The Portland daily press., 1896-05-16

Gen. Robert Williams, until recently
Adjutant General of the army, and now
on the retired list, laughingly related to
the writer the story of an affair Of honor
he had with David Bell of Iowa, WHO
died in 1860. The duel took place in 1874,
when both the young men were cadets of
the same class at the Military Academy.
They had some quarrel, the cause of
which Gen. Williams has forgotten. and
decided to settle their differences ON the
historic Bladensburg field. When tho
party reached the ground they found
there several citizens of the town of
Bladensburg, who had obtained knowl-
edge OF the meeting. To avoid this uu-
invited audience Cadets Williams and
Bell repaired with their seconds to
point half mile away and close to the
track Of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
Shots were exchanged without greater
damage than slight wound to Bell, and
honor was declared satisfied. Gen. Will
l1ams told me that when the parties were
leaving the field they discovered that
Bladenburg Justice Of the Peace, who
had come to arrest them, had been i'm
PEELED by curiosity to witness the duel,
and had secreted himself behind tree
for that purpose. He did not apprehend
the young men.
Two editors from Riclmo nd, Va, J.
N. Daniel and E. W. johnson, after
carrying on war of words in their re-
speotive journals. decided to fighJ 1T ont
with pistols at Bladensburg. This wss
in 1859. They exchanged shots, accord
ing to the current account, were induced
to patch up their differences, and left
the field as friends. The next year Robert
Ridgeway, another Virginia editor, was
challenged by 5. G. Davis q member of
the Virginia Legislature, and they also
met at Bladensburg. Pistols were used.
Davis fired at the word and missed, and
Oh Ridgeway declined to shoot a recon-
ciliation was effected.
Alexander M. Dallas and r. M. Hoale
went out to fight at Bladensburg in 1851
but were arrested on the ground and
bound over to keep the peace. They had
quarrelled in the National Hotel. Jeffer-
son Davis while in the United Stntes
Senate, was also prevented from fighting
duel by his father-in-law, President
Zachary Taylor, who placed him under
arrest, and then sent his secretary to the
ground to arrest Deyis's opponent, Col.
Bissell, member of the House. Bissell
had accused Davis of cowartioe in the
Mexican war. When arrested he was
brought to the White House, where Presi-
emit Taylor made the two shake hands.
This celebrity of the Blaiiensburg field
has caused it to be considered as the place
where all the noted ais near Washing
ton occurred. Through this misconcep-
ton the affair between Randolph and
Clay and the tragic meeting between the
unfortunate Jonathan Cilley of Maine
and Graves of Kentucky. also member
OF the House, are sometimes said to have
taken place there. As matter of fact,
Cilley was killed on the Marlboro road
just beyond Good Hope, and Clay shot at
Randolph at point near the Chain
bridge, on tho Virginia shore.
Scharf, in his history of Maryland, says
TINT fatal duel between Daniel NJ
Key, son Of Francis Scott Key, and j.
M. Sherbourne, both midshipmen in the
navy, was fought at Bladensubrg This
is an error. Tho duel took place on the
Arnold farm, about two miles from the
present Pennsylvania avenue bridge.