The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1889-11-02
A DUEL WITH POTATOES.
10" TIE REV. MIR. BOWMAN D0YvrTi
\ DESPERADO

10" TIE REV. MR.. BOWMAN DowyED
A DE8PERADo.
"ih's seems to be the year of dueIs .
Said Df. Morrison, of the First Meth
oaist Church, to an Atlantic journal
reporter, "but | notice there's far more
.duels than blood 1t reminds me Of
a famous duel fought in Kentucky in
T b!h Bowman was noted preacher.
who lived near NIiIlersbure. He was
a typical hentuckian, tall, angular
and Muscular. Like Sam Jones he
always said what he thought. In the
n'dat Of revival meeting a we'll
known desperate came into the church
ana ana began making a disturbance.
Win eyes flashing with indignation
biii bowman arose and in a ringing
voice publicly reproved the desperate
who u once retired from the church
"Ihe next morning the desperate
sent challenge TO Bowman to fght
a duel. Bowman accepted the chal-
ienge, and there was no four-coI,mn
newspaper correspondence, no railroad
trips to m adjoining state, nothing
but two little notes-one challenge
and the other an acceptance-and
then all was ready to fight. The
IoWh was terribly excited, for such a
.hlng as a preacher fighting a duel
had never been heard of before.
'0ld Bill Bowman being the chal-
onged man had the choice of weapons
lie selected a half bushel of Irish
potatoes as big as his fist for each
nan and stipulated that bis opponent
must stand fifteen PAGES distant and
my one potato at time be taken
rom the measure. The town was
nd with delight, for everybody knew
bat bili Bowman could throw with
Is long muscular arms as STRAIGHT
nj almost as swift as rife could
ena bullet singing toward the tar
THE desperate was furious at
eng freshly insulted, and made an
ldignant protest against such fight.
Ut b'iI bowman asserted that as he
as the challenged man he had
ght to choose his own weapons, and
reatened to denounce the desperado
a coward il he failed to come to
ne; As there was no way out of
e box but to fight, the desperate
nsented to face the preacher.
The fight took place on the out
irts OF the town. Everybody in
iilers5urg was present to see the.
n. The seconds arranged the two
IN in position, by tho side of each
ing a h2lfFbushel heasure filled
lh large Irish potatoes as hard as a
'bili bowman threw the first pota-
1t struck his opponent a central
1t and flew into thousand peices.
yell OF delight went up from the
#d' which ratified the desperate
his potato few wide of the
F, bony preacher.
'bii1 bowman watched his chance,
OF0iy Viihe HIS opponent stopped
a potato another one hit him in
SIDE, leaving a wet spot on his
nes and then scattering itself to
tour winds of heaven. Old Bill
the deaperado about five times
then the sixth potato struck him
he short ribs, knocking the wind
7letely out of him, and doubling
mp on the grass.
Inc people were almost crazy with
.hter, bat Bill Bowman looked as
as il he had just finished preach
, funeral sermon. The desperate
taken home and put to bed, and
? ne stald for more than week
re he recovered from the effects
IS IRISH potato duel.
he old men in Millersburg still
about that celebrated duel, but it
he means Of breaking up duelling
at section"