The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-11


ened my sword until it shown like silver
ana had an edge like razor | gave him
one or two chances to challenge me. but he
did not 90 so, and at last one day when we
were pitching camp Marshall rode down
into my quarters. He may have been
drunk. and he may have mistaken my
company for his. AT any rate he came IN
TO me and made some insulting remark
rose and said: Tom Marshall, we NAV
as well settle our feud, and now is "a GOOD
time as any. Get down from your horse
and will tight it out He, replied: Not
now. Some other time I here drew NV
sword, and said: The time for men
VINO wear swords is now. You
chose your own time to mob me at
Lexington, and you are coward if Won re-
frain on account of your surroundings.
Marshall hereupon rode over to his tent.
In few moments he came back with bjs
pistol. | saw him and went into NV tent
and got mine. | came out with one in
each hand. They were cooked, and said ::
i am ready for you He was a coward
and he was afraid to fire. He turned HIS
horse and rode back to his tent That
same evening he tried to drown himself in
the Rio Grande river, but the men saw
HIM and prevented him. He was afraid TO
nght, but he was not afraid to commit
suicide. Had we fought with swords
would have carved him up like a pam
cake"
cLAY's FIGHT WITH SAM BROWN.
DO you remember any other in
stances ?"
Yes, replied General Clay, 81 suppose
could give others. 1t is a curious fact
that even brave man, when he is once
beaten, hates to encounter the same man
again. can only explain the fact that l
was not challenged by Sam Brown after
our terrible fight on these grounds"
what was the fight, general"
1T arose out of a congressional con-
test, replied General Clay. al was can
dldate against man named Wicklifte and
Wlckllffe introduced my wife's name into
one OF his speeches. | challenged him
ana We fired at ten PAGES. Both of us
missed, and raised my pistol up into the
air and demanded a second fire. The Sec
onds would not permit this and we left
the ground without a reconciliation or an
apology on either side. As look over
the matter now, don't believe that our
seconds had loaded the pistols with balls.
and did not see how could have missed.
was. an excellent shot and was accus-
toned to shooting with a rifle and revolt
yer. One OF my favorlte amusements was
squirrel shooting and | could shoot the
heads Oft OF eleven out of twelve
squirrels when out hunting. You know
II a squirrel sees you and runs UP tree
ana you remain quiet, as soon as he gets
into whatever it considers safe place he
will poke his head out and look TO
see where you are and tina skill in squirrel
shooting is to shoot off the head of the
squirrel"
THE BOWIE KNIFE VS.. THE PISTOL.
swell, Wickliffe here had the worst of
the fight and during the canvass for con-
gress l was making a very good opposition
to him, much to the disgust of the pro-
slavery party. He had handful which
he read during his speech. We had our
speeches together and when he brought out
this bill | always rose and asked if might
interrupt him. He would politely consent
and | would then say the handful he had
read was untrue and had been proven so.
The pro-slavery men got tired of this and
they decided to kill me. They sent for
Sam Brown, who was one of the
most noted ballies of Kentucky.
1t is said that he had had
Brown came and he and Wickliffe. fell
low named Jacob Ashton and Ben Wood,
a police bully, held a consultation at which
they loaded pistol which Brown was to
use upon me the next day. | knew moth
ing of this, and | had not my duelling
pistols with me. | interrupted Wickliffe
as usual, and as did so Brown struck me
with his umbrella and told me that my
statement was damned lie. / saw at
once that it meant hight, and when 1 rec
ognized Brown | knew it meant fight TO
the death. / had long, sharp bowie
knife in the breast of my coat, and
jerked this out, but before | could strike
Browns friends grabbed my arms from
behind and hauled me back about fifteen
e. loI
his revolver and told them to get
out of the way and to let him
kill me. The crowd got back and
/ stood alone Brown had his pistol
pointed at me, and l started towards him.
/ could see him looking along the barrel
of the revolver. He took aim, and waited
until he thought | was close enough to
give him sure shot and then fired. |
felt the ball strike me in the breast, and [
thought it had gone through me, and |
determined to kill him if | could before |
died. l came down on his head with
tremendous blow with the bowie knife,
but did not split open his skull. l struck
again and again and stunned him so that
he was not able to fire. With one cut of
the knife 1 sliced his nose right in two, so
that it separated in the middle and came
out as fiat as a pancake With another
blow l cut off his ear SO that it
hung by a shred, and with a third
put out his right eye. The conspirators
now seized me and l was struck with
hickory sticks and chairs, some of the
blows of which | still feel. | broke loose
from my captors and again made for
Brown, and they, to keep him out OF my
way, picked him up and threw him over
stone fence about seven feet high, and
this ended the hight. Though | was the
assaulted party, they afterwards tried me
for mayhem, and at this trial Brown con-
fessed the conspiracy and Henry Clay de-
Tended me. Of course L was not convicted,
but | felt very friendly to Brown and
wrote him a note thanking him for his
evidence and telling him | was willing TO
be friends with him if he cared to be
so. He refused, however, to bury the
Ratchet, and when / remembered his con-
dltion I did not wonder at it. The
doctors had patched him up pretty well,
but he was horrible looking object, and |
expected that he would insist upon duel
with me or would attack me ana nave ms
revenge. | met him several times after
wards. however. and he never touched me.
have no doubt that he stayed IN I.exing-
ton intending to kill me, but the proba-
bility is that he had not the courage to at
tack me.
''Where did Browns ball strike you,
general ?" said |.
at struck me lust over the heart" re-
piled General Clay, land l would have
been killed but for one thing. The scab-
bard of my bowie knife was tipped with
silver, and in Jerking the knife L pulled
this scabbard up SO that 1t was just over
nv heart Browns bullet struck the scab-
bard and Undecided itself In the silver and
we found the ball there. There was red
spot just over my heart. and the whole
seemed almost Providential.