The Portland daily press., 1891-11-30
WAS THERE a DUEL
II So Was Anybody shot, And HOW
Badly Was Ne Hurt.
The strange story Told By a Milk
man who was on MunJoy Xiii.

Mr.. William Cousens, milkman who
drives one of the morning carts into this
city, tells an apparently straightforward
story of what he saw ON Mupjoy Hill
shortly before sunrise yesterday morning.
Mr.. Cousens says that as ne was turning
into Congress street from Howard street
he heard two shots near together, and. as
1t seemed to him. the shots of double
barrelled gun. His cart was rafting q
good deal and he was not absolutely sure
that they were shots. He stopped how
ever. and In second or two heard two
more. sharp and quick and with barely
half second between. The shots seemad
to come from.the direction of the Promeu.
ade. Mr.. Cousens wondered little At the
fusilade at that time Of day and year but
his curiosity was not sufficiently aroused
to lead him to investigate. He went over
on Beckett street to deliver some milk.
As he came out Of the yard and started To
climb into his cart he saw the figures of
two men hurrying up Congress street from
the direction of the Promenade. Mr.
Cousins turned around, drove out of Beck
EFT street to Congress and thence down To
the Promenade on his way to a customer,s
house on the Fore street end. As he
turned the corner he saw another pair Of
hurrying figures moving toward Fort Allen
Park and apparently disappearing around
the corner by Isaac @. Atkinson's house.
When Mr.. Cousens turned from Congress
street to the Promenade he says he was
much surprised to find young mau sitting
on one Of the benches near the Cleeye
Monument, apparently deep in the con-
temptation of nature and the glories of a
winter sunrise. The young man, who had
on light gray ulster and black stiff hat,
turned his head as Mr.. Cousens came along
and said something TO him. Mr.. Cousens's
cart was still rattling so he pulled up and
asked the young man what he said. 81
said 1t was a nice day." replied the young
man, "and first rate sunrise" or words to
| that effect.
1t occurred to Mr.. Cousens as he drove
along that it was strange that young man
should select the coolest day of the season
on which to study sunrises and he looked
back through his cart to see what he was
doing He was still sitting on the bench
but was doubled up like jack knife and
was holding something up underneath his
coat. This, Mr.. Cousens, who had begun
to smell duel In the air, thought might be
the pistols, and. perhaps the surgical in
struments, which are always provided on
such occasions. He did not feel called
upon to report the case to the police as 1t
appears, or to go back and arrest the man
himself, as taken red han ded In the crime.
He says he drove around the corner and
went on delivering milk.
When asked IL he knew the man who sat
on the bench. he said that he knew him by
sight as one of the men who stand In the
Preble house doorway evenings, but did
not know his name.
The police knew nothing of the affair
until the milkman's story was told them
by the PRESS reporter who heard it from
Mr.. Cousens. It was suggested at the
station that the man who was sitting on
the bench was one Of the principals in the
affair and that he had been shot In the
stomach; hence his peculiar position.
With this new idea a reporter for the
PRESS started around yesterday looking
for other people who were abroad at the
hour when Mr., Cousens heard the shots,
but failed to find anyone else who heard
them. DR.. john 8. Dyer, who lives on
North street and who is a prominent ply
stefan on the hill, said he had been called
to attend no persons suffering from pistol
wounds in the stomach or elsewhere. He
says he was out at the time, and was down
on Munjoy street where he would certainly
have heard the shots If there had been
any.
Mr.. John G. McMann, who is a checker
at the English steamer sheds and who was
| Just about starting out to meet the Paris
ian and the Toronto when the duel was
alleged to be taking place. heard no pistol
shots nor any other shots and saw no
hurryiDg men wrapped in listers.
Several other people who live on the hill
and who are usually wideawake when
there is anything going on, heard no shots
and know of no gross insults that nothing
but blood would wipe out.