The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-04-16
DUELs IN THE OLD WAY.
Several Encounters in Which Ameri-
 cans Abroad Figured.

that the frigates Chesapeake, New York, John Adams and Enterprise were in the harbor at Malta. There was ev- cry kind of bad feeling in the minds of the Englishmen of the day, still sick and sorry over the loss of the thirteen best colonies of the crown. And this had taken the form of insulting the of cers of the American navy upon every possible occason--or rather, it was to take that form upon this particular evening, when number of the Ameri- cans were ashore for the purpose of at tending the theateI. The private sec retary of the British governor was a notable duelist of the old fire eating" stripe, who had already killed as many of his countrymen as Western des- perado has tenderfeet, and he proposed to vary his diet, as he boasted, by having a Yankee for breakfast the next day"
 So he looked over the little group of Americans and prudently selected Mid- shipman Joseph Bainbridge, a mere boy at the time, as his victim. So he walked by him, while he was speaking with friend and deliberately jostled him. It was not so much this-for the mans braggadocio had not come to his ears-but the jaunty way in which the Englishman walked away which arous- ed in his mind the notion that it was a piece of British insolence. Just then Lieutenant Stephen Decatur came along and as he was not without exper- fence, Bainbridge referred the matter to him. Tt will not be difficult to learn whether it was intended as an insult or not" he said and they were turning to go to the Briton, when he came by them.
 | Those Yankees will never stand the I smell of gunpowder," he was remark | ing loudly to companion, when Bain- | bridge knocked him down. As soon as | he could get to his feet there was a | challenge of course. The matter was | referred to Decatur, standing by and he ordered Bainbridge (only boy six | teen years old, remember) to go aboard l his ship and give himself no further | trouble. This done, Decatur and the i second of the Englishman arranged the details. "At the rising of tomorrow s | sum-" said our lieutenant, i've will | meet at the beach. Our men will stand back to back. At the word 'March!' they will each take two steps, turn and fire" The Englishman protested, calling it murder. But Decatur ex- | p1ained that his man was an inexper- fenced boy who had been selected with apparent reference to his youth and ig- norance by much older man. The l plan proposed was the only one which | placed the two on any even footing. But" Decatur added, If the terms seem harsh, permit me to take the l place of my friend, and will fight at I the usual ten paces.' But, as this was not the Englishman's intention and as | the challenged had the rights in the case, it was settled in that way
 | Then gallant Stephen went back tc his ship and called up Bainbridge and l another friend These two he placed heel to heel At the word each took two paces, whirled with unloaded pistol ir | hand and snapped the trigger. This was done for hours until so far as Bain- bridge was concerned it had become I second nature to step forward two paces at the word, turn instantly with his arm extended and snap the trig.
  lishman and American boy were sci back to back At the first fire, accord ing to Spears at the second, after shooting through his hat at the first according to Maclay Bainbridge lait his adversary dead. It is a matter o1 further history that Sir Alexander Bail, the British governor of the isl and, made so great a trouble over tho sudden taking-off of his secretary that it was deemed wise to order Lieuten. ant Stephen Decatur, jr., home for z season.
 After the war of 1872, in which the naval success of the Americans trans. cended anything in English history the British officers had their feeling! kept in continued state of laceratior by the presence in European water! of the ships which the Americans haG captured. This brought on numbel of duels. The most famous of these was a composite affair wherein al | American lieutenant was publicly in
 suited by six Britons at Gibraltar. H. challenged them all for successiv, mornings. The American killed th' first four. When the fifth morning ar FiVeu lne CuStOIldFy party OL pTlHcl
 pals, seconds and surgeons were rid ing up to the scene of battle, the Amer
 ican on poor horse, the English off
 cers on a good one. Suddenly a crowt
 was seen approaching, evidently Eng
 lishmen, though they were disguised
 as highwaymen. The officer divinet
 their purpose instantly "They hav
 come to kill you," he said with deep in
 dignation at so cowardly a plot "tak
 my horse and run. We can settle ou , dispute at any time" The second join
 ed in his principals importunities ant l. the American escaped. It ended in
 good natured apology on the part o , che surviving Englishmen and tn American accepted the explanations ii
 the spirit in which they were offered
 bringing good feeling to every one con | cerned.
 It is poetic injustice that Decatu
 should have fallen at last by the han'
 of Barron, one of his own countrymer
 after having done so much to sustain the honor of the flag and the service il
 various parts of the world.-Chicag , Daily News.
 A LETTER FROM AN INDIAr