The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-10-06
OLD TIME DuEL.
4 Believer In The Code Eas some thing To Say
ON the EuciIo as II Was.
(Frcm the New York Star

a Believer In The Code fIas somcthi to m
on the Dueio ns II Was.
(Frcm the New York starr
els dneiing still popular among gen
tlcmen?" was asked by Star reporto
the other day of Il military man who ha
been prominent in several ''aflairs."
mo, times have changed marvclously
During JacksOn's second tenn the Dom
ocrats, flushed with victory at the PrcSi
dental election, were rather arrogant
Many dashing and gallant young men
mad been elected from the Western and
southern States, and conscious of their
great numerical superiority were some
What disposed to carry matters with Il
high hand. Ducling in those days wss
much III vogue. and personal discussions
IN the House were frequently brought to
an abrupt termination by an intimaton
that injurious imputations would be re-
scntcd elsewhere. John NJ. Patton pnd
Henry NJ. Wise, Of Virginia, Eailie Pay
ton, of Tennessee, Galatm Hawcs, OF
kentucky, Jesse Bynum, Of North Caro-
lima, and many other Southcrners were
known to be prompt with the pistol, and
1t was understood that call to the field
would follow any damaging personal at
tack upon distinguished members of the
ruling party. The rude dcmcanor and
offensive vituperation by which Congress
has been dis9raccd for some years past
would have been promptly punished
forty years ago Now it cxcitcs com
paratively little public attention and is
only met i'll Congress by rctort in
kind"
GLOW do you account for the decline
of the duclng mania?"
"Ihc decline dates from the time it
was made ancillary to gambling and
Swlndling, or to the settlement Of dis
putcs between vulgar scoundrcls Since
then 1T has gone out of fashion rapidly.
The gross abuse of ducling has done
more to remedy its own mischief than
moral appeals and legal cnactmcnts.
"What do the Irish think of ducling?"
"Grattons dying advice to his sons
was: Always borcndy with your pistols.
The Irish are often much too ready.
There is n trait in the irish character
which is considered by many to he
nationally chivalrous, and that is gen
cral dislike to seek in courts of law a
monetary compensation for honor out
ragged through womun's folly. In this
country rcparation for loss of service is
considered Il thing as correctly rccaima-
bic as loss Of profit on II broken contract
for n cargo OF wheat or cotton, while
mong Irishmen, III nine cases out of
ten, the man who works upon the weak
ness of Il wife, or triilcs with the atlcc-
tons of a sister, is not subjected to an
assessment for damages by Il jury, but
summoned to give personal satisfaction.
Men disinclincd to make targets of
themselves in obedience to Il convention
nj code of honor have often got ont of
the difficulty by availing themselves of
the right accorded to the challenged to
choose the weapons. An old Whaling
captain not long since declared he would
light with harpOons or not at all, an al
tentative declined by his adversary. A
Missourian dauntcd his antagonist bv
insisting upon Il combat with rawhidcS
limited to half an hours duration.
General Putnam was once challenged by
n young officer and proposed that each
should sit upon powdcr-kcg, with n
lighted fuse III the bung. As he would
hear of no other terms, the General had
his way. At the appointed time the
bclligcrentS took their seats, the fuses
were ignitcd, and the veteran watched
the progress of the flame with unmovcd
countcnnnce. Not so his opponent Hc
took intense interest in the fast -lcsscning
match, and when the flame got SuggcS-
lively near the bung hole showed his
possession of the better part OF valor by
off the kcg and making for the
open field till arrested by Putnam roar
ing out: "llold on, my boy; it's only
onion seed.
Two Western editors Of opposing
newspapers once made fools of them
selves. 1t came about though the editor
of one of the papers declaring in IL leader
that the editor OF tie other paper was Il
bigamist and that gentleman rcscnting
the calumny by pulling the libclcr'S
nose in the public street The Mayor OF
the town kindly undertook to arrange
for the difficulty bciug settled in prop
CT way, and the two editors were soon
rifle in hand, behind the
trees in Il wood. For two mortal hours
they lodged and pceped, neither caring
to fire, lest by missing he should leave
himself mt his encmys mercy. Then
the rain came down, and one OF the
combatants discovered that it had satu-
rated his powder.
'ls your powder wct?" shouted he to
his rival.
"No, answered the other
"Nline's beautifully dry continued
the first.
But his adversary, guessing how mat
ters were, came boldly out of cover, with
his weapon ready to come to the "prc-
sent"
Stop" cried the appalled, man,
'stop! Lets have a parlcy. You're a
earned good fellow. eappose instead of
shooting we go into partnership"
"All right, replied the other, and
they returned home together.
OF course both editors had to set
themselves right with their subscribers,
which they did by telling them that their
guns were wet, and wouldn't go off.
- -rn.-----