The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-08-29
probable he would appear on the field

probable he would appear on the field
again.
Ellerbe Crawford Boggan Cash fought
the last duel in South Carolina some %
years ago, and was the only man who
was ever tried by court of justice for
the act. He was acquitted. although he
killed his antagonist.
Incidentally it is to be said young
Boggan." a son of Col. Cash. fought the
duel next preceding the affair in which
his father engaged. Young Cash, near
Cheraw, sent race horse to his friend,
Miller Williams OF Camden. to be cared
for temporarily. When Miller ssnt tho
horse home Cash wrote an insulting let
ter to him complaining of the low condi-
ton of the favorite animal. Miller, after
consulting his friends, challenged Cash.
The meeting came off in North Carolina.
There were two exchanges of shots
When in the last Miller's ball cut a
groove in his antagonists coat over the
shoulder. Cash apologized and all went
home. Later Cash killed the town mar
shall of Cheraw and committed ether afro
cities on the street He had fine horse
saddled and ready and made his escape
to the swamps of the Pedee. He lived
there, defiant of arrest, for months. He
was found about daylight in an ahand-
oned log cabin. He rushed out, weighted
down with arms, made despsrate resist
ance, but was shot to death By officers
of the law.
Williams and Cash were each over six
feet tall and well proportioned young
men, fine examples of manhood.
Col. Cash challenged Shannon. a much
older man, on the complaint that Shan
non. as counsel in a case where Mrs.
Cash was defendant had unnecessarily
employed the legal phrase fraudulent"
The meeting took place at Du Bosses
bridge. over Lynchs river. on the Darl-
ington and Camden public road. Shan
non was an unframed marksman; Cash
was an expert. Shannon fired first; Cash
took deliberate aim and shot his oppo-
nent through the heart.
Col. Cash soon found he had made a
mistake. Pubic sentiment resented the
resort to the code He and his son had
both fought to attain to the fame of Will
son, Huger, Rhett, and others. in the pre-
vious generation. He fell from grace, de-
clared for congress in the hope of restor-
ing himself, but was ignomnously de-
feated. He'd led in obscurity.
Criminal? Yes the crime of that age.
All nature abounds in monstrosites, ply
steal and moral. The Nebraska prairie
farmer sows his fields today to. see the
tornado blow the seed out of the ground
ard blow the furrow thrice off the sur
face tomorrow. The code OF honor says
If a gentleman receives a blow he must
not return it; a gentleman, mind you.
He must summon friend not related in
consanguinity to him. TO this friend he
must submit his case. An apology or a
duel at 10 to is PAGES, one shot at a time,
fairly delivered and returned, is the Sc
quel. The code has gone and the hip
pocket arsenal has come Men are shot
down in violence and haste every day,
many more men shot than under the code.
Men yet fight and fight more desperately,
armed secretly with a six-shooter, than
openly with derlinger of one barrel
as in the earlier times
Even in the earlier times some brave
men refused the code and yet fought their
enemies to the death. Some time in the
'40s, L think. correspondent of the Rich
mond Enquirer (democraD said it was re-
ported that Peasants, editor of the Rich
mond Wing, both dailies, was about to
set up an abolition newspaper in Rich
mond. TO do such thing would be So
cial infany. The Enquirer was then con-
Quoted by the sons of its owner, the ia
mouse editor Thomas Richie, the latter
being editor of the democratic organ of
the administration at Washington Plea
SAINTS did not favor the code, but he was
brave. He sent note to one of Ritchie's
sons, saying he would walk ON the canal
day. In this walk the men met, Richie
loaded down with single barrel pistols,
and Peasants carrying two of the same
kind, also sword. Richie fired first to
hit Peasants. Peasants continued to
advance, firing both pistols, from one of
which he had clandestinely drawn the
wad after both had been loaded by his
second the night before. Richie hit him
several times. but he did not fall until he
had reached near enough to strike Richie
feeble blow with his sword. Peasants
died in day or two from his wounds,
but Richie was unalurt. The code had
been ignored and foolish inequality of
combat urged by Peasants, with fatal
results to himself only. Peasants drew
a very nice line upon the moral issue of
private battle. He was not willing to
slay Richie, but he was ready to invite
Richie to slay him and bear the moral
consequences. The code does not tolerate
that refuge for sentimentalists.
j. w. DU BOSE.