The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-20
s-~A-s-N

blows. My grandfather interfered and
suggested that they settle the matter in
reasonable way. After some discussion
Kinch said the only way to settle the
thing would be for Faulkner to get him
hog as big as the one that had been killed.
Falkner said he would do nothing of the
kind because the hog was a tresspasser
and deserved to die. Kinch replied that
the potato patch was on his land and not
Faulkner's. Faulkner said that Kinch
was liar. Finally the two men agreed
to settle it in this unique way:
They were to fight duel until one or
the other was killed, the survivor to have
not only the land of the other, but the
potato patch and the dead hog 1t was
agreed that it would be an unfair advan-
tage for Kinch to take to fight a duel
with Faulkner in cleared ground Falk-
ner was good wood chopper, but Kinch
was the best shot in the country, so they
decided to go up into clump of woods
known as Cat Rock, one man to get at
one edge of the woods and the other man
at the other. Then they were to hunt
each other in the woods, and the man who
found the other was to shoot him dead.
In order that there must be fair play they
selected my grandfather to be referee.
In the center of the clump of woods was
a big oak tree, half dead. They stipulated
that the referee was to get up in this tree
and TO stay there until three shots were
fired in quick succession, and were ac-
companied by yell.
'"The three men went up to the woods.
Kinch and Faulkner had long old-fash-
Toned rifles; my grandfather had no gun
at all. Kinch got at one edge of the clump
of woods and Faulkner got at the. other
My grandfather climbed up in the big
tree, 1t was then about 2 o'clock in the
a l. !
thor sat in that tree. The sun was sink
ing in the west and the shadows were
beginning to lengthen through the trees,
and still my grandfather heard nothing
of the two duellists. He waited about
half hour longer, and then, after yelling
himself hoarse and getting no answer
from either of the men, he climbed down
to the ground and started for the edge of
the woods. After he had gone about a
hundred feet it occurred to him that one
of the men might see him prowling about
the woods and might mistake him for the
other duellist. The thought caused my
grandfather to stop beside the big tree
and think what he had better do. As he
was thinking, he wandered away from
the tree and sat down on a log He
stretched full length on the ground few
minutes later leaving only his right arm
exposed. In less than two minutes there
was report OF gun, and my grand
fathers right arm fell helpless. He roll
ed over and yelled.
Faulkner came running up, and when
he saw his mistake, he too, began to yell
Both men now feared that Kinch would
come proving about and shoot them
both, so they sat down side by side on the
log, and began to howl as loud as they
could In about ten minutes Kinch came
up. They agreed to postpone the settle
ment of the trouble until they could take
care of my grandfather They took him
to Kinch 5 shanty, and dressed his arm as
best they could. 1t was about seven weeks
before my grandfather had really recov-
cred. AT the end of that time kinch and
Faulkner told him that they had agreed
that since he was the only one who had
suffered by the duel, he was entitled to
the potato patch and the carcass of the
hog. They said that they would each
hold onto their own land, because they
could not give it up according TO the
terms of the original agreement unless
they died.
Another outcome of the duel was that
the three men entered into an agreement
whereby the land owned by one should
go to the others, share and share alike,
if the owner of the land should die or
should marry. My grandfather was the
first to break away. He was married, and
his land went to Kinch and Faulkner.
don't know whether Kinch and Faulkner
both died or both got married, but at any