The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-07-18


posted his man so that no tree trunk
should make q special line behind him
as aguidc-pOSt to JacksOn's aim. Eight
PAGES were measured OF ind the mcn
were placed.
81 am ready" replies Dickinson.
am ready" replies jackson.
| "Firc :"
Overt0n shoots this word from his
mouth with the old rustic pronuncia-
tion coming back to him in his intense
eNcltcment, it being II common phc.
nomcnon thut seconds are not half SO
cool as their principals.
Hardly had tho word left his lips
when ball left Dickinson's pistol
OVcrton's keen eyes noted Il thy pun
OF dust on the left breast Of Jackson
and saw the left hand go slowly TO the
| breast, but his man stood firm as one
of the neighboring poplars. Dckin-
son rccOilcd II few steps in amuncmeut /
and angry despair.
Great Cod. Have missed the
scoundrcl?' he Z iaculatcd vindictivcly.
| Probably that cry OF qncnchlcss hate
cost him his lifu. Jackson was the
kind Of man who often suffers from the
temptation to be magnanimous But
magnanimity with Il Dickinson would
have been suicidal. Spared, he would
have forced another fight, perhaps q
street atfray.
Back to the line, sir :" shouted
Gen. Overton, laying his hand ON his
| pistol. Dickinson recovered his cour-
age, though not his color. Palo as
paper, with naughty, flashing eyes, he
walked with facilc grace forward to
the line and stood up to be killed like
| u gentleman.
PiLifully the torture to his false
~ "a IL IN.
longed by the whim OF accident, as
Jackson's unusually tall figure seemed
to tower over that OF Dickinson.
When Jackson raised his pistol
slowly-it having been agreed ut the
start that the weapons should he held
down ward pistol snapped and
caught at half-cock. 70 rcadjust il
took, OF course, another awful moment
full Of murder. Then came the flash
and the crash.
Dickinson's white face grew still
moro ghastly, shadowy, ghostly. He
rcelod and fell backward with IL
smothcrcd shriek. Jackson's bullet
had struck him below the ribs, taking
downward course.
His friends lifted him tendcrly and
leaned him against the towering
shrub that was glowing with glad life.
Jackson sent his surgeon to offer as
sistance to the other one, but Charles
Dickinson was beyond their skill. He
fingered in frightful agony for hours,
and expired before his wife could
reach his side.
The slayer went forth to shay, and
he was slain."a
Vet Dickinson's aim had been per-
lect. He had meant to hit Jackson in
the heart. lie did not, however, real
ize how exceedingly slender was tho
Generals body, like that Of Charles
Sumner, " hO in youth was piuy(ully
nicknamed the line" by julia Ward
Howe, because he seemed to be length
without breadth and thickness
| The loose fr0ck coat which Jackson
wore increased the error in Dickinso S
| ocular calculation by just enough to
save his lifc. The ball broke two ribs
and rnkcd the breastbOne; a. severe
wound. from which acute pain arouse, b,
and us false healing occurred. pursued
Jackson at intervals to his last hour.
When the surgeon overlook Ovcrton
and Jackson, about u hundred yards
away, his professional eye caught IL
glimpse OF blood on one Of the Generals
shoes.
"My God, General, You are hit"
Hush," was the naughty answer.
81 believe he has pinkcd mo Il little,
but prefer that Iie should die without
the satisfaction OF knowing it,
How this reply exempltics the say.
age temper Of the times! Yet Andrew
Jackson was not cruel by nature On
the contrary, he was like Henry Clay,
tender even to the point that his gray.
iron eyes could easily melt into tears.
The character Of Jackson, indeed, in
many respects was far above the
average. He gamblcd like most gen
tlcmen. but not dcvotcdly. He was
very fond of horse racing and not
avcrsc to whiskey, though he rarely
drank to excess. He was quick to
quarrel, but he never used vile Ian
guagc.
Like Grant, even when in his cups,
never word came to his lips that
could cause blush on the check Of IL
woman. This purity Of language in Il
coarsc-tongucd time was the outward
and visible sign in his case, though it
is not always of Il pure heart. Andrew
jackson, from earliest boyhood, was
thoroughly chastc, and his ideal Of
w0manhood SO high that he hated to
suspect evil in any Of the sex. In all
the transactions of his life his word
was better than q bond
In this orphan son Of q poor Irish
emigrant, with Il scunty, pickcd-up cd
ucatlon, ana bred chiefly in the rough
college OF the camp, was Il radically y
fine gentleman. He had fine manners,
too, especially toward women. Lady
Hamilton was we'll vcrscd in European
courts, after an hour spent in his com.
pany while President, referred to him
rs the finest hammered man she had
ever met--a very liking OF courtesy
TO rccur in closing to the fna
scenes Of this famous duel it is worth
OF note, as IL slight sct-oil and agains
the barbarity Of his first remark abou
the dying Dickinson, that from tn,
tavern where Jackson rested to have
his wound dressed he sent Il bottle 0
the best wine to his enemy. His own
preparation for the further pain of tn,
smgica operation was II draught o
buttcrmilk.
The large majority Of Tcnnessocans
condemned this duel to the death, be
cause it was too real. The fantastic
folly OF fighting for honor and coming
of with scratch from Il sword or Il
smell OF powder was all right and
proper; it gave the stroke Of grace, the
accoladc OF knighthood eto " gentle
mans character but u meeting for