Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-01-21
A DEAD SHOT.
Alexander X. McClung, tho Famous Miss.
issippi Duelist.

issippi Duelist.
Mrs. Clement c. Clay, widow of the
noted Alabama senator, captured with
jeff Davis, was concerned with the
most famous dueliSt the south ever
produced in the person of Alexander
X. McClung. lie was native of
Kentucky, and for many years was
prominent i'll politics and society. He
was an exquisite i'll dress and man
ners, brilliant speaker and writer of
tremendous power, possessing
the keenest wit and sarcasm. His at.
tacks on the Van Buren, administra-
ton gave him national celebrity.
lie killed great many men during
his career. AS an instance of his
deadliness, for he always killed the
man he fought. may he mentioned his
duel with General Allen, of Mississ-
lppi. He had heard that Allen made
some sighting remark about him. At
ter Allen had accepted his challenge,
McClung declared that he would shoot
out the tongue that made the remark.
The duel was fought at forty PAGES
with rifles, and he literally cut Aliens
tongue out as he threatened.
One instance exhibits his courage.
One day he rode up to an inn in little
Mississippi town. While he was dis
mounting, a notorious bully and des-
peradO of that country, who had killed
many men and was the terror of that
region, was on the inside with his re-
volver cooked and watch in his hand.
lie had ordered the room cleared in
five minutes and every man had gone,
although all were fighting men. When
I,,,Il Ia;
and with big oath informed HIM of
the facts, and that there were only
three minutes left before he should
kill whoever remained. Chung with
out moving a muscle or drawing Il
weapon produced his watch, glanced
at it and said:
MY name is AleXanderMcClung. |
give you ten seconds to get out of here
or you are dead man.
The fellow yelled out,
by --, colonel, one-half of that
time will do" and he was out in two
seconds.
Later on in his career he was haunt
ed by remOrse. Man killing had left
its pains. His light was never out in
his room at night, and men said he
slept not. When the Mexican war
broke out he told the Rev. Peter DOMAIN,
father of the now only Colonel Peter,
that he was weary with life; that he
had never found any one who could
kill him, and he was going to battle to
seek death on the field as he did not
want to commit suicide.
lie entered the service as vOlun-
teer, and from the first placed himself
in the front point Of danger. command
ing attention for his absolute bravery.
lie was promoted again and again UNI
til he reached the head of Il regiment,
when he was shot through the body.
Then he returned home, saying he
couldn't be killed. and haZzarded his
life in several duels thereafter. He
grew more and more eccentric, and
thought his opponents abused his con-
lidence by not killing him. Then he
met Mrs. Clay, Il beautiful girl of her
time.
She describes him as the most fas-
cinating man to WoAen she ever met,
possessing that serpentlne power over
women which historians and roman
GERS attribute to Aaron Burr, the same
power that Matte Ould of Virginia
had over men. McClung proposed
marriage TO Mrs. Clay, but her friends
objected on account of his excessive
dueling propensitieS and the fear that
she would be unhappy with him. She
asked him to wait six months before
replying and during the interval did
not dare to meet him on account of
his power over her. In the meanwhile
she met Clement {. Clay. and was
satisfied that he was her destiny.
Shortly after the engagement was an
nounced she got a note from McClung,
asking for an interview. Being afraid
of his spell, and that he might kill her,
she declined 1t was only Il few days
later when McClmg rode into the then
little pine town of Columbus, MiSSis-
Sippi. lie was shown to a room at an
ina, the floor OF which was irregular
like those of all such places. He
poured water on the floor and observed
which way the incline ran. Then
dressing himself with the greatest care
and exquisite neatneSs, he lay down
with his head inclined with the floor.
lie placed one hand across his breast,
and with the other the muzzle of his
favorite duclling pistol at the bose of
the brain, where death is instantanc-
Gus.
He was found there, dead, without
a stain of blood on his scrupulouSly
clean, perfectly arraycd person, having
realized his superstition at last. that
finding no one else who could kill him.
he became a JClo de $c.-.N. y. IoGR
Topics.