The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-23
IN A DARK ROOM.
A Duel Where the Participants
Could Not See Each Other.

Carl W. Renfro, resident of Dallas,
Tex, and at present guest at the Southern,
gave very interesting account of a duel
which was fought about three weeks ago at
CarriZO Pass, a mining town on the Mexican
border and about sixty miles west of Dallas,
to a writer for the st. Louis Star Sayings.
81 have large mining interests in those
parts" said Mr.. Renfro, "and while ther
on business a duel of some significance was
fought at the mining camp of the Pecos
Mining Company, in which the participants
were two miners, formerly New Workers
born and raised of r.ch Holland r
parents, who located some year. 90
at Palmyra. They were both educat
at Cambridge. The former graduated as
lawyer and the latter as physician. They
came out of college about the time of Lin
coins first call Tor volunteers to suppress
the Southern Rebellion. They enlisted and
went through the war, serving In Colonel
Gord0n's One Hundred and Furty-fourth
New York Regiment. AT the close of the
war they returned home, but finding pro-
fessiOnal pursuits too tame fOI them they
concluded to go West Before they left home
a difficulty arose between them. which was
prevented from ending In bl00dshed by the
i1terpOsitiOn OF mutual friends. Before they
had chance to meet again, Merrick sought
his fortune IN the far West He wandered
miner. Holmes went in the same direction,
but stopped at Colorado, where he also be-
came miner. They never heard of each
other after this They have since followed
the business of mining, but have never be-
come so rich as they at first expected.
"a few days ago they met in the Pec0s
mining camp and recognized each other.
The school and social polish had been
rubbed off by the trials and hardship incl
dent to life in the mining camps. Holmes
I'D I,n
PEELED him and said they would settle that
little unfinished business which arose be-
tween them at their last meeting. Holmes
sad he had forgotten all about the diff
Guilty referred to, and entertained no Ill
feeling whatever against Merrick. The
latter insisted on a settlement according tn
the code, and Holmes, finding that nothing
short of it would satisfy his demands,
agreed to accomodate him.
g Arrangements were consummated for
the duel, and IL was agreed that the fight
should be with pistols in dark room. Each
man was to answer ready, after which a
third party was to count three, when they
were to fire. The room was made as dark
as Egypt and the two hardened miners en-
tered and took positions IN opposite corners,
One, two, three, and Holmes fired. He fired
a second shot. but the only response from
Merrck was a groan. Holmes, believing he
mad wounded Merrick, fired a third shot in
the direction OF the grOaning. The report
VI ii DlSLOl came iIOHl d COIuel QlltCtIy w
posite from where the groan appeared to pro-
ceed, and Holmes fell. No more shots being
exchanged, the miners opened the
room and entered. A light revealed
the fact that Holmes had been killed
while Merrick was unhurt. Merrick was a
ventriloquist, and on entering the room took
his stand in a diagonal corner from his ad-
verSary. and to make him believe he was, in
the opposite corner threw his voice in that
quarter of the room, where bullets from his
adversary's pistol harmlessly buried them
selves in the wall 1t had been so long since
they had seen each other that Merrck's
power as ventriluqust had entirely es-
capped the memory Of Holmes. The affair
has caused great deal Of excitement IN the
camp, but as anything is called fair in such
business, no fault is found by the miners
with the strategy employed by Merrick.
The Mexican authorities, who have SUPER
vision over these parts, are making an effort
to capture Merrick, but the latter has fled,
and the probabilities are that the law which
has been violated will never be yndlcaiHa.