Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1889-11-15
DUEL TO THE DEATH.
Two Prominent Kentucky Politicians
XIII Each Other.


Kill Each Other.
Col. William CassiUs GOodloe, collector of
internal revenue Of the eth Kentucky dis
trct, and Col. Armsi cad NJ. Swope met IN
& rostOllicc, at Lexington, Ky, ON the sth.
Both men were after the mail that was IN
their letter boxes, which are rather close to-
gelher. They approached these boxes almost
at the same instant and when each saw
who the other was they glared Ut
each other fiercsly, and one of the two,
il cann.t be discovered which, exclaimed,
you spoke To me; you insulted me-
This was followed by some angry words
from the other man. exactly what they were
cannot be found out. At this instant the
men Strengthened mp, and each drew
weapon, Swope pistol aud Goodloe clasp
knife. Swope fired and GoOdloe knocked
the pistol down as it went of, the ball enter
ing his abdomen on the ght side. Goodloe
then began stabhing his opponent IN the
breast with his knife. After several blows
had been struck by Goodloe, SwOpe fired
again, missing GOodloe. In q moment
after firing the second shot, Col SwOpe fell
on his face and, weltering in his blood, diei
almost instantly. On his person were three
wounds, they beingon his back, arms ana
in his breast. Immediately after the kill
ing Col GOodloe walked to a physicians
office, where his wounds were examined.
lie was perfectly cool, and made a DISPOSE
ton of property in case of death. The cause
of the difficulty was a statement made in the
republican convention of May !, 1883, by
Col. Goodloe, that fully two-thirds of the
Fayette county delegation in the convention
did not speak TO Swope.
Col. A. NJ. SWope was a native of Ken
lucky. He practiced law at Paris Ky,
until the beginning of the war, when be
Joined the Union army and rose to the rank
of colonel, serving on Gen, Buell's st fl.
After the war he went to Lexington and re-
sumed the practice of his profession. He
was an applicant for commissioner OF IN
ternal revenue under President Harrison,
but was defeated, lis claimed, through en-
nifty Of Col. Goodloe.
Hon. William Cassius Goodloe was born
in Madison county in 1871. In 1861 he &C
companied his uncle, Cassius NJ. Clay, to
Russia, where he was sent as minister by
President Lincoln. Mr.. Goodoe acted as
secretary cfthe legation until 1862, when he
returned and joined the Union amy as as
sstant adiutant. general Of volunteers, serv-
ing until 1864, when he resigned and COM
menced the practice of law in Lexington.
Col. w. w. Dudley, III response to a tele-
gram asking for particulars in regard to the
tragedy, received a message stating that Col.
Goodl0e'S wounds were very serious but not
necessarily fatal. The dispatch stated that
Col SwOpc drew pistol and shot at Col
Goodloe, who thereupon drew knife and
stabbed Swope.
The president knew Col. Goodloe well and
esteemed him highly. The news of his
probable fatal shooting was communicated
to him, and affected him to q most marked
extent. The intelligence seemed to stun the
president almost as though it had been a
near relative A book which he was holding
in his hand at the time fell to the floor and
for a few minutes lie paced nervously and alb
| straCtpdlv up and down He asked that any
| particulars Of the tragedy which might be
| received should be communicated to him.
| The subject is the one topic of conversation
among public men and in public places.
The excitement at Lex ngton is of the most
| intense character. The body of Col Swope
has been shipped to Stanford Ky, and bur-
| led beside that of his mother. Col. Swope
said few days ago that some day he aud
| GoOdloc would fight ii out to the death +"
and he added 81 hope he may kill me, as |
would rather die than make orphans of his
Children
AT the inquest on the body of Swope the
testimony was substantially the same as the
| story of the killing above save That it was
| clearly proved that no one heard the exact
language used by the two men Immediately
| before the difficulty began. Three witnesses
were found who saw the fight. One of
them saw all, the other two only part. II
| was strongly brought out that Swope lost his
! pistol in the early part OF the ARRAY; that
| his first shot, and not the second, struck
| Goodloe; that the latter's battle was the
most desperate az well as the most bloody
ever known in Kentucky. After his antag-
onist had fallen on his face in the embrace
of death, Goodloe remarked as he walked
ont of the postoflice lobby, He beloved
| like q calf" Witnesses corroborated this
| Had it not been that these two deadly enc
| mics had pOstotfice boxes one right above
| the ether the tragedy would not have oc
cured, as they had often passed each other
on the street without any trouble
An operation was performed on Col. Good
loe, and the physicians then ascertained that
death was certain. Col. Goodloe expired al
noon on the 10th.
When informed that death was approach
| ing he asked to be made communicate Of
| the Episcopal church and the holy com
| muui0n was administered to him.
His DEATH following so soon after thu
demise of his opponent, had q profound
effect in Lexington. The pail which hang
like heavy cloud everywhere seems simply
oppressive, and the terrible tragedy will s.
remembered as one of the most unfortunate
that has ever occurred in Kentucky, which
has been styled the dark and bloody
| ground"