Western appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1885-18??, 1888-06-23
STRANGE WAR DUEL.


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An Interesting Incident Recorded BY N
Ex-Confsderato Surgeon.
On the 18th of June, 1868. witnessed
. duel between Captain Jones, COM
manding a Federal scout, and Captain
Fry. commanding Confederate scout,
in Greene County, East Tennessee.
These two men had been fighting each
other for six months, with the fortunes
OF battle in favor of one and then the
other. Their command was encamped
on either side of Lick Greek, a large
and sluggish stream, too deep to ford
and too shallow for ferry-boat, but
there bridge spanned the stream for
the convenience of the travelling public.
Each Of them guarded this bridge, that
communication should go neither north
nor south, as the railroad train track
had been broken up months before.
After fighting each other several
months and contesting the point as to
which should hold the bridge, they
agreed to fight q duel, the conqueror to
hold the bridge undisputed for tho
time being. Jones gave the challenge
and Fry accepted. The terms were
that they should fight with navy pistols
at twenty yards apart. deliberately
walking toward each other and firing
until the last chamber of their pistols
was discharged, unless one or the other
fell before all the discharges were
made. They chose their seconds and
agreed upon a rebel surgeon Gas he was
the only one in either command) to at
tend them in case of danger.
Jones was certainly d ne-looking
fellow, with light hair and blue eyes,
five feet ten inches in height, looking
every inch the military chieftain. He
was man soldiers would admire and
ladies regard with admiration. never
saw a man more cool, determined and
heroic under such circumstances. I
have read of the deeds of chivalry and
knight-errantry in the Middle Ages and
brave man embalmed in modern poesy,
buzz I saw Jones come to the
duelists scratch, fighting, not for real
OF supposed wrongs to himself, but, as
he honestly thought, for his country
and the glory of the flag, | could not
help admiring the man, notwithstand-
ing he fought for the freedom of tho
negro, which I was opposed to.
Fry was man full six feet high,
slender, with long. wavy, curling hair,
jet-black eyes, wearing a SLOUGH hat
and gray suit, and looked rather tho
demon than the man.
There was nothing ferocious about
him, but he had that self-sufficient non.
chalance that said: II will kill you"
Without doubt he was brave, cool
and collected, and although suffering
from terrible flesh wound in his left
arm, received a week before, he mani-
tested no symptoms of distress, but
seemed ready for the fight.
The ground was stepped off by tho
seconds, pistols loaded and exchanged,
and the principals brought face to face.
They turned around and walked back
to the point designated. jones' second
had the word Fire and as he slowly
said three fret they
simultaneously turned at the word
-"One'' and instantly fired. Neither
was hurt. They cooked their pistols
and deliberately walked toward each
other, firing as they went. At the fifth,
shot Jones threw up his right hand
and, firing his pistol in the air, sank
down. Fry was in the act of firing his
last shot, but, seeing Jones fall. silently
lowered his pistol, dropped it on the
ground and sprang to Jones' side,
taking his head in his lap as he sat
down and asking him if he was hurt.
I discovered that Jones was shot
through the region of the stomach, the
bullet glancing around that organ and
coming out to the left of the spinal
column; besides he had received three
other frightful flesh wounds in other
portions of the body. I dressed his
wounds and gave him such stiumlants
as I had. He afterwards got we'll.
Fry received three wounds - one
breaking his rightarm, one the left and
the other in the right side. After
months of suffering he got we'll. and
fought the war out to the bitter end,
and to-day the two are partners in q
wholesale grocery business, and certi-
flying the sentiment of Byron, that "a
soldier braves DEATH etc. Georgia
Union.