Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-09-07
AN APE IN REGIMENTALS.
Ch- l.udicrous Incident Which Led to y
Duel in Jamaica.

The E-udicrous Incident Which Led to ~
Duel in Jamaica.
| was talking with an old West
Indian eX-planter, man not long past
his thTee-score years and ten, who
left Jamaica somewhere in the '5Cs,
says a writer in the Louisville Com
mcrcial:
Il see," said he, "there is some
talk of raising Sir John Macdonald's
widow to the peerage, II it should
prove true she will be the first native
West Indian to come in for such an
honor, at least in great number Of
years Indeed, L do not remember
that the thing has ever happened be-
fore, although COwan, the composer.
who received baronetcy sone time
a 20, was, like Lady Macdonald's widow,
native of Jamaica. Yes" ne con-
tinued, Il remember her father well.
Monkey Bernard they used to call
him, and probably no white man, eX-
cept Charles Darwin himself, the
apostle of the monkey ancestral bust
ness, ever more closely resembled an
ape in the face. There was young
buck, however, who had a narrow
escape from paying dearly for his
laugh at Bernard's physlOgnomy.
''John Y. (that was not his name,
but it will do as well as any Other)
was walking along Port Royal street,
Kingston, one fine morning when a
crowd of idle negroes attracted his
attention. The center of amusement
proved to be good-sized ape, which
Spanish sailor held by rope fastened
around his body. Y was at once
struck by the likeneSs-So he told me
afterward-to Bernard, and the result
was that he then and there handed
over two gold doubloons to the sailor
and became the proprietor of this
living caricature. bernard was a
large planter and a man of some
wealth and held a Majors commits
sion in the Jamaica militia The
fates SO willed it that there was a
grand inspection of the militia ap-
pointed to be held within few weeks
after this geological Investment of
KS and the father OF the mischief
prompted him to avail himself of the
occasion for an act OF the most out
rageOus devilment.
"He had the ape lifted with a com.
plete suit Of regimentals, such as
worn by the major in the Jamaica
militia. bought little tin sword, and
spent hours in training the brute to
walk upright with the drawn sword in
his right hand. The secret was well
kept until the day OF the review.
Crowds of negroes surrounded the race
course just outside OF Kingston, where
the troops were to march past. Pres
emily Bernard's regiment marched on
the ground and wheeled into line. At
the same moment there was a shout
from hundreds of lusty negro throatS,
'LOokOo, Monkey Bernardo" and KS
ape, brilliant in scarlet and white,
with its tin sword well shOuldered
strutted out toward the ranks.
suppose that, with the exception of
Bernard himself, there was not man
on that ground who was not cOnyulsed
with laughter. The military evolu-
tions had To wait until the ape had
been recaptured by KS groom.
''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,
50 Y. had to accept Bernard's chal-
lenge. The weapons, as was usual
with us, was the oldfaShioned,
singled barreled dueling pistol The
principals had the right Of Teserving
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. Y was an &C.
cOmplished duelist, but / SIppose
he saw the enOrmity of first labOri-
ouSly insulting an unoffending man
and then shooting him. Otherwise L
can't account for his missing Bernard
the distance was only twenty PAGES.
Bernard reserved his fire. Then, with
his pistol still pointing to the ground,
he said to y, who was quietly await
ing the event: Young man, | am
not going to take your life, but will
teach you what | could do if felt in.
clined.'
TX. was standing closed to a tree
on which a ripe lime fruit hung
within a yard of his head. Bernard
raised his pistol, and with the bullet
cut that fruit from the branch it
hung on. If anyone ever deserved to
bear the motto, handsome is as hand
some does it was Monkey Bernard
and | think from and after that day
he and all his family ought to have
been proud of his nickname"
"What became OF the ape?"
Il forgot what befel that famous
ape" said my old friend, but the
pistols they used-a pair-have found
their way, believe, like Bernardo
daughter, to Canada"