The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-11-07
A VERY QUEER DUEL.
Brought on by Remarkable Act, II
Ended Very Remarkably.


Ended Very Remarkably.
was talking with an old West In
dian eN-planter, man now long past
his three score years and ten, who left
Jamaica somewhere in the fifties, be-
tween the time past when the abolition
of slavery had paralyzed West Indian
industries, and the time to come when
the same question of negro slavery
should jeopardize the unity of the great
republic.
"I see," said he, 'that there is some
talk of raising Sir John Macdonald's
widow to the peerage. If it should
prove true, she will be the first native
West Indian to come in for such an
hono-, at least in great many years
Indeed, do not remember that the
thing has ever happened before, al
though Cowan, the composer, who re-
ceived baronetey some time since was,
like Lady Macdonald, a native of Ja-
maica.
"Yes," he continued, 81 remember
her father well. Monkey Bernard
they used to call him, and probably no
white man except Charles Darwin him
self, the apostle of the Monkey Ancestor
Gospel, ever more closely resembled an
| ape in the face.
"rhere was young buck, however,
who had narrow escape of paying
dearly for his laugh at Bernard's un-
fortunate physiognomy.
John X.--that was not his name,
but it will do as well as any other-was
walking along Port Royal street, Kings
| ton, one fine morning, when crowd of
| idle negroes attracted his attention.
The center of amusement proved to be
a good-sized ape, which a Spanish sailor
held by rope fastened round it's body.
tx. was at once struck by the like
ness-so he told me afterward--to Ber-
nard. and the result was that he then
and there handed over two gold doub'
| looms to the sailor and became the pro.
prietor of this living caricature.
Bernard was large planter and a
man of some wealth. and held n majors
commission in the Jamaica militia. The
fates so willed it that there was grand
inspection of the militia appointed to
| be held within few weeks after this
geological investment of KS, and the
Father of Mischief prompted him to
avail himself of the occasion for an act
of the most outrageous devilment
"IIe had the ape fitted with com
plete suit of regimentals, as worn by a
major in the Jamaica militia, bought a
little tin sword, and spent hours in
training this brute to walk upright,
with the drawn sword held in it's right
hand.
1.-THE secret was we'll kept until the
day of the review. Crowds of negroe s
| surrounded the race course, just out
side of Kingston, where the troops wer
20 march past. Presently Bernards
regiment marched on to the ground AMI
wheeled into line At the same mo-
ment there was shout from some hur-
| dreds of lusty negro throats. 'LooSoo
Monkey Bernardo and Ms ape, bril-
liant in scarlet and white, with its tin
sword well shouldered, strutted ont
toward the ranks.
81 suppose that, with the exception
of Bernard himself there was not u man
on that ground who was not convulned
with laughter The military evolut,ons
captured by Ms groom.
But the duel had not quite gone out
of fashion in those days, or, at any rate.
not in Jamaica. OF course, apology
would have been ridiculous, so X. had
to accept Bernards challenge. The
weapon, as was usual with us, was the
| old-fashioned single barrelcd dueling
! pistol The principals had the right of
| 'reserving their fire-that is, though
they might not fire until the word was
| given, either of them might take time,
after the word was given, to aim more
deliberately.
tx. was an accomplished duelist, but
| l suppose he saw the enormity of first
laboriously insulting an unoffending
man and then shooting him. Other.
wise l can't account for his missing
Bernard, as he did, for Cf l remember
right the distance was only twenty
PAGES.
BERNARD reserved his fire. Then,
with his pistol still pointing to the
ground he said to n, who was quietly
waiting the event: Young man, ]
am not going to take your life this
time, but this will teach you what
could do if l els inclined
''N. was stlnding close to tree, on
which ripe lime-fruit hung within Il
yard of his head Bernard raised his
pistol, and with the bullet cut that
fruit clean from the branch it hung on.
IF any one ever deserved to bear the
motto handsome is that handsome
does it was Monkey Bernard and
think that from and after that day he
and all his family ought to have been
proud of his nickname
what became of the ape" l asked.
81 forget what fate befell that
famous ape" said my old friend "but
the pistols they used-a pair-have
found their way believe, like Ber
nard's daughter to Canada. Louis
vile Commercial