The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-02-19
AN OLD SOUTHERN FEUD.
The Story of a Bloody and Terrible Duel
Recalled-James HamiIton's Fight
With Gambrell

with GamDrel
Colonel Jones S. Hamilton, of Jack
son, Miss, is the survivor of the most
desperate personal encounter of our
time. Hamilton is barely five feet six
inches in height, but very compactly
built and of surprising muscular
strength. He is not quarreling man
at all, being, on the contrary, devoted
to the peaceful art of money-making.
Besides that, be is nearly, if not quite,
1873 or 1879, of conspicuously domestic
habits.
Some two or three years ago, how
ever, says a correspondent of the N. Y.
Tribune, the Prohibition party, which,
in Mississippi at least, is composed
largely of, if not practically identical
with, the Baptist Church, undertook to
launch a propaganda of special and
peculiar violence. They began through
their newspapers, and, having in this
way and by pulpit illumination lashed
public sentiment into something very
like fury, they bore down on the Legis-
lature in great numbers.
Colonel Hamilton was at that time
member of the Mississippi Senate, a
straight-out, old-fashioned Democrat
in his political and an Episcopalian in
his religious practice. Being strong
man, a popular man, and legislator
of force and influence, he was natural
ly the object of the Prohibition efforts,
first by persuasion and importantly,
afterward by threats aud denunciation.
Among the means employed to coerce
Colonel Hamilton, or, failing in that,
to destroy his influence by detraction
and asperSion, was a paper issued in
Jackson and edited by young man
named Roderick Gambrell. The pa
per was an organ of the movement, and
its editor was the son of a Baptist
preacher who figured in the vanguard
of the crusade. For weeks the paper
reeked with abuse of Colonel Hamil-
ton, aspersing his character, attacking
his honor, denoancing his motives and
his acts until the mans very home was
rendered miserable, and his friends be-
gan to wonder whether he had not en-
dured more than enough.
At last the tragedy eliminated. but
under such circumstances of mystery as
lent it a strange and fearful horror.
One night about 10 o'clock, imme-
diately after the arrival of the south
bound train of the Illinois Central
Railroad, Colonel Hamilton started
homeward from the depot in hack,
which had been sent to meet him. The
town proper lies half mile or more to
the east, and it is the general custom
of residents to cover the distance in a
vehicle. Gambrell had arrived by the
train; but had left the depot imme-
d1ately on foot, and those who were
lingering about the platform and who
knew the parties thought there was no
danger of collision, at least that
night. A few hundred feet from the
depot, going toward town, there is a
bridge, and as the loiterers at the sta
ton heard Hamilton's hack rattling
over the resounding wooden structure
they turned with sighs of relief to dis
perse to their homes. Suddenly, how
ever, a shot rang out from the direc-
ton of the bridge. The hack was
heard to stop, and there was sound
as of some one jumping from it. Then
another shot and another and then the
hack started off at furious pace, the
terrified driver lashing his horses to
the top of their speed. Were the an
tagonists separated? No; the firing
began again, and for few moments
assumed the magnitude almost of a
1uSlduG. Anu uOW Quiet anu SLlll
more dreadful sounds were heard-the
sounds of furious men locked in a
death-struggle, beating and tearing at
each others throats and faces like two
madmen.
Scores of people had by this time
gathered, but none dared go too near.
They hung appalled, on the outer rim of
the darkness which enveloped that aw-
full tragedy. Not until those pierc-
ing cries had faded into silence and the
last groan had died away did the lis
teners find courage to approach, only
to find Grambrell lying dead, and
Hamilton dead, too, as they thought.
lying across the corpse. They were
drenched in each others blood, both
bore frightful wounds, and they had
torn and beaten each other with horri-
BILE fury until insensibility overlook
them.
1t was a strange trial-a trial with
out witnesses to the fact. Nobody
knew the details except the one sur
vivor, who lay for weeks lowering be-
tween life and death.