The Washington critic., 1886-11-29
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

ing to the New Orleans Times. Demo-
crat, gives the following intere sting
facts relative to this noted family:
There were four brothers of the Hall.
fax IN. o. Alstons, Willis, the Mem
Der of Congress who defeated VIM. II.
Davie, Joseph, Gideon and Robert.
Joseph, Gideon and Willis lived and
died without ever having fought a
duel. Robert, their brother, married
Henrietta Green and moved to Talla.
hassee, Fla; he had sons and daugh.
ters. The sons were named respec-
lively Willis, Augustus and Ben.
Augustus had an alteration with Gov
ernor Reid of Florida, out of which
grew the celebrated duel, in which
Augustus was killed In an unfair man
ner, as thought by the family, thus:
They fought at twenty PAGES with old
fashioned yagers Qunnel. shaped guns.
At the word "fire" Augustus
gun, by the trigger touching his
button, fred into the air. Reid
took deliberate aim and killed him.
The family were very much incensed
ut this, especially his sister Ann, who
was near by and saw the unfairness of
Reid, and after her brother fell picked
the shot from his body with pen
knife, gave them to her brother Willis
and said: Take these and load your
gun and shoot Reid on sight. If you
don't will myself" Willis did so,
and shot Reid down In the streets. He
(Willis) was the man to whom your ar
ticle referred as riding up to the hotel
at Valley Forge, Ca, and presented
the deringers to the crowd and defed
any man to take him; not Robert, as
stated. Robert was the father of
Willis and grandfather of Colonel Bob,
who was killed at Atlanta, and great
grandfather of young Robert, who
killed himself in Washington. Old
Colonel Bob never fought duel in his
Texas, and on his journey met DR..
Murray, who had married Reid's sister.
Murray and Willis did not know each
other, but they saluted one another as
they met and halted. During the con
versation Murray asked Willis If he
had heard of "that ID rascal who
murdered Reid" Whcreupon Willis
dismounted and sald ~ am the man."
An alteration ensued, in which Willis
abdomen was ripped open with a
bowie knife and Murray was shot dead.
A servant was accompanying Willis,
riding nag with line bride. Willis
returned his protruding intestines and
girded the wound by wrapping the line
around him. Ile was pursued by
Murray's friends, taken and lodged In
Jail, but the crowd was so enraged that
the Jail was forced and his body was
riddled with $50 bullets. Reid killed
Augustus, Willis killed Reid, the mob
killed Willis, Cox killed Colonel Bob,
young Robert killed himself; all died
with their "boots on"
~
General Stewart Van Vliet, says a
correspondent of the New York Star,
is familiar figure in Washington.
Having been in the Quartermaster' s
Del artment for more than thirty
years, he has shared the experience of
most of the older officers in finding
that the active services previous to his
staff assignment are forgotten. AS a
matter of fact, however, General Van
Vliet has borne his full share of field
work in the distant past. He gradu.
ttedin 1910 and was appointed to the
Third Artillery, then In Florida. He
served there two years, until the close
OF the Seminole war, and took part in
all the most arduous fighting OF that
time. Indeed, 1t is of record that on
one occasion he killed Seminole war
rior in hand to hand encounter. Sub
sequently he was engaged in the Mexi.
can war, and was with General Taylor
at Monterey. His company was also
In the command ordered to Join
General Scott at Vera Cruz, where
Lieutenant Van Vliet commanded O
battery in the trenches, his captain, j
II. Vinton, having been detailed as act.
ing field officer. Captain Vinton was
killed there by shell while talking to
Van Vliet. The General had thus
served twenty years before the war OF
the rebellion broke out, and had, In nc
cordance with the regular custom oi
the service in those days, passed from
line to staff only. He Is very popu
lar man, living in comfortable, though
not ostentatious, fashion on Fifteenth
street, two doors below Chamberlin'
place, and having n most hospitablt
summer establishment at Shrewsbury
near Long Branch. He is an habitue o
the Metropolitan Club here, besid,
holding memberships in the Union ant
other clubs in New York. Although
he was graduated at West Point nearl,
half century ago. he Is active, hearty
and vigorous, and he does society duty
with an energy as remarkable as it 4
welcome.
~
Mr.. Mahoney of Brooklyn, who rep
resepts the Fourth New York dstric
in Congress, and Mr.. Grain of the Sew
enth Texas district, says Washington
correspondent Of the World, were edu
Gated al the same institution In New
York and formed mn intimate friend
ship In their school days. They wer
chums, and fought each others battles
When they graduated Grain returned
to his Texas home and Mahoney became
a clerk In Clailin's establishment
Twenty years rolled by and by
a fortunate chance Mahoney was nom
mated and elected to Congress
lie had long since lost all tract
OF his school chum. One OF the frs
persons he met on the floor of tn,
House was his old friend Grain. Al
though they had been separated from
n.,L 4.