The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-03-14
DUELS At BLADENSBURG'
A SHORT SKETCH OF The -
NOUS FIGHTING GROUNDS

,,,. IN, ,..,a n Honor Scar Deser''"
vnlare-rho First Duel at Bla"'"'
m. 40, r,~,t Between Mason An"
mecar,hy-srore Than Fif'y he'''"S'
Miserably falling 20 decay, 49,. 80 - ,,ar
l.,.e trinity Is Bladonsburg' win H'''o - -
-. H. name aside from the memory "a
1, I. S,,.i,,, Ground. Founded about the inu
1' - a. century. the town wns name'i
,,'...'r,,or Rladon, OF Maryland, ana
~, t',,,n,a the chief tobacco mart OF inc
80. lin, ~ the facility for shipment gwen
h.. .i., EASTERN branch OF the Potomac. III.
~ Riodenshurg's importance was suiliclen'
-. ,,i,,, n "A place ON the mapat an early aa'e'
-, core Of towns now superior 70 IT. III
Ma san,e neighborhood, we're scarcely eve"
dreamed Of. ..i.os q,
The visitor 10 Washington who taxes ~
Bladensburg as one Of the ineVitaD" "s"'o
of historic interest scarcely can ne plcFan'.
mon 10 believe that the sluggish haii orleu
sfrsam AT tho end Of the town once hoated
merchantmen down through tho Potomac
into tho Chesapeake bay and out into the AT
iantic lie listens % the old traditions OF
that battle In the village on an August aHy
In 1914. when the British Gen. Ross and Adj
n,iral Cockburn routed the Americans under
Winder and Barney. and proceeded on their
march Of devastation 10 the capital.
THE DUELING GROUND.
sna spring OF chalybeato water flows
usele.sly away at one end OF the only street
in the village, and the picture OF gloom Is
COMPLETED with two on three tavernsi rendez-
vous for negroes, while deep In the shade"
beyond Is the dueliug 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 Bladensburg dueling ground.
IL is strip of low ground, shut in by hills on
three Sides Ike a natural amphitheatre, with
thafourth side open toward the road. Civil
ization may compacently gaze at this far
away nook and reflect that the world would
favo To retard instead Of advance could the
duol ever again revive. It was the medieval
"waeer u battle" without the merit OF It's
attendant superstition; it made the trick OF
the weapon the verdict Of the jury.
The first duel at Bladensburg was in the
wear 1s0s, between the Hon. George w.
Campbell and H. b. GARDENER, both MEM
bcrs Of the house OF representatives. Camp
bell was IN the house from 1903 TO 1902, repre-
santing Kentucky He was afterward a
senator from the same state, succeeding %
the secretaryship of the treasury and finally
becoming minister to Russia. GARDENER was
from New York. Their quarrel arose from
words spoken in debate. After several at
tempted meetings IN which friends interfered,
they met at BladensDurg on cold, frosty
morning in February. GARDENER fell, after
several fires. severely wounded, but he was
able 90 resume bis seat IN few weeks Con-
corning the event. an extract from The Ma
ti0nal luteliigenccr OF that date signed by
the respective parties, stated that every
thing was conducted on the ground with the
utmost propriety."
The first death occurring on the Bladens-
burg "fell of honor" was that Of Edward
Hopkins. an ensign in the navy. He was
| killed in 1914 by brother officer. Both the
cause of the dispute as well rs tho name OF
bis SLAYER are in much doubt at this date
II Is estimated that since that time there
have been City hostile meetings on the spot
/ Some have resulted amcably; some have oc
casioned bloodess shots or wounds slight
enough to satisfy injured honor, while in 9th
ers at least one Of the duelists has yielded uf
/ bis life.
TIE MASON AND M'CARrrv DDLL
r7,... ,,,..,, lova over or-,Nded into thirty
elmo. ,,ors ~ lso8 moro worldly honors than
almlslea1 Thomson Mason. No noblor sac
riice 20 the demon of vanity was ever offered
on the "leid' at Bladensburg The great
popularity OF Mason was considered by the
FederalIst party as their only hope in the
campaign for the choice Of a member Of the
house OF representatives. According TO his
party's request, be resigned his seat in the
senate % run for a lesser Office. Figuring
largely in that campaign was his cousin, John
Mason Mccarthy. Between the two families
there existed a most deadly feud. The hur-
riel utterances Of an excited campaign were
not calculated 20 allay it. elimination and
recrimination followed, and, goaded on by
interested friends. Mason challenged McCar-
thy.
Jack Mccarthy, as he was Familiarity called,
was a dead shot, and, knowing the superb
GRITTY, be it said 20 his credit that he sought
% avoid the meeting He was anoble enemy,
for when he saw that the meeting was un-
ayodable. be determined that both lives
should be- sacrificed, in order that the family
enmity should end, and, being the challenged
party, he proposed IN serious earnestness that
each man should sit on key Of powder and
De blown up. This, of course, was not in ac-
corlanca with the code, and was not listened
70. His next proposition was to fight with
muskets, ten PAGES apart.
That was the picture at the Bladensburg
duqlng ground ON Feb 5, 1sl0-two men
armed with loaded aud cooked muskets aimed
40 each others hearts and only ten PAGES
apart There was no voice 10 cry cut, no
hand appraised 10 prevent the murder. The
clear voice of the second gave the command
o. fire. Two shots startled the stiffness
around; two men fell, and when the smoke
cleared, Armistead T. Mason, with all the
hon0rs OF bis young life thick upon him, lay
dead. while Col. Jack Mccarthy was severely
but not m0rtally wounded, escaping death a.
almost by miracle. TIE recovered, but ever
afterward. 10 IS aid led a disc0ntented life.
no wonder, for If he could smut out the view
of tho dead man staring nxedly at the UNI
plying daylight, the other picture Of the
dead mans widow and fatheress child In
their lonely home confronted him. THE
mourning, the stone and the drapingn We're
the work OF his hand. Gene Riley in New
York Star.