Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-06-11
aetiseellaneous Reaaing.
DUELISTS OF THE NAVY.
Some Vivid Accounts of Personal Ad-
venture.

| ptntures
Spears History of Our Navy
At the various civilized ports where
the American ships called the Amer,
lean officers fell in with the officers oil
the European navies. The Yankees
had already shown somewhat of this
skill as sea warriors, but in the minds
of the European officers they were at
best mere plebeians. They were OF
the people. In short, in the mind OF
the European officer they. were not
gentlemen. The English officers were
the chief aggressors in the treating the
Americans with contumely. Consid-
ering the state of civilization at that
day, what was an American officer to
do?
On a certain night in the month OF
February, 1898, while the Chesapeake,
the New York, the John Adams and
the Enterprise were lying at Malta, a
number of the officers Went ashore to
spend the evening. Eventually they
gathered at the theatre. While a
number of them stood in the lobby
there, the secretary of the governor
came in with some friends. He was
of mature age and noted duelist OF
that day-had killed number of men,
in fact, and his mission in the theatre
was to get fight with one of the
Yankee officers. He had openly boast
ed, it is said, that he would have "a
Yankee for breakfast" the next day.
Looking over the group he selected
one of the youngest, Midshipman JOS
eph Bainbridge, for his victim, and on
walking past the group jostled him.
AS it happened cambridge was at that
moment speaking to shipmate and
was taken wholly by surprise. Hav-
ing no idea that anyone would willful-
ly seek deadly quarrel, his first i'm
preston was that the jostling was &C.
cidental. Nevertheless, when the
secretary, walked away with jaunty
air, cambridge suspected that an as
sault had been intended, and he was
speaking to his shipmates about it,
when Lieutenant Stephen Decatur
happened along. Decatur had had
experience in such matters, and Balm
bridge at once stated the case to him.
"We1l very soon learn whether it
was an accident or an insult" said De-
catur, and he was turning away to 60
in search of the offender when the
fellow came past the group from be-
hind Decatur. AS he arrived beside
young Bainbridge, the duelist said in
a voice that all could hear:
"Those Yankees will never stand the
smell of gunpowder." Then he jostled
the youngster again and started on,
but before be could take a second
step he received blow from the Yam
KEGS fist that knocked him sprawling.
Of course, the duelist challenged as
soon as he could get on his feet. De-
catur smiled and bowed. Turning to
Bainbridge, who was, it should be re-
membered, boy of perhaps 16, Deca-
tur said:
"Go aboard ship, sir, and give your
Sell uOT0 COuCSIu dUOuV VulS
I will attend to everything"
As soon as Bainbridge left the thea
tire Decatur went aside with the En-
glishmen to arrange for the inevivita-
Bile duel. AS the challenged party, the
Americans had the right to make the
terms. Said Decatur, when the others
were ready to hear him
ave will 60 to the beach at sunrise
tomorrow morning. There we will
place our men back to back, and at
word "March = they shall each march
two steps and then whirl and fire.
There shall be only the one word" i"
"My God, men," said the English
second, "that is clear murder"
"Pardon me-" said Decatur, "your
man is an experienced duelist. He
has picked out one of our young OIL
GERS who has had no experience what
ever. By the terms that I propose
they will be placed as nearly on an
equal footing as is possible. However,
sir, if you do not wish to fight in this
way, will take the place of the mid
shipman and meet your man on the
usual terms at ten PAGES"
And the Englishman chose to fight
the boy on the terms named rather
than face the experienced Decatur.
So Decatur went on board ship, and
taking Midshipman Bainbridge on
deck, placed him with a cooked but
empty pistol in hand, back to back
with a shipmate and said, "March ~
Bainbridge marched two steps and
snapped the empty pistol at his ship
mate. Again he was placed in posi-
ton, and again he marched and turned
and snapped the pistol. And from
that time on he stood erect and march
ed and turned again and again, the
whole night through he was drilled
in his duty till he did it as mechan-
ically and with the accuracy of a clock
that strikes the hour.
And as the sun was tinglng the
morning sky he was placed back to
back with the professional duelist.
Both marched at the word, and both
turned, but because Bainbridge had
been trained by Stephen Decatur he
turned more swiftly than the enemy
and shot him dead.
Let the reader decide for himself