The Portland daily press., 1896-05-16

Probably the army authorities had wind
OF the affair and ATTEMPTED to ston it
Inc oroer, as printed in the Intelligence
er' pears data Of May go. but this may BIO
an error as Niless Weekly Register,
snortiy thereafter, mentions that Lieut..
hoss was dismissed from the army for
engaging in duel contrary to the gem
eral order of May a6n The order follows:
ANY commission officer of the army
OF the United States who shall send or
accept any challenge to fight a duel, or
who, Knowing that any officer has sent
or accepted, or is about to send or accent
challenge to fight duel, does not i'm
medlatsly arrest and bring to trial the
Offenders In this case shall be dismissed
from the service Of the United States.
-. b. WALBACH, Adjutant General"
1t WAS on cold winters day in Febru-
airy, 1917. that Gen. Armstead L. Mason,
ex-senator from Virginia fell vicuim
to the bullet Of his cousin, Col. John M.
McCarty, his life's blood staining the
| snow-covered ground. Next to the affair
between Decatur and Barron, this is the
most famous Of Bladensburg's sanguinary
trays. zen. Andrew Jackson, who, while
President, dismissed four naval officers
for engaging In an affair of honor, has
been accused Of having been responsible
for this meeting. The Senator and his
cousin resided near Leesburg, Va, and
the trouble between them arose through
an objection by Mason to MoCarty depos-
iting ballot at an election in that town.
proposal to fight followed flom Nc
Carly, and was declined. Then McCarty
posted his kinsman as coward, and
Mason's consequent challenge was not
accepted, on the ground that he had
proved himself guilty OF cowardice. When
matters reached this juncture number
of Masonis friends joined in letter beg
gtng him to take no further notice of his
fiery cousin, and, realizing the wisdom
Of the advice, he decided to lot the mat
ter pass.
Some months afterward, so the story
goes, no made a journey to Richmond In
company with Gen. jackson, ana was
advised by the latter to challenge Nc
Carty again. Despite the protestations
Of his friends Mason sent the ominous
note and lost his life as result.
A year and month following Mason's
tragic ending Stephen Decatur, Post
Captain or Commodore in the navy, the
beau ideal Of naval commanders, brave
sailor and man Of ability, fell at the
hands of a hrothor of34oor DosS N,otoi.
James Barron, and Bladensburg received
its greatest notoriety. So famous has this
duel become, and so fully has the story
been told, that it need not be repeated.
A clerk in the Treasury Department.
named Rainfall killed young man
named Edward Fox, also Treasury clerk,
at Blsdenshurg on Aug. Z, 1891, in con-
sequence of quarrel arising from the
betrayal of q Washington girl by the
former. The girl was the daughter of
Randall's boarding house mistress, and
her brother, then a cadet at West Point,
had fight with the seducer, in which
Randall was severely wounded. When
he recovered another boarder at the house
OF the unfortunate girls mother attacked
him in the street. Randall believed Fox
had instigated this attack, and gave the
latter Gaming, with the result that Fox
sent him challenge. Pistols were the
weapons selected, and the distance was
eight PAGES. The Secretary Of the Treas
ury dismissed Randall from the depart
ment, out he suffered no other punish
1 r,,on rI ba
of the department. revealed no papers re-
lating to the dismissal, and it is supposed
that they were burned IN the great Treas
ury fire of 1883.
The National Inteliigencer published no
particulars Of the fatal meeting, but in
its death column, in the issue of Satur-
day, Aug. II, 1891, this interesting notice
appeared.
"Died-On Tuesday evening, Edward
Fox, Jr., Esq, for several years past a
clerk in the Office of the Secretary of the
Treasury.
'He fell in a duel, being shot through
the body, and instantaneously killed.
How often have we to lament tho
death by this barbarous custom of men
whom we have known, whom we have
respected and even loved II society and
common acquaintance mourns thia ca
tastrophe, what consolation can be offered
to father, mother, sisters and brothers
whom it has robbed of him who was one
OF the chief sources Of happiness in this
life, The last they heard of him he was
in health ana happiness, the next intelli-
gence, in letter from his own hand, left
with friend, to DO forwarded in the
event OF his death, announcing that,
when they received it, no is no more.
1.-THE circumstances of this un fortunat
meeting, are we'll known in the city; hut
in compliance with our uniform rule, we
forbear to speak Of them. A more afflict-
ing occurrence has seldom taken place in
our society, and we sincerely psrtake, in
this respect, Of the general feeling"
The next year, another Treasury De-
partment clerk, whose name was Gibson,
had an affair at Blndensburg with Mid
shipman Samuel Barron Cooke, United
States navy. Cooke was shot through
!