The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-08-18
FIRED wfFa BORN EYEs sHur.
As an American re Fought the Duel and
Killed the Cuban.

'S@Ff
writer in the Detroit Free Press. For
tunate for me in this case l could chatter
away in Spanish with any of them, and
though | was born and reared i'll Ohio
L was supposed to be an Englishman.
Had / given out hat | was n straight
haired Yankee the chances of being
mobbed or knitted or shot, would have
been excellent. The feeling against
Americans was so very bitter that one
from the States was liable to insult and
violence on the public streets.
l had been here about u week when an
American named Charles Whitley, from
Michigan, arrived with his wife. Whit
ley was an invalid, and he had come to
Cuba by the advice of a physician. I re-
member him as a tall, pale-f0ccd and OK
tremely courteous gentleman, while she
was a little bit of IA woman who was all
hope and sunshine. 1t 50 happened that
| made their acquaintance the first day
they landed, and l felt it my duty to
warn Whitley of the feeling entertained
against our nationality. My advice to
him was to keep close for a time and to
carefully avoid being mixed up in IL
discussion of a public nature. He had
been there a week without anything be-
ing said 10 him, when one day, as we
sat in the hotel reading room, a couple
OF Cubans who spoke very good English
came i'll and took seats near us. There
was no doubt i'll my mind from the first
that they meant to draw Whitley into a
trap. They began by abusing and
maligning Americans and wishing for
war, and when he persistently refused to
take notice of them one of them dclibcr-
ately turned upon him and said;
"Havana is no place for such as YOU"
''Thc gentleman is an invalid" l re-
piled.
But he is also a Yankee" continued
the Cuban. "Our Government should
not permit them to even land on Tie
island"
Whitley's face grew palcr, and he bit
his lips to keep back the hot words which
wanted to come, but he made NO reply.
The larger of the two men, who appear
cd to be a native fire eater, waited for Il
moment, and then rose up and said to
the Mi~chigander:
"Au Yankees are towards, / insult
you! Demand satisfaction if You dare
81 do demand IT," answered Whitley,
i'll q low voice. "You evidently want n
duel! You shall have it,"
''Good!' Missed the other. "NIy friend
here will arrange the details with your
friend. You have more courage than |
thought for
He walked away with a nod to me, and
was followed by his friend, who promised
to return in half an hour.
"1ou can't mean to fight him." ! in
quired of Whitley when we were alone.
"But | do. He insulted me as an
American, hoping to provoke q duel.
and as III American | Will fight him.
"But your hcalth?'
"Nevcr mind my health. All / want
is to keep the affair from my wife until
it is over with. Arrange to fight him to-
morrow morning"
"With what wcapons?"
81 never had a sword in my hand, and
| have had no experience with pistols.
Choose pistols, however. ! know enough
to sight and fire one, and ! must take
my chances
There was no doubt that the man was
an experienced duelist, but the more |
argued with Whitley tie more detcrmin-
ed he was to fight. Under all the cir
cumstanccs it would have been no dis
grace for him to refuse, but from the
very first his mind was made up. Such
affairs are easily and quietly arranged in
Cuba. When the second returned. we
settled on pistols for weapons, and he
was kind, enough to say that he would
arrange for q surgeon to be present. We
were to be at a certain spot about four
miles distant ut q certain hour in the
morning. The fellow was a pink of
politcness, and | carried the idea that |
had been mixed up i'll several affairs of
the sort, and that my principal was not
a green hand on the field Of honor.
did not sec Whitley again until We
took a carriage i'll tie morning to drive
to the grounds. He was calm and self
possessed, and on the way out arranged
with me about sending his wife home in
case of his death, and provided for other
emergencies. The little woman had not
received the slightest hint of what was
on the tapis. We found the other par
ties waiting for us, and the details were
speedily arranged. The men were placed
fifteen PAGES apart, and it was under
stood that they were to fire until one or
the other was killed or wounded. In
case either was wounded and wanted to
continue the fight, the duel should 90
on. The two pistols were loaded and
handed TO the principals, and h awk-
ward manner in which Wh!tiCY held his
made the CubanS smile. / had told him
how to stand so as to present the smallest
possible target to his opponent, but as
they took their places I was mortified TO
see him present his full front. 1t seemed
as if any n who could sight a pistol
must bore him through at the first fire.
He was a trife palcr than usual, but he
stood firm on his feet and was in good
nerve.
The word was finally givcn-onc, two,
three, tire-and both pistols were dis
charged at once. / was looking at Whit
ley. l saw a piece of cloth from his
should fly in the air, and as turned my
gaze toward the Cuban L saw the latter
sink down in a heap, as if he had been
struck on top OF the head. We ran to
him to find a bullet hole in the center
of his forehead, and he was stone dead.
His bullet had clipped Whitlcy's right
shoulder, but without drawing blood. [
never saw two men so d~umbfounded IS
the surgeon and the Cuban's second. 1t
was q minute before they could realize
the disaster. Everything had been fair
and according to tire code. and nothing