The evening world., 1888-12-01
SOME sroeIEs OF DuELs
Did Hiokery,s Famous Contest with Kegs
Of Pewdsr-Other 1~Eaeeunters.

tISsm ns Atlanta consNsasa.l 3 -.
Now that the moon drips blood and the wall
Of the midnight mongrel seems TO tell Of dis
aster and death, the code duello 10 an interest
ing subject.
Duelling In fashionable, there is no doubt
about that. And If 1t was not, would not the
approaching meeting upon the field of honor
between o Colorado Judge and u Kentucky
Senator give prestige to the demand for a SET
Element of all disputes upon the field OF
honor It certainly would. And this proves,
II there is anything In practical illustration.
that old things are becoming new again.
That the days when gentlemen recognized
nothing so plainly as their duty to respond to
an ihsult, real or imagined. by q challenge to
mortal combat. And the more mortality the
moro agreeable were these affairs to the gen.
tlemen Of those days.
There haye been all sorts Of duels and the
principals thereof have been all sorts of men,
and the weapons with which they have made
work for the surgeon or the undertaken have
also been varied. The harmless, fashionable
duel of the French. satirized by Mark Twain,
has made q smile go round the world, but the
more deadly United States method has also
its redeeming features and humorous turn.
The story of odd Hickory's" duel in
which he was the challenged party, and by
right had choice Of weapons, has been often
told. He stipulated that his opponent and
himself should sit upon two kegs OF gunpow-
der with u lighted fuse attached to each. The
climax of thus novel affair was reached when
ODD Hickory's" fighting enemy ran as the
the bung.hole Of his keg OF powder. And as
he fed he heard odd Hickory" derisively
calling to him to come back, you burned
fool; there is nothing but onion seeds in
these kegs"
Another story about the man who, when
challenged by q former friend, aggrieved at
some trivial matter, suggested that they Join
hands and jump from the top of the highest
building in New York, created q laugh when
haired and deorepit through long years Of
faithful service; and has been shelved.
The man who was challenged by q wooden
legged man, has become historical ON account
of his queer demand when he and his antago.
mist met upon the field of honor. He did not
know until the pistols were loaded and the
ground paced off that the man who thirs ed
for his blood was possessed with a timber
limb. He protested and cited that section OF
the code which prescribes that neither party
shall have any advantage over his adversary,
c%ontending that his wooden-legged opponent
| had an advantage. But rather than break
up the affair, gentlemen, " remarked the man
who had two sound and natural iegss' -
will get o bee-gum for me to put one OF my
legs in, / will go ahead with the fight"
That duel didn't come off.
There was O good one told in Georgia a few
years ago, and it has lost mono of its virility
with age. A couple of gentlemen had de-
| cided that nothing but o shot at one another
| with adult pistols would satisfy q difference
they enjoyed. BY reason of a failure to make
q railroad connection one OF the principals
did not arrive at the place selected Tor the
battle, and his second brought the news of
his detention d the others. who were impa-
tent for the slaughter to begin. When the
other principal heard of the delay that was
to debar him from the privilege of shooting
at his enemy, he promptly sent word that the
| code made provision Tor such emergencies.
| That when either of the principals failed to
appear at the time and place set for the duel,
his second must answer to the demand of the
| other side. But the second in this cass did
not take kindly to this, and said that It
| would be impossible for him to fight, as he
| was not naturalized. That duel was declared
OF, and a champagne supper restored good
| feeling all round
In the days when II was the proper thing to
lock the dueilists in q darkened room and arm
them with pistols. there were good stories
told. One of them has been preserved. A
German and a Frenchman were the fighters.
They were locked in q room which was SO
dark that they could not see each other. The
Frenchman described what transplred in his
own peculiar style II know eff shoot my
pistol re Dutchman see by ze flash and shoot
me. So l say to myself, ! fire up re chimney
and zis will scare re Dutchman so he shoo'
his pistol, and zen l can kill him. l keeI
var still, and re Dutchman l not hear at all.
But when l shoot my pistol up 70 chimney tt
scare him, down he come"