Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1890-08-21
DUELS AZ BLADENSBUR G.
A SHORT SKETCH OF THE FA-
NOUS FIGHTING GROUNDS.

The Old Field of Honor Near Deserted
VilIage--The First Duel at Hladensb"rs'
The Awful Fight Between nln,"n and
McCorthy-NIorc Chan witty Meetings.
Miserably falling to decay, a deserted viii
lnRe truly is BladenshurG, with little to per
pctuate It's name aside from the memory OF
its dueling ground. Founded about the mid
die of the last century, the town vas named
after Governor Baden, of Maryland, and
,,on became the chief tobacco mart OF the
uate, owing to the facility for shipment given
bv the eastern branch Of the Potomac. In
deed, Bladcnsburs's Importance was sufficient
to give it place on the malat an early da'n,
when scores Of towns now superior 10 IL, III
tho same neighhorhcoi, wrlN scarcely oven
dreamed of.
The visitor to Washington who takes in
Bladensburs as one of the Inevitable sights
of historic interest scarcely can be prevailed
upon to believe that the sluggish, hali dried
stream at the end of the town once tontcd
merchantmen down through the Potomac
into the Chesapeake bay and out into the At
lnutic- TLe listens to the old traditions OF
that battle In tn" village on an August dny
in 1914, when the Britisn Gen, Ross and Adj
miral Cockbulrl routed the Americans under
Winier and Barney, and proceeded on their
march of devastation to the capital.
THE DuEIING GROUND.
A spa spring of chalyteato water flows
usclcssly away at one end OF the only street
IN the village, and the picture OF gloom ID
completcd with two or three tnverns, rcndez-
yous for negroes, while deep In the shadow
beyond is the dnrlng ground
About one mile westerly from the village,
and lust outside the line separating the Dis
trict of Columbia from Maryland, Is the
world famous Blndensiurg dueling ground.
1t is a strip of low ground shut In by hills on
three sides, like a natural nmphithcatre, with
the fourth side open toward the road Civil
ization may complacenty gaze at this far
away nook and reflect that the world would
have to rctard instead of advance could tho
duel ever again revive. 1t was the mcdinvnl
"wager of battle" without the merit Of It's
attendant superstition; it made tho trick OF
the weapon the verdict Of the jury.
The FIRST duel at Bladensburg was In the
year 1903, between the Hon. George w.
Campbell and H. b. GARDENER, both mem
bers of the house of representatives. Camp
bell was in the house from 1903 to 1909, repre-
senting Kentucky. He was afterward
senator from the same stats, succeeding to
becoming minister to Russia Gardener was
from New York. Their quarrel aros' from
words spoken in debate. After several at
tempted meetings in which friends interfered,
they mot at Bladenshurs on cold, frosty
morning in February. GARDENER fell, after
several fires, severely wounded, but he was
able to resume his seat in few weeks. Con-
corning the event, an extract from The Ma
tional Inteligeucer of that date, signed by
the respective parties, stated that every
thing was conducted on tho ground with the
utmost propriety."
The first death occurring on the Bladons-
burg field of honor was that OF Edward
Hopkins, an ensign IN the navy. Hc was
killed in 1914 by a brother O.lR,er. Both the
cause of the dispute as well as tho namo of
his slayer are in much doubt at this date.
II Is estimated that since that time there
have been fifty hostile meetings on the spot.
Some have resulted a,ncahly; some hnvo oo-
casioned hloodless shots or wounds slight
enough to satisfy injured honor, while in 9TH
ers at least ono of tn" duelists has yielded up
his life
THE MASON AND MCCARTHY DUEL
Few men have ever crowded into thirty
three years Of life moro worldly honora thun
Ar,nistead Thomson Mason No nober sac
TlflCC 10 tnc demon 'l NhIlt! WIZ ''cI blltINsl
Oh the ''iicds ut Diadensburs. Tho great
popularity of Mason was considered by the
fetleralist party ns their only hopo In the
campaign for the choice Of a member OF tho
house of representatives According TO his
partyS request, he resigned bis seat in the
senate TO run for a lesser office. Figuring
largely in that campniyu was his cousin. John
Mason Mccarthy. Between the two families
there existed most ,leally feud Tho hur-
ried utterances of nn excited campaign were
not calculated to nllay it. elimination AMI
recrnnution followed, and, goaied on by
interested friends, MGsOn challenged nCCar-
thy.
Jack Mccarthy, az lie was fa'niliarly called.
WIS a dead shot, and, knowing the superb
GRITTY, be it said TO his credit that he sought
t. avoid the meeting. &c was mobile enemy,
for when he saw that the meeting was UNI
nvoidable, he determined that both lives
ehouli he sacrificed, in order that the family
enm.y should end and, Icing the challenged
Is,rty, he proposed in serlou. earn, stnes that
each man should sit on Eeg OF powder and
be blown up This, of course, was not In &C.
cordanoe with the code, and was not listened
TO- His next proposition was TO fight with
muskets, ten PAGES apart.
That was the picture at the Bladcnshurg
dueIg ground on Feb. s, 1S,0-two men
armed with loaded and cooked tnuskcts, aimed
ut each others hearts and only ten PAGES
apart There was no voice to cry out, no
hand appraised to prevent the murder. Tho
clear voice Of the second gave tho command
10 fire Two shots startled the stiffness
around; two men fell, and when the smoke
cleared, Arlnistead T. Mason, with all the
Donors Of his young life thick upon him, lay
' ~. AZ