River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-01-23
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General Davis Describes an Encounter He
0nca Had With n Indra


In his racy book, "Recollections of
gives the following account of personal
encounter he once had with Judge who
had fined him for contempt:
my patience gave way. and felt my
self in perfect blaze of sudden fury.
had in my pocket very fine knife
with a long, thin blade. As / sprang to
my feet | drew out this knife, opened it,
and threw it point foremost into the bar,
looking steadily at the judge all the
while. My object was to induce the
Judge TO order me to Jail, and then to
attack him on the bench. The knife
vibrated, and the weight of the handle
broke the blade near the handle. Gen
eral 5. j. Gholson and several others
ran upon the bench beside the Judge,
ordered the sheriff TO adjourn court, and
carried the Judge out of the courtroom,
while a number of persons seized me.
Judge Howry being withdrawn.
prudent men among my personal friends
condemned my action, and appealed to
me to let the matter stop. ] agreed to
this Intending to pass straight to my
hotel, l saw Judge Howry come
forward toward the place where
was standing. / awaited
his approach, aud when close to me
asked him if he had intended by his fine
10 insult me. He said, NO" / then
said had been guilty of no offense to
Justify such an indignity, and requested
some explanation. He replied. II do
not, sir, explain my official conduct to
any man" In moment | had slapped
him in the face with my open hand. BY
some accident claw-hammer had been
left on the floor nearby; he seized this
and struck at me violently, while got
from my pocket the broken knife and
opened it. The blow of his hammer fell
upon my head, cutting through my hat
and several files of papers to the bone.
! made another strike at his jugular
with the corner of my knife-blade. This
blow fell upon his jaw, and l seized him
with my left hand by the collar and
pushed my head into his lace. He struck
again with the hammer, breaking and
depressing the outer blade of my skull
bone but not until had inflicted three
more cuts upon his jaw. AS we were pull
ed apart he gave me the third blow. /
went to my room and sent the Judge
message not to leave his room unarm-
ed as l would attack him upon sight
The court met again that evening.
had put on fur cap, with the back part
before, to conceal my wounds. and the
Judge wore his overcoat, with the collar
we'll drawn up, to hide the tokens of
combat on his person. / did not meet
Judge Howry for seven wears after this
affair. had gone to Pontotoc TO attend
the Federal court, and was sitting in
room with Roger Barton and Chancellor
Chalmers when Chalmers was sent for
from below. He soon returned and said
to me: II suppose, Davis, you care moth
ing now about that affair between you
and Judge Howry?" l promptly replied
that thought nothing of it; that Howry
was gentleman. and that our difficulty
was casual and without malice. Chal-
mers then said that Howry was below,
and would be glad to come up to Bar
toms room. He did so, and ] met him at
the door, and we-greeted each other in
the most cordial manner. Until his
death no two men could be more sim
cerely friendly than we continued to be.
i shall always believe that he went
down to his grave without finding out
what led to our quarrel that day, and l
am perfectly certain that ! shall go
sown to mine in equal ignorance, unless
he comes back to tell me-"