Evening journal., 1890-04-09
PHELAN WANTS TO FIGHT
He Requests Satisfaction OF
Editor John w. Fleming.
4 eoxcREssMANs CHALLENGE.


A Newspaper Controversy which stirred
Up Bad Hood In Tenuessee-The Editor
Refuses to Fight and vigorously scores
His would-bc Opponent IN His Paper.
NASHVILLE, Tenn, April o.--Col. John NJ.
Fleming, editor Of The Knoxville Daily Sem
tinel, has received challenge from James
PhelGn, owner OF The Memphis Daily Ava
lanche, and representative in congress from
the Tenth district OF Tennessee. Editor
Fleming has refused to accept the challenge,
and exactly what further steps, if any, Con-
gresham Phelan may take are not known
Editor Fleming instead of sending his ac-
acknowledgement of the receipt of the commu-
nication BY wire, by which agency it was
transmitted TO him, published it in The SEN
tinel, and it is the principal theme Of con-
versat!on. Mr.. Phelan's challenge came by
telegraph from Washington last Sunday,
and was as follows:
a.st The Challenge.
6~z WASHINGTON April 8.
TO John II Fleming, Knoxville, Tenn
When wrote you from Alien had not seen
your letter 70 The Memphis Commercial You
are q liar, coward aud Sconndrei. Will await
your message here and come 70 Knoxville 70 ar
range preIminsries. JAMES PHElAs.
Editor F1eming's Reply.
Editor Fleming wrote his reply, which ap-
peared in The Sentinel last evening. Heasks
Congressman Phelan to consider in what a
grotesuue position he has placed himself,
and then says;
you hold a seat in congress from a dis
trict Of Tennessee. You have assumed L
become a teacher Of the children Of the state
as a historian in the public schools. Not
ought to know, and are presumed to know
the constitutional and legal penalties agains
giving und sending or accepting challeng'
10 fight duel You ought to know that il
almost every possible aspect Of the bushes
it isa felony, punishable by imprisonment
in the penitentiary.
vYour telegram 70 me, If 1t means any
thing more than mad raving, is challeng
by construction and in contemplation tn
Interpretation most charitable to you is tina
the message you would await from me woul
be agreement on my part to join you In AZ
rangement in the 'preliminaries,a otherwis
why should you have contemplated comm
10 Knoxville to arrange preliminariesP
Not worthy Of Being Challenged.
Assuring Congressman Phelan that ther
Is no tAAeAon uSciItA IA Nbc AAheAStt AsAAA1
Fleming says in the course OF his reply: .
would insist that you had better explain
yourself You begin with coarse denuncif
tions, which, II true, and you are stoppe
from denying them, would exclude me froI
recognition by gentleman, and therefor
not worthy, by your own charges, Of bein
challenged Furthermore, my observatio
hes usually been that the denunciation 70
lows the refusal TO accept a challenge. Il
asnlnch as had proven you guilty Of whl
in retaliation you charge upon me, l am il
clined to think the authorities in the duel
would tell you it was your duty to have d.
manded the satisfaction usual among gentl
men, ! merely call your attention to thos
points TO show how ridiculous you have mad
yourself even as a pretended duellist
His Opinion Of the Duel.
"But ] take no advantage Of even thi
In times past the men who have especiall
commanded my admiration We're those WI
had the courage TO treat with contempt y
demand Of the duellist, while recognizii
and insisting upon the right Of self defens
would have been surprised recently
find that You had lived with 50 little lear
ing as not 70 have known that the barba
Gus role in which you have seen fit to di
play yourself no longer serves 10 give 7
spcctabiity among even that weaker clo
that once thought il 'chivalrous' TO NAL
even bloodless exhibition q meek coural
on the 50 celleJ Geld Of honor. r,.
c. A Spoiled Boy. sss.s.
IIhave treated y6df warlike message as
riously as its ludicrous character permitte
Indeed, ! am pretty well persuaded tn
you have been spoiled boy fattered intS
delusive assumption Of some sort Of person
superiority, a misfortune which oftentin
follows too little spanking and too nu
petting 1t requires sometimes rude ba'
set or two TO take the starch out of self-c
ceit. We have no preliminaries TO arran
Mr.. Phelan. john M. FLEMING
The Congrcssman's story.
Congressman Phelan is one of the you
est members Of the house, and popu
gentleman. Editor Fleming is about tive
years the senior of Congressman Phelan,
has long been engaged in journalism
is well known, anu was at one time 81
superintendent Of public instruction.
congressman's side Of the story is as folio
About three years ago NJ Phelan /
lished, through Houghton, Mitliin ~ CC
school history Of Tennessee, having be
that published history Of the state IN
''Commonwealthn series For this work
Pholan expended years Of labor and sew
thousand dollars in the collection Of d
While the first work was in press Ph
received letter from Fleming asking
advanced sheets Of the book, in which
professed to feel great interest, and con
menting Phelan on the work. MIR. Ph
replied, stating that he had no adv
sheets When the book appeared Fler
reviewed it savRgely in his paper, and
content with criticising the book, person
attacked its author. The newspaper que
which ensued caused the issuance Of
challenge
An Indian Chopped TO Pieces.
VINIrA, l. r., April 9.--News has rea