The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-08-22
STRANGER THAN FICTION
HISTORICAL INCIDENTS REVIVED BY
THE SHOOTING OF TERRY.

dated by Terry's Threats.
The killing of Judge David S. Terry il
San Francisco Aug, 14th by David Maggie
Deputy United States Marshal, who
was defending, as he evidently under
stood 1t, Judge Field of the United
States Supreme Court from insult, CLOSED
a remarkable historical career. Thost
who were not too young in years before
the late civil war will remember tina
upon the banners through the first veal
of the Lincoln campaign was inscribed
the legend : They have killed me fol
opposing the extension of slavery.
Those were the death words of Davic
G. Broderick, the Democratic UniteC
States Senator from California, who hac
the courage and the manhood to oppose
his party when it surrendered to the
slave power. The death of Terry will
revive many interesting incidents in the
career of both Terry and Broderick. HI
fell in the political duel fought with
David S. Terry, who has now himself
met with violent death. Broderici
died in 1860, Senator of the United
States. His life was possibility in nj
country but our own. Many old resi-
dents Of the Eighth Ward remember
David s. Broderick as young Demo
cratic boss IN that part of New YorE
thirty.five years ago. "Dave," the "firt
laddie" and stone masons apprentice
Just before he left New York for Sar
Francisco owned a popular saloon which
was the headquarters of the Tammany
bows of Houston, Spring and Varick
street neighborhoods. The immediate
. cause of Dawes leaving on the first at
tack of the gold fever of 1849 was his
unexpected defeat for Congress in q
Democratic district, for which, undoubt
edly, he was himself responsible. He
had become thorough political organ
izer, and in his new home as q fireman
and ward politician he almost imme-
diately acquired an ascendency in Dem
ocratic politics. No sooner had he Sc
cured a residence than he was chosen
State Senator, and by an accident dur
ing his term was made acting Lieuten-
ant Governor, Dave Immediately as
pired to be United States Senator, and
actually spent seven years IN persIs-
tent and undaunted struggle for the
prize. Three times-in 1851, 1855 and
1856-he prevented choice by the Leg
islature rather than see rival chosen.
In 1852 John B. Weller beat Broderck
by only two majority. In 1858 no cleo
ton for Senator occurred, In 1854
Broderick hit upon the lngenius plan of
choosing himself in advance of the va
cancy, and nearly succeeded in the
scheme, Believed to be in 1856 as dead
politically as Denis Kearney now is, and
actually 80 unpopular as to be kept under
watch by the aristocratic yiligance com
mittee of that period, Broderick, in
1857, by bold political moves, was chos
en- United States Senator, and had so
much power as to be able to dictate who
his colleague should be, after obliging
that coleague-Senator Gwynn-in a
memorable letter, which afterward be-
came public, to agree that Broderick
should enjoy all the patronage. This
was an agreement which President Blu
chanan refused to acknowledge, and
this led to a rupture between the Presi
dent and Broderick, who on one occasion
on the floor of the Senate averred that
"the Presidents policy toward Kansas
should be ascribCd to the failing intel
lect, the petulant passion and the trem-
bling dotage of an old man on the verge
of the grave" The rupture led to the
defeat in California of the Broderick
Democrats at the Congressional district.
During that canvass David S. Terry
made compaign speeches, although he
was Justice Of the Supreme Court
Broderick having claimed in stump
speech that he was following the lead
OF Douglas, Judge Terry retorted by say
ing that sit was the lead not of Stephen
but of Fred Douglas" Broderick was
breakfasting in the International Hotel
of San Francisco with Mr.. Perley,
friend both of the Senator and of the
Judge, when the speech was read out
from morning paper. Broderick was
much nettled, and impulsively said Il
have said that Terry. is the only honest
man on tie Bench but l take that back"
Perley spoke up sharply at this, and left
the table to go and pen a challenge,
which Broderick declined on the ground
that he had no quarrel with Perley, and
that if he had Perley was not his equal.
Then Judge Terry stepped into the gap
and, resigning his JudgeshIp for the
purpose, sent BroderIck a challenge,
which was accepted. The duel was
fought ten miles from San Francisco on
the morning of Sept, 10, 1859, with duel
ing pistols, at a distance of ten yards
Broderick's ball struck the ground few
PAGES Immediately in front of Terry,
Broderick's hair trigger failing him,
while Terry's ball lodged in Broderick's
left lung and killed hun within few
days. His death was regarded by the
Anti-Slavery Democrats as an assassina
tion-a sentiment which the late Gen
eral and Oregon Senator E. d. Baker
made the topic of celebrated funeral
grafton over Dave" as his admirers
continued to call hun to the day of en-
tombing his remains beneath a conspic-
uous monument in Lone Mountain Gem
etery.
Terry was indicted for murder and
imprisoned, hut never tried. During the
Civil War he was in the Confederate
army. After the war he returned 20 San
Francisco and practiced law and re en-
tered politics. In August. 1869, he I'M
successfully ran on the Kearney ticket
for Attorney General, In 1880 he was
nominated as Presidential Elector on
the Hancock ticket. Question was rais-
ed as to his eligibility as an Elector. He
was enjoined, but permitted to serve.
This, had the election of 1880 been as
close as that of 1876, might have had an
important bearing upon our political his
tory.
Broderick, whom Terry killed, was
natural leader of rough men. He stood
side by side with Trumbull in his hostil-
ity to slavery and his opposition to the
Kansas-Nebraska fraud. He was fay
ored by the Democrats at the North and
hated by them at the South but Califor.
MIA could not be captured for the Con-
federacy unless Broderick was silenced ,
and while he lived he would speak. 1t
has always been believed by his friends
that Judge David s. Terry, a noted duel
list, was selected as his murderer by his
political opponents. Broderick said he
knew he was to be deliberately murdered
when he accepted the challenge, for he
was ignorant of the use of pistols, while
Terry was a crack shot. 1t was because
OF this that Broderick in his dying
breath exclaimed =: "They have killed
me for opposing the extension of slav--
cry" Broderick died; but California
was saved to the Union. Terry lived
was frequently dishonored, and now
died from pistol shot while assaulting
q venerable Justice of the United States
Supreme Court-the genial, kindly, be-
loved Stephen W. Field.
The murder of Broderick by Terry was
unavenged except that the memory of
the dead helped to save California to the
Union. There have been no more elo'
quent funeral oratiops in our time than
those in the United States Senate on the
death of BroderIck. Seward placed
Broderick with Winthrop, Baltimore and
Penn as the founder of our States, Gen.
Baker, at the grave of Broderick in San
Francisco, thrilled the country with his
eloquence.
The recent career of Judge Terry first