Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-04
again. Despite the protestations Of his
friends, Mason sent the ominous note, and

again. Despite the protestations of his
friends, Mason sent the omirous note. and
lost his life as a result
A year and a month following MaSon'S
tragic ending Stephen Decatur, post cap
tain or commodore in the navy. the beau
ideal of naval commanders. brave sailor
and a man of ability, fell at the hands OIL
a brother officer. Post Capt. james Barron,
and Bladensburg received its greatest no.
toriety 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 Randall killed young man named
Edward Fox, also treasury clerk. at
Bladensburg on August Z. lei. IN conse-
uuence of a quarrel arising from the be-
travail Of a Washington girl by the former.
The girl was the daughter of Randall
boarding house mistress. and her brother,
then a cadet at West Point, had tight
with the seducer in which Randall was
severely wounded. When he recovered an"
other boarder at the house of the unfortu-
nate girls mother attacked him In the
street Randall believed Fox had insti-
gated this attack and gave the latter a
Gaming. with tn. result that Fox sent him
a challenge. Pistols were the weapons Sc
lected and the distance was eight PAGES
The Secretary of the Treasury dismissed
Randall from the department, but he suf-
fered no other punishment. A recent
search through the files of the department
revealed no papers relating to the dismissal
and it is supposed that they were burned IN
the great treasury fire of 1888.
As Noted In the IntelliEenccr.
The National Inteiligencer published no
particulars of the fatal meeting, but in Its
Death column, in the issue of Saturday, Au-
gust IL, 1921, this interesting notice APP
peared:
"Died-On Tuesday evening. Edward Fox,
junr, esq.,, for several years past clerk in
Of no nj q
He fell in duel. being snot through the
body. and instantaneously killed!
How often have we to lament the death
by this barbarous custom OF men whom we
| have known whom we have respected and
even loved. If society and common &C
cuaintance mourns this catastrophe. what
consolation can be offered to father, q
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 i'll health and
hardness the next intelligence, in letter
from his own hand. left with friend; 10 De
nouncing that, when they received 1t. he Is
no more.
."The circumstances of this unfortunate
meeting are we'll known in the city; but In
compliance with our uniform rule, we for
bear to speak of them. more affiictine
| occurrence has seldom taken place in oul
society; and we sincerely partake, in this
respect of the general feeling.
The next year. 1922 another Treasury De
partment clerk. whose name was Gibson
| had an affair at Bladensburg with Midship'
man Samuel Barron Cooke, L. S. N. Cooke
was shot through the lungs, but did not die
| According to Hammersiey'5 zone Hundred
Years of the L. s. Navy" Cooke lived unit
| 1885.
A question on the construction of the
code arose in 1896 frcm a bloodless due
| fought a Bladcnsburg in June of that veal
| between two Congressman, Daniel Jenifel
| of Maryland and Jesse A. Bynum of North
Carolina, who had quarrefed over words ut
tered in debate. There were four seconds
| all members of Congress, Peyton of Tennes
see and Pickens of South Carolina for Jeni
| fer and Sewer of Arkansas and Hannegar
Of Indiana for Bynum. Six shots were ex.
| changed without injury to either party, be
| fore honor was declared satisfied, entirely
too many, said opponents of the code II
discussing the question Of construction re
ferred to in the settlement Of a dispute
growing out OF words uttered in debate
| Bynum and Jenifer suffered more Off the
| field than on. for the newspapers lampooned
| them without mercy for being such poor
| shots
Gen. Robert Williams, until recently ad
| 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 1S47 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 for
| gotten, and decided to settle their differ
ences on the historic Rladensburg field
When the party reached the ground the,
| Bladensburg. who had obtained knowledg,