The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1890-08-13
DUEL IN A DEEP WELL.
A Mortal Comblt without IA Paral-
lei In History.

speaking of duels, rem1rke,
Col. Dawson, Of Texas, to a grou
in Iceland hotel, where the pros
pnctive encounter bet cen Franl
Hatton and Theodore Roosevelt
was heinz Discus ed, savs a write
IN the Chicago Post, speaking O
duels makes me think OF the thirc
one in which | figured.
1t was he ore the war, and
was a hot young blood, in for any
thing in the way OF excitemen
thatcould be proposed.
81 had killed my man in m,
fist affair and 6inged my oppo
I nent IN the second without receiv
ing scratch myself, so l felt pref.
| ty confident.
"a short time afterwards
picked UP Q quarrel with a young
man from the North named Hen,
ny Westfall. He was quiet enough
and there was really no occasion
for any row, but | was getting
rusty for muss, ant SD when he
accidentally trod on my foot one
day | called him a clumsy loater,
Notwithstanding he had apollo
gized.
by way of reply he slapped
my face and / sent him challenge
His second replied in person, stat
ing that as his principal had the
choice Of weapons, he had instruct>
ed him to select some well, have it
pumped dry: when dry, Westfall
and ] would go in it. he standing
ON coup e Of bricks to make our
heights equal, and there we were
to stand while the water ran into
the well, rising higher aid higher
until. unless we desired to save
ourselves, it would cover our
heads and drown us.
'In case either got sick Of his
bargain h was to pull the rope
which would he tied to his waist
and he would he h uIe,l up, the
other to be hauled up Immediately
after, the one first signaling to be
declared the vanquished.
Wen, the proposition nearly
took my breath away. However,
there was no help for 1t, and on
the following afternno.l we met in
the presence of about twenty four
prominent citizens who seldom
came to duels, so common had
they become, hut to whom the
novelty of this one had proved to
be too strong an attraction,
"Well, both of us quickly dotted
our upper garments and stepped
TO the brink OF the we'll, where the
thin ropes were tel about our
waists. The VII was ten feet in
diameter, and as lop>e.l down
into it it seemed 1000 feet deep.
Wtstt,II carried a eouplh Of brick
in his hands to stand an, and after
receiving our instructions W. were
lifted off our feet by the derrlcks
and down We dropI ed,
"Ths lasi words heard was q
bet OF 2 to | on Westtall. At asst
we reached the bottom, humping
against the sli,uy pass covered
wall every low and then. There
was already two teet,I water in the
bottom, though the pumps had
just stopped, and blythe way the
water was rushing in there was
not much time to wait.
"Westfall adjusted the bricks
stood on them, crossed his arms
aid gazed at ms so fixedly aud 81
calmly that / was forced 10 hook
away. 1 looked above and saw
the stars twiukGag, althou h it
~as a little past midnight. ]
hought OF, every blessed thing ]
mad dnnei and vowed it got out
Of that serape I'd behave myself
| in the -tdiare like a civilized being.
81 glanced at WestfaI when the
cold water had reached our Shouts
ders; hut. eyes we're sill on me
and / Looked above.
Higher rose the water. Il
reached our chins; il touched ouI
fps a ripple struck my nose, anc
| -
| had just time to take long
breath when it was above my nos.
trils. Across the level OF the wa
ter like two balls Of FIRE shone thu
ayes Of Wesltall,
, "Will he die without pulling th
} chordY wondered as the limit t
r hold my breath was reached.
expelled it from my lungs. AS
/ did 80 the water reached and Gov