Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-06-25
HIS ONLY DUEL,
It Was a Newspaper Affair, and Both Ed.
itors Received n Charge.

-
itors Received a Charge.
The old editor had tho inside track and
was doing tho talking.
II never had moro than one duel" he
began
"You speak rs II ono were not enough"
interrupted listener
1T was an ample sufficiency," con-
tinued the editor with q smile. II was ut
the time of its occurrence 90 years of ngo
and tho editor of tho Smugvillc Vindi-
Gator was also hot headed youth with
yearn for gore and glory. In the county
adjoining was 'loathesome contempt
rary' OF mine, built on about the Same
lines / was, and 1t wasn't more than year
after we had been contemporaries until we
wero In n fine row. He would write scath-
ing editorials, and so would I, and finally
VIC dropped our pens and took up pistols
that Is, we agreed to fight duel
Fortunately for us we had friends who
were moro sensible than we were, who
took charge of all tho arrangements for
the bloody ARRAY. 1t was decided by them
that tho duel should take place and that
We should fire two shots Mt each other, tho
weapons being double barrel shotguns and
the distance ton PAGES. That suited us OK
actly, for wo were extremely bloodthirsty
and wanted each others gore in largo
quantities. The fight was to take place at
6 O'Clock in tho morning In n secluded
spot, and wo were thoro promptly with our
seconds. Our instructions were to fire the
first shot nftor counting three, and If one
Or both survived another shot might be
krod as quickly as tho principal could got
his gun ready.
THAT made it regular rough and
tumble for half tho fight, and also made 1t
moro interesting. 1t isn't necessary for
mo to go into details of what thought
just before tho battle, mother, suffice It
to say l thought writing scathipg oditori
ais was preferable to shotguns ut a. IN.
However, wo kept our nerve and took our
places ready for business And think we
meant business, for we took aim right at
ench other. Then camo tho counting, and
finally tho deciding throo, and bang went
both guns at once. l felt as II / had
caught an entire carlond of shot from my
face down, snd l tumbled over on the
grass. What lad become of my opponent
did not greatly concern mo at that supreme
moment, for / was wondering why was
not dead.
"In half minute the doctor was feeling
me. and after n minute or two moro he
said l had been miraouously saved, and
pulled me to my feot. Evidently my OPP
ponent had also been miraoulously saved
for he was standing about ten feet away
from me with his doctor, and the sight he
presented made me forgot all about the
duel and break into roars of laughter. l
appeared to have the same effect on him,
for no began laughing at me. Then we
both got mad and in five minutes We had
licked seconds, doctors and everybody else
on hand and run them clean out Of tho
woods.
This being accomplished, we shook
hands and took look at ourselves in u
glass, which nad evidently been brought
for our benefit. Permit me to omit an
elaborate description of what we looked
like. Those COMPOUNDED seconds had loaded
our guns to tho muzzlo with printers ink
and tho way it was splattered over IL.
was enough to have made us laugh at fire.
and then to lick the crowd that put the
job up on us. However. wo bad showed
we had sand, and the iokers kept in hid
ing until we announced in our respective
papers that all was forgiven, and the
Ratchet was dead and buried That was
my only duel, concluded the editor, land
l am extremely glad that the guns were
loaded with ink instead of buokshot. -
Washington Star.