The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-02-08

Oi'iil oslu DihCk deOTRe. HIS was LOU
much for Clay and he challenged Ran
dolph. The duel took place at o'clock
In the afternoon of April s. 1926. Ran
dolph, although crack shot, was
unused to hair trigger, and his
pistol went off prematurelv with
the muzzle down, just as the principals
took their positions Gen. Jessup, Claws
second, announced that he would leave
the field with his principal if such thing
occurred again, but Clay protested that
the discharge was accidental, and asked
that an exchange of shots be had AZ the
word Clay sent bullet through a flannel
dressing gown which Randolph's eccen-
tricity moved him TO wear. Randolph
threw his fire away and honor was de-
clared satisfied without bloodshed.
Randolph, when a member of the
house. declined in 1907 to fight a duel
with Gen. James Wilkinson. of the army,
on the ground that he could not descend
TO Wilkinson's level. Wilkinson, in reply,
called Randolph "a vain. equivocal thing "
but this schoolgirl language passed I'M
noticed by the naughty Nirginian. As a
result of Randolph's decin alton the prac-
tlce OF posting was originated. Wikin-
son, unable 10 obtain satisfaction for his
honor in any other way, posted notices In
hotel lobbies and other public places in
Washington. reading like this:
Hector Unmasked.
In justice TO my character, l denounce to the
world John Randolph, member of congress.
asa prevaricatIng, base calumniating scoun-
drel poltrOOn and coward.
Washington in those DAYS was not such
a slow-going place after all.
But tire-eater as Wilkinson undoubtedly
was. he could not approach in this regard
Col. Jack McCarty of Virginia. who killed
his cousin. Gen. Armistead T. Mason. a
senator from the Old Dominion, in a duel
at Bladsnsbnrg. The men had political
row and McCarty challenged Mason. who
declined. McCarty followed Wilkinson's
example and posted his kinsnan as a
coward, but strange to say, declined the
challenge which Mason sent him. The
affair remained in statu quo for some
time, but was reopened in 1919. Mason
again challenged McCarty, who agreed to
accept on condition that the meeting
should be held under one of three condi-
tions. namely: Thew should fight hand
TO hand with dirks. or leap from the dome
OF the capitol together or have il out on
barrel of powder with lighted fuse at
tached. These conditions were finally
modified into the agreement that the
weapons should be shOtguns loaded
with a single ball to be fired at a distance
OF four PAGES. The duel took
place on Feb. s. 1919 As the wespons
were leve.ed their long barrels near
ly touched. Both principals fired stimuli
taneously. Mason fell deaf. McCartv
was seriously wounded Like Daniel
O'COnnel after his duel with D'Esterre,
in which the latter was killed, McCartv
suffered terrible remorse and never for
49,. g. l..
Campbell and GARDENER.
At the beginning Of the century the dis
tTict in congress now represented by Isaac
Norton Cox OF New York was represented
by Barent GARDENER GARDENER had a
quarrel with George Washington Camp
bell, a member from Tennessee, and a
duel at Bladensburg resulted. GARDENER
fell and was believed to have been ia
tally wounded. He recovered, however.
and both men afterward served tie coun-
try with distinction Campbell as minis
ter To Persia and GARDENER in congress
The due took place in 1902
The duels between Mason and McCarty
and Cilley and Graves were the onv af-
fairs fought near Washington in which
members of the national lsgis AZURE were
killed, but others have occurred else
where in which representatives of the
people met their deaths or killed
their opponents. The best known of these
was that between Senator Broderick of
California and David 5. Terry, in which
Broderick was killed. Terry, it will be re-
membered. was killed Jew wears ago bv
a deputy marshal, who suspected that
Terry was about to shoot Justice Stephen
I EialA Of tho T.
erick's second. Gen. Joseph &. Mckib-
ben. ex-member of congress from Califor-
MIA. is living at Marshall Hall, a pleasant
resort down the Potomac, opposite Mt
Vernon, which he manages.
Congressman Vance of North Carolina
was killed in his native state by his col
league in congress. Mr.. Carson Thew
fought with rifles. This was in 1877 In
1880 Col. Robert Crittenden and Gen.
Conway, candidates for delegate in
congress from the territory OF Arkansas,
fought over words uttered in debate Con-
way was shot through the heart Critten-
den died few years later.
q. c. DromRoole. a congressman from
North Carolina, killed man in a duel in
1887. They fought with pistols at four
PAGES.
Spencer Pettis. a representatives.
lhIRb lTOul AlheOuIlt lObb HIS lie IN u uubi
with an army major. named Biddle, who
was also killed. The duel was fought Aug
q, 1891. on Bloody Island in the MissIs-
sippi. opposite ST. Louis. Pistols were
used. and the distance was only five feet.
Button Gwinnett, member of the CONT
mental congress from Georgia and a siener
of the Declaration of Independence, met
his death in l717 in duel With an officer
In the Continental army named Mcintosh
This affair occurred near Savannah, Ga.
While Gen. Sam Houston, the Texas
hero, was a member of congress from Ten
nsssee in 1926, he had quarrel with Gen.
White of that state. The cause Of this
duel was somewhat similar to that in the
Cilley-GrSves affair. White, acting as sec-
ond for a friend. conveyed q cha lenge to
Houston, and Houston refused to accept
IL. White told Houston that nobody ex-
pected him to fight. Houston said he
would fight White or any gentleman. and
White sent him a challenge. Houston
accepted, and the duel was fought Sept.
%, 1926. at sunrise In Tennessee, near the
Kentucky state line. White was danger
ously wounded at the first fire, but recov-
cred. When White fell Houston is re-
ported TO have said TO him: 81 am very
sorry for you, White, but YOU know it was
forced upon me-
81 know" said White family. "and l
forgive you"
LudicrOus and Pathetic.
Nearly all the meetings related above
bad fatal ending. but a number of 9th
ers in which congressman participated