Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-10-16
a1iseellansous geading.
CALIFORNIA DUELS.
Fights on the Field of Honor In Early
Days.

CALlFORNlA DUELS.
Fights on the Field of Honor In Early
Duels among newspaper men were
particularly frequent in California in
1853 and 1854. There were nine duels
in San Francisco in 1854 alone. The
code was SO generally acknowledged
that Bret Harte once said ''1t took
more courage for a man. to decline
challenge to the field of honor than
it took to accept" The man in poll.
tics or newspaper work who declined
to accept challenge from an equal in
those days became a pariah.
In June, 1854, Edward Gilbert, who
came from Albany, N. Y, and had
been a member of the California con-
stitutional convention, was editor OF
The Daily Alta, of San Francisco.
He met in duel General James w.
Denver, who was then secretary Of
state of California. Mr.. Gilbert fell
dead at the second shot. The editor
had ridiculed a law passed by the
California legislature at the request Of
Governor Bigler and General Denver,
providing for giving help to the starv'
ing immigrants from across the plains.
General Denver was angry, and replied
in card in a rival newspaper. Editor
Gilbert gave the general another edito.
rial shot, although be had been warned
that a challenge to fight would result.
But General Denver only retorted in
harsher language than ever. Then
Editor Gilbert himself sent a challenge
to duel with rifles at 40 PAGES. In
1880 General Denver's name was men,
toned by several New York news
papers in connection with nomination
by the Democrats for the presidency
of the United States, whereupon sew
eral newspapers published detailed
story of the duel, showing how the
general had been compelled to shoot
as he did.
John Nugent, brilliant editor and
public speaker in San Francisco,
fought two duels in 1858 and 1854.
He was severely wounded both times.
The first time he and Alderman Co.'S
ter, a criminal lawyer whom he had
criticised sharply, fought with pistols
at distance of "a feet. Nugent fell
with a shattered thigh, and was al
ways lame thereafter. Ten months
later he was again challenged to fight,
this time by another San Francisco al
derman, named Benjamin Hayes. Ri
fes were the weapons that Nugent
chose this time, and the distance was
20 yards. Nugent walked. with bis
cane to the spot where the seconds de-
cided he should stand during the duel,
and called out to his opponent that he
meant to have no fooling about the af'
fair. He wounded Hayes in the fleshy
part of the leg at the first fire, but he
himself sank to the ground at the Sec
ond fire. He recovered, and was a
famous editor in San Francisco for
more than 25 years.
In July, 1853, Hammond Estley,
editor of the Santa Clara Banner, and
w. G. Parker, editor of The Herald, OF
Monterey, exchanged four shots in a
duel near Benicia. They had been
having a newspaper war for weeks.
Both met, were less than 25 years old,
and were quick-tempered. Finally
Estley publicly taunted Parker with
personal cowardice, and said that any
one of courage would have challenged
him (Estley) long before. Parker sent
a courier Oh horseback at once to name
the place where the code was to settle
their differences. Pistols at 30 feet
we're chosen. The men exchanged
four shots. Estley was shot through
the arm once, and had a finger of his
left hand clipped away by bullet.
Parker was shot in the hip, and stag
gered back. He recovered himself,
and called for another shot. That one
missed. At the fourth fire be was
shot in the abdomen. He died before
sunset that same day. While he lay
diving a friend came from Estley with
u request for an interview. The re-
quest was granted. Estley burst into
tears when he was led into the cham
ber of the dying man, and throwing
himself as best he could, with the
bandages about his arm wounds, at the
bedside, he said:
"Parker, may God in heaven and
you forgive me for my awful crime
I have been crazy, crazy mad L shall
never recover from this days work
Oh, forgive, forgive mel"
III haven't anything to forgive, Est
ley" said the dying man. "You've
done the proper thing, and l didn't
That's all. Don't feel so bad about
it,"
When Parker was dead, Estley sent
for the sheriff of the county and gave
himself up for trial. There never was
a trial, however. Estley subsequently
made a fortune in land speculation,
and contributed generously every year
to the support of the aged mother OF
the dead Parker.