The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-20
WAS AT q FAMOUS DUEL.
Hon. George o. Jones Recalls the
Cilley. Graves Fight.

navy 0A0N 90 4 TX
From the Baltimore American.
Pre-eminent among ths wonderful old
men of this country stands Hon. George
w. Jones, of Dubuque, Ia, who to-day, at
the advanced age of IS. is sound in mind
anu nody, and who, to all appearances. will
lVe 10 cross the threshold OF another CEN
fury. He was classmate and bosom friend
OF jefferson Davis at Pennsylvania Univer-
slty, Kentucky, nearly seventy years ago,
| and In 1885 he was a delegate In congress
from the territory of Michigan Subse-
| quently hs was appointed by President Van
| buren surveyor general Of the northw west
and after that was twice elected a United
states senator from Iowa, having bsen ap-
| pointed at the conclusion of his last term
| minister TO New Grenada by President
Buchanan. He was recently 10 Washing
| ton on a visit TO relatives, and is thinking
| of trip 20 Europe.
To a Washington Post reporter Gen.
Jones related some interesting "reminiscences
OF public life at the capital, which to the
readers OF to-day have a smack of antiquity
or sound like chapter out OF ancient his
tory. His account Of the fatal duel between
w. j. Graves OF Kentucky aud Jonathan
Cll!ey OF Maine, both representatives in
| congress- was particularly vivid aud inter-
| esting.
~ wasn't dreaming of difficulty between
the two }" said he. I'm fact, though differ
| ing politically, Graves beng whig and
Cilley a democrat, they wore on the bsst of
terms. There had been stormy debate in
| the House, however, few days before in
which hot words were passed between
Henry A. Wise OF Virginia and Cilley, and
a New YORK editor was dra Tn into the
controversy Graves was an ardent ad-
mirer Of Henry Clay. and the latter was
| emoittered against CilleY for his attack OF
| the Nav York jnnrnaliaf xuhO
hadn't participated in the alteration on the
floor, tried to get an explanation of Ciley
! in the interest of the newspaper man, but
| Cilley would make no explanation, This
angered Mr.. Clay still more, and il was at
his instance that Graves sent the challenge
| to mortal combat.
IAN this had been kept quiet, and was
amazed when Franklin Pierce, who was
then senator, approached me at my
| boarding house and asked me to be Cilley' g
second. | refused emphatically. He
begged me hard, as l had some experiences
| in those matters, but | wouldn't hear it, as
l felt certain it would hurt me politically.
At last be asked me to 60 with him aud
| see Cilley. | went, and after the latter's
earnest persuasion l at last yielded. 1t was
hard for anybody to resist Cilley. He was
man of magnetic manners, polished, chiv
alric, and splendid debater.
"'When do you want to fightN l asked
This very afternoon said Cilley, and
with rifles, which have the right to choose
as the challenged party. l will take rifles
for know that Graves will natur ally ex-
pect me to choose pistols; and, like all Ken
tuckians, he is doubtless an expert with that
weapon
II shall never forget how astonished was
Henry A. Wise, Graves second, when l re
ported to him that we had chosen rifles.
He swore round of tremendous profanity
and declared 1t was murder. The distance
eighty yards--nt last reconciled him to the
hope that it might not turn OUT so bad. By
this time 1t was growing late and the due
was put off till the next morning. At ar
early hour we drove out the Old Marlboro
road to point two miles from the capitol
Cilley and | occupying the only public con-
veyance there Washington then boosted
and Graves and his second going ahead in 6
private carriage
"a few people followed us, whom We
tried to drive back, but they knew what
was In the wind, and declaring it was free
country, persisted In going. o. the way
out Cilley was quite gay, aud chatted i'll a
lively fashion. Poor fellow ne had nc
idea how near his end was. He said to me
that the people Of his section disapprovei
so strongly of dueling that he would never
more be honored by them with office, and
that he would have to move out to my
country.
I'VE got to the ground. and Mr.. Wise and
placed them exactly eighty steps apart.
The giving of the command to fire fell tc
our side. The men faced each other with
presented weapons aud l said: One, two,
three, fire. Cilley's rife had hair trigger
and it exploded prematurely, the bullet
going into the earth but a few feet away.
Graves aimed and fred deliberately. His
ball missed.
Before the second round went to Mr..
Vie and asked him if the honor of both
men had not been vindicated, and suggested
that the matter ought to stop right there
HSagreed with ne, but his principal still In
sisted on an apology, for Mr.. Clay had said
that be should make that - yankee
tender an apology. Cilley would not agree
to this, and again they faced each other.
had previously cautioned my man abou
that trigger. and be said he would be NOR,
careful next time. They fired SO nearly to-
gether the second time that il sounded like
one report. Graves moved out of his placC
but Cilley never stirred Il think you have
hit him. said, and CilleY replied that h,
believed he had. Graves told Mr.. Wis,
that he thought himself struck. hopeC
this would end is, and again essayed 70 have
the fight terminate. My efforts were il
vain. A third time the crack of the rifle
ran out, and Immediately my poor frienc
sank to the ground The Kentuckian'
bullet had pierced the femoral artery. auC
he gasped his last breath while | raised min