Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1896-11-20
EpIroRs FOUGHT a puEL


Sesults Were Not Particularly Disastrous
40 the Participants.
The old editor hal the inside track
and was doing the talking.
Il never had more than one duel" lie
began.
You speak as il one were not
enough" interrupted the listener.
1T was an ample sufiicieucy." con-
;inued the edisor, with a smile. "I was
at the time of it's Occurrences % years
at age and the editor of the Smugviils
indicator. 1 was also hot-headed
youth, with yearnipg for gore emil
glory. In the county adjoining mine
was a ioathsome contemporary of
,nine. built on about the same lines
was, and il wasn't more than u year
after we had been contemporaries until
we were in "a fine row. lie would write
Scathing editorials, and so would I,
and tnaSy we dropped our pens and
took up pistols. That is, we agreed ~
fight dGel.
Fortunately for US we had friends
who were more sensible than we were,
who took charge of all arrangements
for the bloody ARRAY. II was decided
by them that the duel should take place,
and that we should fire two shots at
each other. the weapons being double
barreled shotguns and the distance ten
PAGES. That suited us exactly. for Wa
were extremely bloodthrsty and
wanted each others gore in large guam
titles. The fight was 70 take place at
six o'clock in the morning. in n Sc.
cludcd spot, AID we were there prompt
"
were 10 fire the first shot after count
ing three, and il one or both survived
another shot might be fired as quickly
IS the principal could get his gun ready.
That made il regular rough-and
tumble for half the fight, and also ma dc
II more interesting. 1t isn't necessary
for me to go into details Of what I
thought Just before the battle, moth
or;" suffice it to say thought writing
scathing editorials was preferable 70
shotguns at six a. IN. However, we
kept our nerve and took our places
ready for business. And | think we
meant business, for we took aim RICH.
at each other. Then came the count
ing, and finally the deciding three
and bang! went both guns at once !
felt as If had caught an entire car
load of shot from my face down, and
tumbled over on the grass. What had
become of my opponent did not greatly
concern me at that supreme moment.
Tor l was wondering why / was ncr
dead
"In half q minute the doctor was feel
Ing me. and after a minute or two more
he said had been miraculously saved
%
my opponent had also been miraculous
~ saved for he was standing about ten
feet away from me with his doctor.
ana the sight he presented made me
forget all about the duel ard break
into tears Of laughter. 1t appeared to
nave the same effect on him. and he
began laughing mt me. Then we both
got mad, and in five minutes we had
hckcd seconds, doctors and everybody
else on hand and run them clean out Of
the woods
This being accomplished. we srool,
hands and took look at ourselves in
n glass, which had evidently been
brought for our benefit. Permit ma
10 omit an elaborate description OF what
We looked like. Those confoundcd sec
ends had loaded our guns 20 the Irn,.zle
with printers ink. and the way IL was
shattered over us was enough to have
made MS laugh at first, and then licil
The crowd that had put mp the Job on
us. However. we had showed we bod
sard, and the iolcrs kept I'm hiding
until we announced in our respective
papers that all was forgiven n-,l III.
Ratchet was dead and buried. That WIS
I-y Only duel" continued The editor
and am extremely glad that the guns
were loaded with ink instead of buck
shot Washington Star.