Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-06-14
HIS ONLY DUEL.


The old editor had the inside track and
was doing the talking.
81 never had more than one duel he
began
"You speak as if one were not enough"
interrupted listener.
''It was an ample sufficiency," con-
tinued the editor with a smile. II was at
the time of its occurrence 20 years of age
and the editor of the Smugville Nindi-
Gator | was also hot headed youth with
yearn for gore and glory. In the county
adjoining was a 'loathesome contempt
rary' of mine built on about the same
lines was, and it wasn't more than year
after we had been contemporaries until we
were in fine row. He would write scath-
ing editorials, and SO would /, and finally
we dropped our pens and took up pistols
that is, we agreed to fight Il duel.
Fortunately for us we had friends who
were more sensible than we were, who
took charge of all the arrangements for
the bloody ARRAY. 1t was decided by them
that the duel should take place and that
we should fire two shots at each other, the
weapons being double barrel shotguns and
the distance ten PAGES. That suited us ex-
and wanted each others gore in large
quantities. The fight was to take place at
6 O'Clock In the morning in secluded
spot, and we were there promptly with our
seconds. Our instructions were to lire the
first shot after counting three, and II one
or both survived another shot might be
fired as quickly as the principal could get
his gun ready.
''That made it a regular rough and
tumble for half the fight, and also made it
moro interesting. 1t isn't necessary for
me to go into details of what thought
lust before the battle, mother, suffice 1t
to say thought writing scathing oditori-
ais was preferable to shotguns at a. m.
However we kept our nerve and took our
places ready for business And think we
meant business for we took aim right at
each other Then came the counting, and
finally the deciding three, and bang went
both guns at once. felt as If had
caught an entire carload of shot from my
face down, and l tumbled over OIL the
grass. What had become of my opponent
did not greatly concern me at that supreme
moment, for was wondering why was
not dead.
In q half minute the doctor was feeling
me, and after a minute or two more no
| said l had been miracuously saved, and
pulled me to my feet. Evidently my OPP
ponent had also been miraculously saved,
for he was standing about ten feet away
| from me with his doctor, and the sight he
presented made me forget all about the
duel and break into roars of laughter /
| appeared to have the same effect on him,
for he 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 the
woods.
This being accomplished, we shook
| hands and took a look at ourselves in a
| glass, which had evidently been brought
| for our benefit. Permit mo to omit All
| elaborate description of what we looked
like. Those COMPOUNDED seconds had loaded
| our guns to the muzzle with printers ink,
and the way it was splattered over us
was enough to have made us laugh at first
| and then to lick the crowd that put the
| job up Oh us. However, we had showed
| we had sand, and the jokers kept in hid
| ing until we announced in our respective
papers that ali was forgiven, and the
| Ratchet was dead and buried. That was
my only duel, " concluded the editor, 'and
| am extremely glad that tho guns were
| loaded with ink instead of buckshot. -
| Washington Star.