The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-08-29
The Story of Two Men Who
Fought Under the Code.
BYNUM WAS 100 CONFIDEN 7
He Missed His Am and Perry Sent Bullet
Through i.in-The Story Of One of the
Souths Most Interesting Duels.

marble column upon a broad granite
pedestal, singular in the simplicity of it's
majestic proportions. 1t reaches high
and stands with impressive firmness
upon mother earth. The little town sits
at the foot of the Blue Ridge, several
limpid streams hurrying past 1t bound
for the Atlantic, and the prospect cn ev-
cry side shows thu final exhaustion OF
the grandeurs of the wild mountains
Of the Flatrocl< fame.
Inscribed upon the sides of this shaft
are the name and the more conspicuous
public offices of Benjamin Franklin
Perry, born, not far away, in this first
decade of this century, and who lived
more than eighty years, sound of mind
and body to the last. Perry was Il
cousin of I'VE met the enemy and lie is
ours" Perry. He was a supsrb specimen
of manhood, six feet two inches, proper
toned, graceful in action. rather re-
served MEN, but purctiliously polite
This Shaft lsaves posterity to know that
the man whose career it commentaries
had been a district attorney and dis
trict judge, appointed by President JEFF
fefson Davis; the provincial governor
of South Carolina, appointed by Pr5si-
dent Andrew Johnson, and a federal
senator, unanimously elected, but one
of the class not allowed in their seats
by the sena lie of Jofnson's administrn-
ton. Their are other public evidences
goh g r. show that Mr.. P5rry was in
early life most happily married to a
young lady of Charleston, of the Hayne
blood, that he was a lawyer of the front
rank, a gentleman of easy fortune who
lived at Sans Souci," a singularly hand
some home, high:r up among the hills.
four miles out of town, where his pri-
waite general library was without a rival
in the commonwealth.
In the notification time there was but
one union newspaper in the up coun-
try of South Carolina, and B. F. Psrry
was its brilliant editor. John G. Cal
houn lived not far away. The nullifiers
Were nettled every week by the flow Of
Perrys logic, and his impertnrbable
tsmper. The nullifiers put up a weekly
of their own to beard the lion in his den
They opened shop in Perry's village I'M
der his nose, so to speak. They sent to
North Carolina for a practiced pistol
shot for editor, Bynum, by name, a
young man who could put a bullet
through cotton THREAD as far as he
could see it. Perry, in knightly spirit
of the South Carolina gentleman, called
in person on Bynum promptly, and well
coined him. In the next issue OF his
union paper he introduced in a decent
had come to fight and Perry was the
preconceived foe. In q few weeks the
nullifier paper made the singular an
+taot ID; =
personally responsible for all the bet
tiers found in it's columns. The public
say the coming trouble in this announce
ment. The week following a fierc, and
taunting letter aimed at Perry was pub
lished by Bynums paper. Unionists at
once hurried to Perry's office declaring
the fight must come off. "If you dom,
challenge Bynum, ONE of our number
here will take your place on the field"
Perry was never precipitate. He under
stood the plot to kin him under the guise
of the cod+ of honor. There was no de-
sire to avoid the field when honor called,
but this was conspiracy, and how far
he should justify it by sending a chai-
lenge under the code was the question
with him. You must fight, or we wil,"
repeated his political friends.
Perry, in the formal way, demanded
of Bynum the name Of the author of the
letter. convinced that he was a WILL
known teacher. Bynum replied, assur-
ing personal responsibility.
The next morning, before sunrise. Per-
ry and his friends wers first on the field
Awaiting the other side, Perry was seen
to turn and weep. 20, be man, my
FRIEND" exclaimed his surgeon.
you mistake me sir. I am about to
punish the wrong man, and despisc the
ethics of the code that requires such a
thing" responded the principal.
While the ground was being measured
Bynum strutted up and down.
"Sit down. Bynum.'' said his friend,
you will make yourself nervous"
mot at all. 1 will kin him upon the
word" was the answer to the friendly
warming.
The word" resounded on the morning
air. Bynum fell dead and Perry rode
back to his home unscathed. The victor
had done no practice and was unusued to
the weapon. On the road he met young
er brother of Bynum. The young man
stopped him and expressed his entire sat-
isfaction with Perry's conduct in the af-
fair, however much he mourned the fate
of the victim. He said he desired to re-
turn to North Carolina, and would do so
as soon as he could collect the needed
funds. Perry drew out his purse on the
moment and gave the young man half
its contents, goodly sum. The young
men'of Greenville were preparing to give
Perry triumphal entrance, but from
such display his heart revolted and he
asked to be left alone.
Twenty years OF more later. at qun-
tenniaf celebration of the graduating
class Of the So,ith Carolina college, VIII
liam r. Tabor, IT.. very brilliant young
man, distinguished for his elegance OF
manner and handsome person, editor Of
the Charleston Mercury, delivered an ad-
dress. B. r. Perry criticised it. making
some caustic remarks in his Greenville
paper Tabor promptly chal;s nEed him.
Perry, declined en- the ground that his
comments were fair and that t was not