The Asheville citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1885-1889, 1886-05-11
A CARD FROM GENERAL
TOMBSTONE JONES.
To the Pubic /:


10 the Ptotac:
| On Nav 2nd. 1885. appeared a. care
es M. p.ot ssa,,,d 1,,,o ,,o,, cc,,ta;,n;neo . .
i.o.n ~. -'u ..' :. 2 2
| statements Which require answer.
! /. He complains oflthe publication Of the
recent correspondence between him and
i rovsals assertinio that IL is of akind
= LS-e4eeo-a -,5a..I ,,,;oI.ton
here'oioie ooneiuoieu i'''io'e
The publication was not MADE oy NE
until after l had declined his challenge
pho daclinafio,, WAS on Thursday and
the nubiication Friday. The publicatiou
Was neeessarv To nv nroper vindication
and had a perfect right to make it. Ii
i am correctly Uniformed, even under
processes to desire to operate, it is the
practice for either party to publish cor.
| resuondence of this kind after. the duel
For the oriaiaal publicity which this
| matter obtained. before the publication
i0fth aorFespsaAepoe ana not respoE
tsible &c reacfsd the pubic without my
Knowledge or consent. BesidesI am under
mo tSb,isatbon to kee eecret a proposition
1 fron anv man fo violate the laws oj
| NORTH GSrolina. Mr.. Pearson's complaint
lis based on false ideas. Is that honor
which n1tsE needs dodge the law and
iveil itselfin secrecy . s.
Aff. Pearson says that I kent his
challenre for "three days and nights. .
| The fact Is received the CHALLENGE on
MONDAY at 10 a. N. j; It was withdrawn on
| Tuesday It was ssent back 10 me Wednes.
days4 p. III. NY final letter was complet-
led and copfed that evening and deliver
ted next nfornint So that had his note
81 nv possession only part of the time
mentioned bysllin1 and the negotiations
for an amicable settlement were had be-
fW6el the withdEaWal of the challenge
tHdesday. and its rSturnS Wednesday
There wash 1nneeessafS delay for which
| / OF my friend Mrx Gadger were res.
8. Mr.. Pearson intimates that l keep
fdisffane nehisement -and prosecution. /
have no such motive. If were to return
4hih1ihis ehalIe Hge, andhe were to destroy
it. he would still be ineligible to office,
for it is the act of sending the challenge
| that deprives him under the constitution
of the right to hold office and subjects
him to Indictment under section 1,0l2 of
gThe Code of North Carolina; and not
| Che publication of the fact. To conceal
the fact of ineligibility would be to prac-
tice fraud upon the public. So if Mr..
Pearson suffers, he suffers by his own
act done in the face of the laws which
every man is presumed to know, and
which he had sworn to support. b esides,
Ihe himself publishes to the world his
violation of law, and makes a boast of it.
The. vindieation of the law belongs to
the grand jury and to the courts.
4. Mr.. Pearson, alluding to the McAden
difficulty, says: Before my blood had
time to dry upon the pavements of Raj
eigh / wrote challenge to Mr.. McAden,
and asked my colleague to bear it."
The facts are as follows: Mr.. Pearson
was assaulted on Wednesday, Ma ch 4th,
by Mr.. McAden. Mr.. Pearson went to
bed Mr.. McAden went to Charlotte the
same day. On Sunday Mr.. McAden re-
turned to Raleigh. Sunday night, at the
instance of Mr.. Pearson, called on Mr.
McAden to see if he would not make an
apology for what he had done. This Mr..
McAden refused 10 do. The next NOR
ming, Monday, March 9th, Col. j. d.
| Glenn, then Speaker pro tenn. OF the
| House, came to me at the Capitol and
showed me note written by Mr.. Pear
son, addressed to Mr.. McAden, and said
that Mr.. Pearson wished him or me to
carry it to Mr.. McAden. Having con-
sidered the note together, Col. Glenn and
/ called on Mr.. Pearson and expressed to
him our opinion that the note was such
as neither of us was willing to carry, it
being equivocal in it's terms and very
insulting to Mr.. McAden. Mr. Pearson
then said to us that the note was not in
tended to be a challenge, but that it was
| intended to provoke Mr. McAden to
challenge him, so that he (Pearson)
might have. under "the Code the right
to choose weapons, in which event, he
gravely informed US, he purposed choos-
| ing Spanish rapiers, as he was skilful in
the use of that weapon.
| Col. Glenn and myselfin the CONVEX
sation that ensued told him that we
were principled against duelling; and
thereupon at Mr.. Pearson's request, 1
ltslegraphed for Can't. Curtis. Two days
| later. / went home, the session having
Terminated and member of nv family
being extremely iIl,and 1 had nothing
more to do with the affair.
The imputatien that I placed on Mr..
Pearson's, courage was not based upon
his failure to challenge Mr.. McAden to
/ Efghta duel, but upon bis failure to de-
| fend his person when he was attacked
on the street. While acting in the rela
tion now for the frst time publicly dis
| closed. / could not help but form those
definite ideas about Mr.. Pearson's con
duct in this affair on which / based the
allusion at which he took offense. Had
he exhibited what I conceive to be a
courageous spirit In that affair, far from
censuring him / would have taken
| pleasure in defending his reputation and
repelling insinuations against his cour