Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-22
HUNTSVILLE STREET DUEL.
Two Editors Pull Their Guns and Tive "0ld
Random" Thunder Random" Disfg-
ured, but Still in the Ring.

Huntsville, Oct. -(Special)-Frank
Coleman editor of the Argus, and Robert
l.. O'Neal editor of the Mercury, ex-
changed nine or ten pistol shots at each
other this morning on the southeast cor
ner of the square None of the shots
took effect, though two of O'Neals bullets
passed through Coleman'S clothing, one
cutting through the lapel of his dress
coat at the top button. During the firing
Coleman fell to the ground, when O'Neal
waited for him to get up and both were
arrested The trouble grew out of some
editorial structures of the Argus Sunday
morning denounced as an unqualified lie.
The two men met this morning and
O'Neal demanded an apology or fight.
with the above results.
The difficulty between the two editors
was the result of editorial structures
which appeared in the two papers. In
last Fridays issue of the Argus, Ed
itor Coleman's paper. appeared the fol-
lowing:
1.-The comment is very general that
Oates must not try to cram himself down
the people of Alabama and force them
to make him governor. He's too dull and
too ordinary for that. He unmiXed with
difficulties of the Argus upon a stuffed
convention. The state convention must
he on the square.
Referring to an extraordinary editor
1dl IFOifl slfie montgomery <adNNltlSCi, re-
produced on this page. the Argus wishes
10 say that the functions of the state
convention are not the same as the func-
{ tions of the general assembly; their re-
sponsibltieS are separate and distinct.
An effort to cram a fossil like Oates
down the democratic party by force won't
work in. the manner suggested by the
Montgomery Advertiser. 1t would be
usurpation and would create party
mutiny. 1t would be an outrage. The
antiquated and presumptious governor
must get up some other scheme"
In his paper of Saturday Editor O'Neal
of the Mercury replied to the above as
follows:
THE above, from such a source puts
one to thinking. Who is the supposed
Governor Palmer of Alabama? Can it
be- for instance. that Governor Oates
with his more than 100 ina gnary
speeches for the gold standard, with the
same vivid but selfish fancy, sees in his
rosy vision a stuffed convention domi
mated by a state executive committee lay
ing the senatorial chaplet on his anxious
brow?
I'VE hope the democratic party of Ala
bama may be delivered from any such
blow beneath the belt 1t would make
a dead knock out. There are too many
besetting dangers for ambitious in
trigues to be dallying with the very life
of our party in the state in such a reck
less fashion as this
One of the strongest features of this
break loose of the Argus is where 1t
chides the governor for his .1nore than
100 imaginary speeches for the gold
standard"
The Argus has heretofore been eonsid-
cred an advocate of the gold standard,
and to turn on the governor at this late
day for his Imaginary gold standard
speeches" will cause the sound money
democrats to look to its future advocacy
of the sound money doctrine with
a degree of anxiety not unmiXed with fear
that the recent financial difficulties of the
Argus has put it, like the Age-Herald,
in the clutches of the silverites We hope
to see she Argus come out from under
this cloud declaring for sound money
and an organized democracy, and say
no more about stuffed convention dom
mated by a state executive committee.
In Sundays Argus, under the caption
of living by Hint" Mr.. Coleman says:
In adimadverting upon certain edito-
rails in Fridays Angus the Huntsville
Mercury of yesterday exhibits an unman-
ly trucculency and spirit of mendacity
from which it has been partially free for
some time past 1t concludes its unpro-
voked and utterly ungentlemanly arti-
Gle with the following libelous and to-
tally unwarranted and untruthful para
graph, penned by some one probably ir-
responsible:
cred an advocate of the gold standard.
and to turn on the governor at this late
day for his Imaginary gold standard
speeches" will cause the sound money
democrats to look to its future advocacy
of the sound money doctrine with de-
gree of anxiety, not unmixed with fear
that the recent financial difficulties of
the Argus has put it like the Age-Herald.
in the clutches of the silverites. We hope
to see the Argus come out from under
this cloud declaring for sound money and
an organized democracy and say no more
about a STUFFED convention dominated
,by state executive committee.
The W ritter of the above utters, by cow
ardly insinuation,an unqualified lie. There
you are. 1t is, in fact, an unmanly, falst
living effort to degrade business rival
by hinting venality in our advocacy of
principles when we have been without
variance and are consistent advocate
of honest money as urged by President
Cleveland, not estimating Governor
Oates. however as the only man in pub
lie life in Alabama who is in favor of
this financial plan, nor as indispensable
to the proper maintenance of this princi-
ple. When we recall the Mercury's no
torious effort in 1892, under the same al
legged ownership as today, to defeat the
democratic nominees of Madison county.
when the opposition in mass meeting, in
dorsed the Mercury we are less shocked
at its far-fetched falsehoods against a
journal that has always advocated demo-
cratic candidates and democratic prin-
ciples.