The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1890-10-02
A FAMOUS DUEL.
TWO CONGRESSMEN MEET AND
FIGHT WITH RIFLES.

TWO OONGRESSMEN MEET AND
FIGHT WITH RIFLES.
Particulars of the Affair Between Graves
and Oilley as Related by one Of the Sec
onds.
Elk Senator Jones, of Iowa, once a
prominent actor in some of the most ex-
citing periods of our history, is now
very bright and talkative at the age of
eighty-eight. In talking with a Chi
cago Times reporter he mentioned
the fact that he was the only living
spectator of the famous Cil!ey-
Graves duel and gave some interesting
facts about this historic fight. He
said:
"In 1888 Jonathan Cilley. of Thom-
aston, Me, w. ]. Graves, ,ofLouisville,
KY, and myself were colleagues in the
lower house Of Congress. Cilley end
were brother managers of the 22d
of FEBRUARY ball that year. At this
time there was great excitement in the
House, where the Democrats had a
majority. The duel grew out of
very bitter debate which occurred in
the House between Jonathan Cilley on
the Democratic side and Henry A.
Wise, afterward Governor of Virginia,
ami John Bell and Bailie Peyton, of
Tennessee, on the Wing side, Bell
was afterward a candidate for Presi
dent of the United States. Cilley was
the most brilliant debater among the
Democrats and Wise the most fiery
and eloquent of the Wings.
"Martin Van Buren was President
and the Wings, as represented by
Wise, were very bitter and severe in
denouncing him and his administers
ton. When the debate was at its
height 1 was sitting by the side of
Gov. Yell, of Arkansas, and l said to
him that Wise was the most impudent
and the most severe man l ever listen
ed to. James K. Polk, afterward
President, was Speaker Of the House.
"Cilley, in reply to Wise, said that
it was very easy matter to make
charges He said that the newspa-
pers had charged Col. James Watson
Webb, of New York, (the leader of
the Wing party and who gave it its
name), with receiving a bribe of S52, :
900 for advocating the rechartering of
the Bank of the United States.
CAT this, Wise, Bell and Peyton
jumped up in their seats. Wise was
furious. He said:
"'Mr. Speaker, does the gentleman
say th at James Watson Webb received
bribe?'
"Cilley replied: 4 said that the
newspapers charged him with receiv-
ing bribe.'
"Wise continued: Does the gentle
man believe the charger
"Cilley simply said: Mr.. Speaker,
1 have made no charges and took his
seat
"Two or three days after l went to
my boarding house at $50 o'clock for
dinner, as customary when the House
lid not adjourn. My friend, DR.. Linn,
Senator from Missouri, was i'll and [
walked up to his room. There [ first
saw Franklin Pierce, afterward Presi-
dent, who was standing by the bed
side. Senator Benton, of Missouri,
was also in the room. AS [ entered
the room DR.. Linn said, There is the
| man. He Will do It..
"I asked DR.. Linn what he would
have for dinner and paid no attention
to his remark. I heard Col. Benton
say, They can not object to rifles,
but had no idea what they were
talking about so went out and into
my room across the hall, leaving the
door ajar that I might hear the bell
for dinner.
"Col. Benton was then the Presi-
dent of our mess, and at that time
Jefferson Davis was my guest. In a
few minutes Franklin Pierce came in
to my room and said: Gen. Jones,
will you do this p
"'I said: do what?
"sDon't you know that CiIley has
been challenged by w. j. Graves to
fight duel p
| :tWhat about ?
"tAbout the debate in the House.
"'Mr. Graves said nothing in that
debate
"Well, he has sent a challenge to
Cilley by Henry A. Wise, of Virginia.
| which vas Immediately accepted, and
Cilley has sent me to ask you to act as
his second
II replied that could not think of
acting as his second, as it would con-
meet me directly with the Democratic
party, and as a territorial delegate, 1
could not afford to appear as a parti
san.
sPierce, who was then Senator from
| New Hampshire, asked me to at least
go over to the House with him to see
Gov. Miller, of Missouri, who was
Cilley's second choice. / agreed and
we jumped into his carriage and drove
to the House. He interviewed Miller,
who declined on account of old age.
Then he persuaded me to go and see
Cilley. So we drove to DR.. Duncan's
room, on F street, where Cilley was.
When we came in Cilley said: 'I'm
so glad that you've come to be my
second I replied that could not be
his second. Then he took me into the
hall and, reminding me of our former
friendship, finally made me agree to
act.
"Cilley, as the challenged party, had
] decided to choose rifles as the weapons.
| I suppose I was selected as second be-
cause I had been four times second
to Gov. Dodge, of Missouri. I then
sat down end dispatched notes to F.
B. Blair and John Forsyth, Secretary
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