Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-10-14
A DUEL WITH POTATOES.
How the Rev. MIR. Bowman Downed q
Desperate.

How the Rev. Mr.. Bowman Downed q
Desperate.
"This seems to be year of duels,n said
DR.. Morrison of the First Methodist
Church to an Atlanta Journal reporter,
"but notice there's far more duels than
blood. 1t reminds me of a famous duel
fought in Kentucky in 1S4S.
bill Bowman was noted preacher who
lived near Millersburg. He was typical
Kentuckian, tall, angular and muscular.
Like Sam Jones, he always said what ne
thought. In the midst of a revival meet
ing well-known desperate came into the
church and began making disturbance.
With eyes flashing with Indignation Bill
Bowman arose and in ringing voice pub
licly reproved the desperate, who at once
retired from the church.
"The next morning the desperate sent
challenge to Bowman to fight him a
duel. Bowman accepted the challenge,
and there was no four-column newspaper
correspondence, no railroad trips to an ad-
joining State, nothing but two little notes
one challenge and the other an ac-
ceptance- then all was ready for the
fight. The town was terribly excited, for
such thing as preacher fighting duel
had never been heard of before.
"Old Bill Bowman being the challenged
man had the choice of weapons. He
selected half bushel of Irish potatoes as
big as his fist for each man and stipulated
that his opponent must stand fifteen PAGES
distant and only one potato at time to
be taken from the measure. The town
was wild with delight, for everybody knew
that Bill Bowman could throw with his
long, muscular arms as straight and almost
as swift as rife could send bullet sing
ing toward the target.
"The desperate was furious at being
thus freshly insulted and made an indig-
nant protest against such fight, but Bill
Bowman insisted that he was the wronged
man and had right, of course, to choose
his weapons and threatened tc denounce
the desperate as coward if he failed to
come to time. AS there was no way out of
the box but to fight the desperate con-
scented to face the preacher.
"The fight took place on the outskirts
of the town. Everybody in Millersburg
was present to see the fun. The seconds
arranged the two men in position, by the
side of each being half-bushel measure
filled with large Irish potatoes as hard as
brick.
'Bill Bowman threw the first potato. 1t
struck his opponent a central shot and
flew into thousand pieces. A yell of de-
light went up from the crowd, which rat
tied the desperate and his potato flew
wide of the tall, bonY preacher.
"Bill Bowman watched his chance, and
every time his opponent stopped for
potato another one hit him in the side,
leaving wet spot on his clothes and then
scattering itself to the four winds of
heaven. Old Bill hit the desperate about
five times, and then the sixth potato
struck him in the short ribs, knocking the
wind completely out of him, and doubling
him up on the grass,
"The people were almost crazy with
laughter, but Bill Bowman looked as sober
as if he had just finished preaching fun
eral sermon. The desperate was taken
home and put to bed, and there he staid
for more than week before he recovered
from the effects of his Irish potato duel.
"The old men In Millersburg still talk
about that celebrated duel, but it was the
means of breaking up dueling in that sec
ton"