Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1890-01-11
DUEL WITH POTATOES.
How the Reverend Mr.. Bowman Downed
Desperate.

"A Desperate.
"This seems to be a year of duels,"
said Dr. Morrison, of the First Meth
Ddist Church. but notice there's far
more duels than blood. 1t reminds me
of famous duel fought in Kentucky in
ls4S.
Bill Bowman was a noted preacher
who lived near Millersburg. He was
typical Kentuckian, tall, angular and
muscular. Like Sam Jones. he always
said what he thought. In the midst of
a revival meeting a well-known desper-
ado came into the church and began
making a disturbance. With eyes fash
ing with indignation Bill Bowman
arose and in ringing voice publicly re-
proved the desperate, who at once re-
tired from the church.
"The next morning the desperate
sent challenge to Bowman to fight him
a duel Bowman accepted the challenge,
and there was no four-cOlumn newspaper
correspondence, no railroad trips to an
adjoining State, nothing but two little
notes-one challenge and the other an
Rcceptance-and then all was ready for
the fight. The town was terribly ex-
cited, for such thing as a preacher
fighting duel had never been heard of
before.
"Old Bill Bowman being the chal-
lenged man had the choice of weapons.
He selected half bushel of Irish pota-
toes as big as his fist for each man and
stipulated that his opponent must stand
q ,,I 70
at a time to be taken from the measure.
The town was wild with delight, for
every body knew that Bill Bowman
could throw with his long muscular
arms as straight and almost as swift as
a rife could send a bullet singing to-
ward the target.
''The desperate was furious at being
thus freshly insulted and made an in
dignant protest against such fight, but
Bill Bowman insisted that he was the
challenged man and had a right to
choose his own weapons and threatened
to denounce the desperate as coward
If he failed to come to time. AS there
was no way out of the box but to fight,
the desperate finally consented to face
the preacher.
''The fight took place on the outskirts
of the town. Every body in Millersburg
was present to see the fun. The sec
onds arranged the two men in position,
by the side of each being half bushel
measure filled with large Irish potatoes
as hard as brick.
Bill Bowman threw the first potato.
1t struck his opponent central shot and
few into a thousand pieces. A yell Of
delight went up from the crowd, which
ratified the desperate and his potato flew
wide of the tall, bony preacher.
BILL Bowman watched his chance,
and every time his opponent stopped for
a potato another one hit him in the side,
leaving wet spot on his clothes, and
then scattering itself to the four winds
of Heaven. Old Bill hit the desperate
about five times, and then the sixth po-
tato struck him in the short ribs, knock
ing the wind completely out of him, and
doubling him up on the grass.
"The people were almost crazy with
laughter, but Bill Bowman looked as
sober as if he had just finished preach
ing a funeral sermon. The desperate
was taken home and put to bed, and
there he stayed for more than a week be
fore he recovered from the effects of his
Irish potato duel.
"The old men in Millersburg still
talk about that celebrated duel, but it
was the means OF breaking up due1ing
in that section Atlanta ,Journa1