The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-08-19
DUELING IN THE OLD SOUTH
1t Started Feuds, but Made Peopl
Careful of What They Said.

1t Started Feuds, but Made People
Careful of What They Said.
A Southerner of the old school was
chatting in hotel lobby the other even
ing with New York Recorder man and
became reminiscent of former days. In
speaking of the code of honor he said
"A man was respected after he had fought
a duel. He had proved the right to citi-
zenship. And. after all, there were few
advantages in a system that made every
man responsible for what he said and did.
He walked straight aud talked straight
Men did not make comments on women
who passed them on the street, because if
common decency did not forbid such
conduct 1t was effectually stopped for fear
of being called out. And no man abused
another behind his back or in mixed
company, because if the man who was
being maligned had friend present that
friend would declare that lie was willing
to represent him and demand to hear all
that was being said. 1t was because of
this way people had of standing by each
other that private quarrel would grow
into feud. Smith would back Brown,
Jones would back Smith. Thompson
would back Jones, and SO it would go I'M
til the whole town was divided into fac
tions.
IF man threatened to shoot another
on sight, that was the same as a chal-
lOIls IL wa legal gOu lnlSub say.
never knew man to be tried or pun
ished in any manner for doing it, because
he had given warning and he stood as
fair chance OF being killed as of killing.
There was man in Americas, Ca, who
was threatened that way, and day and
night he never allowed his pistols to he
out of his reach. He came on the man
who promised to kill him one day and
stepped to lamp-post to steady his aim,
then he shot him dead. The ball splint-
cred the butt of pistol that the man car
ried in his vest. l was going along the
street one dark night when l noticed that
/ was followed. A fellow was pretend
ing to come on behind me carelessly, but
l could see that he was trying to catch
up. Just as he was few feet from me l
saw that it was Jim H, and, thinking
that there was some mistake, l said:
Hello, Jim What brings you out so
later That speech saved my life, for he
had aimed blow at me with a bowie
that must have been a foot long, but |
caught his wrist and he recognized my
voice in time not to try to repeat the
blow. He started with an oath and in
sisted on my having drink of whisky
and accepting his apologies, for he had
mistaken me for man he had sworn to
kill at the first meeting.
You think you would run away from
a duel, do you? But you wouldn't; you
WOuIu De H6Iu IiSuL 70 your WOrk. A
man who appealed to the law was cow
ard, and was run out of the neighb or-
hood. The man who 'crawled' would
have trouble with his second, for if man
found that he had been acting for such
fellow he would challenge him himself,
so that his principal would only get out
of one fight into another. knew a sec
ond who took challenge to a chap who
suspected what it was and refused to take
it. y on take it, said the second, or the
first time | meet you on the street Will
give you Gaming That was a nice pre-
dicament for man who did not want to
fight-either get killed or thrashed.
"A good many of the women Endorsed
the practice of dueling. When Clay was
challenged by Calhoun he said, very
properly, that his life concerned his wife
more than it did himself, and that he
could not fight without her consent. She
replied: L would rather be the widow of
a brave man than the wife of a coward
And he fought-or, rather, he fred his
pistol at the clouds, to show that he was
willing tor