The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-06-22
SOME KENTUCKY DUELS.

tragic rencontre in Lexington, Ky., be-
tween Col. William Cassius Goodloe and
Col. Armstead NJ. Swope, thrilled and
shocked the country from one end to the
other, Mr.. Murat Halstead, writing edit
orally In the Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette. stated that there appeared TO be
something in the very climate and atmos-
phere, as well as in the traditions of Ken
lucky, which called for the adjustment of
difficulties and Observation-Disclosures be-
tween the men of hat state by the wager
Of battle.
Unfortunately his is true; and the fact
extends far back beyond the time when
the first white man visited Kentucky. For
many years ID had been n common hunt
ing ground for various tribes of Indians;
and, as their common hunting ground, il
had also become their common battle
ground. The soil Of old 'Kentuckee'' las
they called i) had been SO plentifully
laved with the blood of their braves for
untold years that even the rude Indians,
with a correct thong untutored poetic inn
agery had christened this land, baptized
with rivers of their blood, ''the dark and
bloody ground long before white man
had ever seen il.
To the student of such lore the early
history of Kentucky, much of which is un-
= IN - -
generally tragic, but is far from being
without its humorous and comical side.
Humphrey Marshall, whose duel with
Henry Clay has ~ described, nee
broke up a hostile meeting 3 in quite an UNI
expected manner. In 1883 his cousin,
Maj. James Markham Marshall, Ia
brother of Chief Justice Marshalll, had a
discussion i'm the public prints with Mr..
James Brown, which grew out of some
charges made by Mr.. Marshall that Mr..
I-.... -...s Isl.. 1-., Ialr n,-x....
was or had been deeply implicated with
Wilkinson, Sebastian and others in the
Spanish conspiracy.
A duel grew out of this, one of the terms
of which was that no person. except the
principals and their seconds and surgeons
should be present at the meeting. Hum
phrey Marshall, however, desiring to wit
ness the affair, allowed his curiosity to
get the better of his discretion, and he
posted OIL to the duelling ground, near
which he concealed himself behind a
large log, from which ''coign OF vantage"
he might have a good view of the pro-
ceedings.
He always carried a long staff, or stick.
and this he placed across the top of the
log. The duellists reached the ground,
when Humphrey Marshall was discovered
in his retreat. Mr.. Brown then refused TO
fight on the plea that "Old Humphrey
MARSHALL" was in ambush on the field
with a gun trained from a dead rest TO as
sassinate him in case he should kill his
opponent. The affair ended thus, with.
out an exchange of shots.
About this time, generally speaking,
there grew out of this same fruitful
source of contention the ''Spanish'conspir-
acy," an affair which was probably the
most peculiarly thing i'm the way of IA duel
that ever occurred anywhere. Ii was be-
tween DIR. Lewis Marshall, the younger
brother of Chief Justice Marshall, and a
gentleman whom we shall call Bradley,
because that was not his name. Doctor
Marshall, like all his name, was q man of
great courage. and in addition, was q
known dead shot, and was equally as ex
pert with the sword as with the pistol.
He was an old practitioner upon tho
field of honor, having had many, duels
both i'm this country and in Europe, ant
always leaving his opponent dead or dis
abled upon the field. Mr.. Bradley wa
also n man of courage, but of an excitabl,
and nervous temperament, and his allah
with Doctor Marshall was his first cx
perience under the code. The weapon,
chosen for this affair were pistols, ant
after the word either man could fire a
discretion. On the ground MIR. Bradle,
showed himself nervous and ex
cited, and when the word wai
given-probably with the idea tina
TO fight an experienced dueiis
and a dead shot at that, vas to get tn,
klrop'' on him-he blazed away at once
Xend, of course. missed his antagonist
Doctor Marshall had fixed his y oil
Bradley in the beginning, and, as soon a.
they had taken their positions, marked
his extreme agitation. After receiving
Bradley's fire Doctor Marshall COOL.
faised his pistol, and deliberately shut on
bye n squinted along the barrel with I'll,
>eld Bradley covered for half a minute
hen he lowered his pistol to his side an,
Asked his econd for a plug of tobacco
laying that he "wanted a h before kill
ing the d fool"
At this Bradley became transported
with rage. Tearing open his coat h,
shouted to Doctor Marshall to ''fire.
IThe doctor, having refreshed himsel
with a chew of tobacco, again wen
through the same deliberate performance
OF taking aim, then lowered his pistol
took out his handkerchief and, remarkin,
that he had forgotten to blow his nose
blew it. BY this time Bradley was besid'
himself with rage n uncertainty, AM
fairly yelled to his antagonist to fire
doctor Marshall for the third time tool
pistol and said that he would not fire a
the d fool unless he would have hi
pistol reloaded and take another shot
THE seconds then interposed and the duel
if:such il could be called, ended.
DIR. Louis Marshall had been "a studen
at the University of Edinburgh, in SEQ
Hand, and afterwards went to Paris an,
u~attended the university there. He wa
lone of those who led the attack upon tn
Bastile, and was afterwards arrested b.
order OF Robespierre, and was saved from
the guilotine only by the strenuous effort
of powerful friends. During his stay Il
UScotland and France he fought man
duels. always without serious injury I
himself and with damage TO his oppc
nent.
One other affair that DIR. Marshall ha'
i'm Kentucky wal with a man named Sites
mfr. Sites took oifense at some publica
tion DIR. Marshall had made. Armin
himself with n pistol and a rawhide, b
4 Icame upon the doctor while the latter wa
smoking a cigar and reading a news ape
with his feet cooked up higher than hi