas erected pretentiOus tomb
aad an Ionic pillar of marble, 1.-THE lat
ter capped by an American eaeie) which
NAV be seen BY all visitors to the "Qoa-
ker CITY," who care for Q stroll down
20 the southwest corner ct Third and
Pine streets. The house In which Do
catur died was afterwards occupied BY
Mr.. Livingston while Secretary OF State
upder President jackson, aud subse
auently by martin Van Buren while
Vice Presi .eut. Il 10 nov the residence
Of Gen. Z. r. Beale, who ID a. hospitable
and generous az his mansion is noble
and historic. The pistols used by De,
catar and Barron we're taken possession
of by apt. Elliott, Barron's second, who
retained them until bis death Tin lS45),
when they came into the Possession ol
the present owner, Gen. w. L. Elliott
(R-tired List U. 8. A., and Woe Presi.
dent OF the California Safe Deposit and
Trust Company, Of San Francisco. a
son of Bsrron's second above named
Mr.. Win, then Attorney General Of the
Uaited States. who knew in confidence
of the difficulty between Decatur and
Barron, and who used every effort u
prevent the duel, in letter to Judge
Carr. dated eleven days after the fata
combat, states that Decatur was ap
parently shot dead he revived, how
ever, after while, and he and Barron
had a parley as they lay on the ground.'
And Writ continues:
Doctor Washington, who get mp Jus
then, says that it reminded him OF tn,
closing scene of a tragedy-Hamlet ane
Lasrtes. Barron proposed that they
should make friends before they met II
heaven (for he, Supposed they woult
both die immediately. Decatur .ic
he had never been his enemy, that ht
freely foreave him his dsath-thougt
be could not forgive. those who haG
stimulated him to seek ais life.. Ont
report says that Barron exclaimed
Would 70 God that you had said thu
much yesterday p 1t is certain thai
the parley was a friendly one. and thai
they parted in peace. Decatur knew b
was 70 die, and his only sorrow was tina
be had not died in the service OF hil
country.
Mr.. Sabine, in his description OF this
duel, declares, feslingly, and, We think
correctly there was no cause fol
il whatever. Says Sabine;
Decatur, as will be seen in the cor
respondence, disciaimed all persona
luminosity toward Barron. In his owr
words: :. Between you and myse
there never has been a personal differ
ence bat / have entertained, AID d.
still entertain, the opinion that youl
conduct as an officer, SINCE the affair oil
she Chesapeake, has been such a. ought
to forever bar your remission into tbs
service" In this view he declares thai
he 10 sustained, he believes, by every OH
Ger Of "our grade" with a single ex
ception. Trus, Barron, In bis letter Of
November 80, 1919. regards Decatnr'f
course TO be inconsistent with these
declarations, and retorts with much
severity. But Decatur constantly main.
tanned them. He told Mr.. Writ that be
did not wish to meet Barron, and that
4" the duel was forced upon him and il
10 said that be assured Commodore
Rodgers, on receiving the challenge
that nothing couid induce him TO AXE
the life of Barron. On the day OF bin
death, while at breakfast. remarks MI
Hanbleton, she was quito cheerful
and did not appear 10 have any dosiDa
20 take the life Of his antagonist IN.
deed, he declared that he would be sorry
20 do Co." To this evidences, We may
add the reply TO Barron. on the ground
t" I have never been your enemy, sir"
THE crLIKx GRAVES DUEL.
The third most noted fasal duel which
has taken place in the United States VA
that most unfortunate and cruel AFFAIR
between jonathan Cilley, N. G. ffoul
Maine, and william J. Graves, n. q.
from Kentucky, which took place near
the national capital. In Maryland. on
the road 10 Marlborough, on the 18th OF
February. 1883. Mr.. Cilley vas attend
cd by Hon. George w. Jones. n. @.
from Tennessee, and Mr.. Graves BY
Hon. Henry A. Wise, II. O. from Vir-
Rinia. There we're also present Con-
eressmen Crittenden and Mcnefee Of
Kentucky Congressman Duncsn Of Ohio,
and Conesessman Bynum Of North Car
olinA. Mr.. Ciliey. the noble old gentle
mau, eAcri6oed his valuable life 10 the
hideous Moloch Of Pupctilliousuem.
/" No one can peruse the report Of che
committee which Investigated the affair
without coudemning. In particular. the
action Of one of tho eentlemeu connect
Cd with this deviliah psrfoemance," de-
ciAred Z writer Of the Baltimore prem ss
that time. Tue affair originated IN Ger
tain words spokes by NJ. Cilley In ths
House OF Representative, and which 10
hccted upou Gen. James Watson Webb,
editor Of the New York Courier and En-