The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-09-07
DuELINe in THE OLD SOUTH.
1t Started Feuds, but Made People Careful
of What They Said.

of What They Said.
A southerner of the old school was
chatting in a hotel lobby the other
evening, and became reminiscent of
former days. In speaking of the code
of honor he said: "a man was respected
after he had fought duel. He had
proved the right to citizenship. And,
after all, there were a few advantages
in system that made every man re-
sponsible for what he said and did. He
walked straight and talked straight.
Men did not make comments on women
who passed them on the street, because
if common decency did not forbid such
conduct it was effectually stopped for
fear of being called out. And no
man abused another behind his
back or in mixed company, be-
cause if the man who was being
maligned had a friend present
that friend would declare that he was
willing to represent him and demand
to hear all that was being. said. 1t was
because of this way that people had of
standing by each other that private
quarrel would grow into feud. Smith
would back Brown, Jones would back
Smith, Thomson would back Jones and
so it would go until the whole town
was divided into factions
''If a man threatened to shoot an
other on sight, that was the same as a
challenge; it was legal, you might say.
| never knew man to be tried or pun
ished in any manner for doing it, be-
cause he had given warning and he
stood as fair a chance of being killed
as of killing. There was man in
Americas, Ga, who was threatened
that way, and day and night he never
allowed his pistols to be out
of his reach. He came on the
man who promised to kill him
one day and stepped to a
lamp-post to steady his aim, then he
shot him dead. The ball splintered the
butt of a pistol that the man carried in
his vest. was going along the street
one dark night when noticed that I
was followed. A fellow was pretend
ing to come on behind me carelessly,
but could see that he was trying to
catch up. Just as he was a few feet
from me I saw that it was Jim H,
and, thinking there was some mistake,
l said: Hello, Jim! What brings you
out SO late" That speech saved my
life, for he had aimed blow at me
with bowie that must have been a
foot long, but I caught his wrist and
he recognized my voice in time not to
try to repeat the blow. He started
with an oath, and insisted on my tax.
ng drink of whisky and accepting
MS apologies, for he had mistaken me
Tor man he had sworn to kill at the
irst meeting.
"You think you would run away from
| duel. do you? But you wouldn't; you
would be held right to your work.
man who appealed to the
aw was a coward, and rwas run i
,ut of the neighborhood. The man
Who "crawled" would have trouble
With his second, for if man found s
hat he had been acting for such fell
ow he would challenge him himself,
% that his principal would only get I
nut of one fight into another. 1 knew
second who took challenge to a l
hap who suspected what it was and {
efused to take it. "You take it," said :
he second, cor the first time 1 meet
'ou on the street I'll give you a can !
ng.' That was nice predicament |!
or man who did not want to fight
i ther get killed or thrashed.
ga good many of the women in
Lorsed the practice of dueling. When
LAY was challenged by Calhoun he
aid, very properly, that his life con- s
erned his wife more than it did him {
elf, and that he could not fight with
nut her consent. She replied: 4
would rather be the widow of brave J
nan than the wife of a coward And i
lie fought-or, rather, he fred his pis-
oil at the clouds, to show that he was !
Wiling to. IN. Y. Recorder.