The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-09

ween party lenders since the days Of Aaron
Burr and Alexander Hamilton. The Re-
publican party although young. was growing
rapidly. The State was controlled by two
winged Democracy. Broderick, the friend of
Stephen A. Douglas. and an ardent opponent Of
the extension of slavery, was at the head of
the ant-Lecompton wing, while Terry was
prominent in the councils of the LecomDton
wing OF the party The friends of the admins
tration cherished deep hatred for Broderick.
The Immediate cause of the meeting grew out of a
speech made by Judge Terry before the Lecomp-
ton Democratic State convention in Sacramento,
in 1859 in which he called Broderick an arch trail
tor. When Bsoderick read the speech at break
fastin the International Hotel he said to d. w.
Perley, lawyer: II see that Terry has been
abusing me, now take back the remark once
made that he is the only honest Judge on the SUI
preme bench. l was his friend when he was in
need OF friends for which / am sorry. Had the
vigilance committee disposed of him as they did
OF others they would have done righteous act.n
Perley resented Broderick's remarks, and chal-
lenged him, but Broderick declined, saying:
Slr, tight only with gentlemen of my own po-
sition' Periey hurried to Terry and repeated
what he had heard. Terry wrote letter of in
quiry. to which Broderick returned curt reply.
In which he reaffirmed the statements made to
Perlev. Terry Immediately sent challenge,
which was promptly accepted. Calhoun Ben
ham lnow practicing law in San Francisco, S. 81.
Brooks, (State Comptroller at that time) and
Thomas Hayes attended to Judge Terrys inter-
ests. and Joseph q. McKibben, David d. Cotton
and Leonidas Haskell acted for Senator Broderick
meeting had been arranged for Sept. H. at
sunrise, near the boundary lire of San Mateo
and San Francisco counties. The principals and
their friends were all on the ground. when Mar
tin Burke, the chief of police appeared on the
scene and placed them under arrest They were
taken before H. P. Coon. justice of the peace
who discharged them on the ground that no
actual misdemeanor had been committed
Friends of Broderick endeavored to dissuade
him from fighting but he asserted that the duel
could not be avoided with honor A second
meeting was arranged for the next morning. At
midnight several carriages left the city. The
party drove about twelve miles from the city
toward the Laguna de la MERGED At daylight
the carriages were halted near a rail fence which
marked the boundaries of milk ranch owned
by man named Davis. Vauting over the fence
the party went up valley, the center of which
had been selected as the scene of the encounter
Senator Broderick had slept at the Lake House
in the vicinity, and with his friends was early
upon the ground. Judge Terry and his friends
were also prompt in making their appear
ance The seconds held conference
and the pistols were examined and
loaded. half-dolar was tossed up, and Judge
Terry won the choice of position. Mr.. Hayes
marked off the prescribed distance, ten PAGES
as>Warned the spectators to get out of the line
OF fire. The Terry party were cool and collected,
while Senator Broderick and his friends were
apparently nervous and hesitating. Both men
were dressed in long black surtouts, and wore
soft wool hats drawn down over their eyebrows.
After the usual preliminaries, the pistols were
cooked and the hair-triggers set by the seconds.
1t was observed that Broderick was i'll at ease.
he was also somewhat out of position, and Mr..
McKibben corrected him. Terry stood firm and
erect The men held their weapons firmly,
muzzle downward. A moment of painful silence
ensued. Gentlemen" said Mr.. Cotton, ''are
you readyP Terry replied promptly, but Brod-
erick delayed few seconds. He then said: II
am ready" Fire! One" There vas a report
from Brodericks weapon, which was followed
second later by report from Terry's pistol.
Brodericks weapon had been discharged before
he brought it to a level with his eve. The but
let buried itself in the ground two thirds of the
distance between himself and his antagonist
With the crack of Terry's weapon Broderick
WINGED, turned half round, and made an effort
to recover himself. lizard HIT was the express
sion uttered by his friends. He reeled and fell
prone on the ground, with his pale face toward
the sky He was s.hard hit" indeed. The ball
had entered his right breast, between the second
and third ribs, passing under the sternum, frac-
turing the edge. and then took a course over the
heart. through the upper lobe of the left lung,
striking the fifth rib on the left side and, pro-
AS soon as Broderick fell, Davis, the
owner of the ranch, who had been re
garding the dressing of his wounds. start
ed to his feet and shouted ''That is murder, by
G-d!' lie rusned at Terry, but was intercepted
by bystanders, and was finally quieted Brod-
erick was removed from the ground to the resi-
kence of his friend, Leonidas Haskell, at Black
Point He fingered in great pain until Friday,
Sept. 16, dying at 9:2O o'clock A. NJ. Terry inn
mediately after the affair went to Stockton,
where he owned ranch. He was there arrested,
on Sept. 90, by two San Francisco police officers,
taken to that city and put under $lO 600 bonds.
1t was openly charged in the newspapers that
Broderick's weapon was tempered with while be-
ing loaded. From the time that Broderick re-
ceived his death wound the whole city of San
Francisco was in mourning. His death was re-
garded there and throughout the entire State as
public calamity The remains lay in state in
the Union Hotel, corner of Kearney and Mer
chan&9treets, amid pyramids of flowers, until
Sundsy, the 18th of the month, when they were
inferred after solemn and imposing ceremonies.
The funeral grafton was pronounced by Col. Ed
ward d. Baker, afterward killed at the battle Of
Balls Bluff.