The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-04-18

died instantly
Willis Aston went to Texas, where
he lived for some time, He settled
near Brazoria. There was DR.. Stew
art, who, for some reason or other,
pursued the matter of the Reed killing
and used remarks derogatory to Ais
ton. Aston, hearing of it, wrote the
remarks down, and, meeting Stewart
on the prairie one day. asked him
whether or not he was responsible for
those remarks. DR.. Stewart took the
paper, and, while pretending to read it,
put his hand in his holsters and drew
his pistol. He jumped off his horse on
the side opposite Aston and fired into
him. A desperate fight ensued, in
which Aston was shot twice and his
stomach so cut that his bowels protru-
ded. He killed Stewart, however,
pouring a load of buckshot into him af-
ter he was prone upon the earth. He
was taken to Jail almost dead.
He was a famous fiddler, and, pro-
curing a fiddle, sat there playing the
old tunes Of his boyhood. His body
servant gained admittance to his cell
and had a coil of rope around his body.
Suddenly a mob assaulted the Jail,
overpowered the sheriff, broke in the
doors and seized Colonel Aston. He
was game to the last, and fiddled up to
the very instant he was seized, his
dauntless face looking full on his as
sailants. He was tumbled into blan-
ket, the ends twisted, and he was then
hustled out of Jail. Once out In the
street, he was thrown to the ground,
still enveloped in the blanket, and a
hundred bullets were poured into his
body.
Thus died the last of the Halifax
Alstons." They We're remarkable
athletic and handsome race of men.
Gideon, who was killed by Pelat, was
always cited as the handsomest
youngster Of his day. 1t may be said
here that the young Castilian who
killed him was put into the navy as a
midshipman, and was drowned in the
Mediterranean. Willis Aston was a
man of wonderful strength. He once
shouldered load of eight hundred
pounds dead weight, and carried 4
through the streets Of Sparta on bet
His life was stormy one His feud
with the Ingrams, a strong and power
full family, was the sensation of Geor-
gia for the time it lasted. He always
carried his wager with him, and es-
capped the whole difficulty with only
one finger shot away. The feud was
dramatized under the name of 1.-THE
Watch" and was sold largely. The
authors were never discovered, or they
would have been killed, as the heroes
of that day did not tolerate the publ
cation of their troubles The manu-
script was discovered one morning in
the yard of fearless widow, who pub
lished it herself and sold it, making q
great deal of money by it.
A friend of the late Colonel Bob Ais
ton said: Colonel Aston was a re-
markable man. Filled with all the
chivalry, fearlessness and hot-headed-
ness of his race, he dreaded above eve
rything meeting an end like his ances-
tors. 1t was not fear, for an Aston
does not know what fear is. He was
as brave a man as ever lived. In the
army, as one of Morgan's lieutenants
he was one of the most reckless anG
daring of them all. He once actually
had biscuit shot from between his
teeth but with a laugh he continued
his breakfast. He said to me: I have
a boy who is a hot-headed fellow him
self and have taken my wife's hand
in mine many time and knelt by his
bedside and prayed to God that NIGH
bequeath him a legacy of peace and 6
quiet death 1t was his highest ambi
ton, as he often said, to break the ole
tradition that an Aston must die IL
his boots Yet it was the fate of thi.
boy of his to die a few years later the
death of suicide"
When he was going to the field t.
meet Captain e. Y Clark of a riva
newspaper, he was just going to TAX,
the night train. Suddenly he turned
| to a dark wall, and, leaning his heat
on his hand, prayed aloud that Coo
| might spare him the death that hi
people had died, and allow him to liv,
| in peace. He never believed, however
| that this would be granted him. /
made him gloomy to talk of it, but t.
| his friends he would say that he knew
! it to be his destiny to die "the Alstol
| DEATH" He even had a superstition
| that a certain man was going to xii
him. There had never been any trou
| BILE between them, but Aston Away
| said, THAT man is my fate" The maj
was his friend and never became any
thing else. Despite these gloom,
| thoughts Aston was a devout believe
in the code. After he had joined tn
church he still adhered to his belief
| 1T is peacemaker," he said
In South Carolina, where the cod
stood above the state law, there neve
was so quiet and decorous communi
| ty. In Charleston county there wa
not a murder in eighteen years, an,
| the files of the Charleston Courier TO
nearly twenty-five years do not shoy
the use of the word liar" or "scoun
dreT' or any similar epithet singh
| time. There were no street fights O
| rows, and no assassinations. A higl
code of honor was established, and i
| made even towards brave men. H
| used to tell of Carolina Judge who
| having two men before him for tryin;
| to fight duel, said: Gentlemen, i
| will take me an hour to write out thes
warrants. In the meantime there is
steamer at my wharf which can TAX
| you out of my jurisdiction, so that 20,
could complete your work before
| could hold you" Colonel Aston neve
| fought duel himself, though he issue,
| and accepted a great many challenges
| The conservative spirit of these latte
| days always settles these matter
without the exchange of shots. Will