The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-06-06
BOTH PIERCED BY BULLETS.

y, a Virginia Editor and IA Prominer
Lawyer Met ON the Field OF Hon,
Tho Event Was Tragic and Sen
rs sationaI
}. The recent death OF Capt. Page Nj,
,t Carty, the celebrated editor and due
d list, has recalled the tragic affair i
=, which he WAS one OF the principals
r. and correspondent tells the story a
follows
Captain Page McCarty was the las
OF the famous Southern duelists. IL
. was in May, 1878, one OF the principals
u in an affair that was romantic as wei
rs fatal. He killed John Mordecai.
= prominent lawyer, and WAS himsel
. terribly wounded. The lady who wa.
at that time the belle Of the South WA.
the innocent cause OF This duel.
McCarty came OF the bcs: stock. Ouo
OF his ancestors WAS speaker or the 0id
; House OF Blrgesses, away back in l7lj
lie and Mordecai were about tue same
age. They were deskmates AT the u nj.
verslty of Virginia when law students
there just before the war. McCarty, as
Il volunteer, was present at the time OF
the time OF the capture Of Harper 5
Ferry. He was then a beardless youth,
but it was not long before he was rap.
idly promoted from private and became
u captain Of artillery.
After the war Captain McCarty turn
cd his attention to newspaper and
literary work. In the year 1873 he and
his old friend, Mordecgi, were both
desperately IN love with Nj iss Mary
Triplett, who was at that time the most
celebrated beauty in Virginia, if not in
the whole South. A grand ball was
given in April OF the year mentioned,
and all the fashionable people Of Rich
mond were there. On this occasion
Miss Triplett wounded the feelings OF
Captain McCarty by showing a decided
preference TO dance with some one
else. Shortly after the ball the fol-
! lowing verse was printed in local
newspaper, but no name was signed
to it:
When Mary's form divine press,
II Strauss s sweetest waltz,
Those lips too would iain Caress
Altho' those lips he false
John Murdccai was sitting ;st a res
taurant on Main street waiting for his
order for break last TO be filled when
he read these lines. His friend, Will |
liam Royal, one OF the leading lawyers |
in Richmond, WAS with n m. MOriccai
said it was evident that McCarLy had |
written the verse and that tue Mary |
referred To was Miss Triplett. He an
nUuLced his purpose to hold McCarty |
personally responsible. Mr.. Royal in
sisted that il the author Of the puDlica-
tion was To be punished there was no
reason why Mordecui should undertake
to do 1T, rs the lady had grown broth
cr ana other male relatives. But the
young lawyer WAS terribly angry aud
nc would not listen TO the advice Of his
friends. He sought the counse! Of Will
liam X. Trigg, the present head Of the
w. II. Trigg ship building company.
MIR. Trigg took the same view Of the /
matter as did Mr.. t9yull and Mordecai
was finally convinced tnat IL would
be "a mistake for him to challenge Nc
Carly.
The old Richmond Club was then the
place where the ultra-fas niOnablU gen
tlemcn Of Richmond spent their even
ings. McCarty and Mordecai were
members. Ore evening McCarty's ne
phew heard Mordecai roundiy abusing
his uncle and reported the matter TO
the captain. There WAS some cores.
pundence passed and IL Is said McCarty
denied the authorship Of the lines.
Everybody believed that trouble would
be avcrted after this. a few weeks
later McCarty and MOrdecai met in the
cafe Of the club and some angry words
were passed. This dispute resulted in
Mordecai knocking McCarty DOWN.
The latter at once sent a challenge To
duel and 1t was promptly accepted.
The meeting place WAS just outside OF
OakwoOd cemetery, which is in the
suburbs OF Richmond 1T was an ideal
May morning. William l.. Royal and |
William IL Trigg acted as seconds for
MOrdecal and Colonel William B. Tabb
and John S. Meredith were there
rs friends OF McCarty. DR.. Hunter
Mcclure, who had been Stouewall
Jackson's chief medical director and
who attended that great soldier after
he received his fatal wound at Chan.
cellorsville, was present as surgeon for
Mordecai. The late DR.. j. S. Dorsey
Cullen, who WAS surgeon on General
James Longstreets stan, went along
to attend McCarty in case he received |
Is wound.
Both men faced each othor with the
courage and GOODNESS each possessed
At the first fire the ball from Nor
decei's pistol struck McCarty in his |
right thigh. Mordecai was shot in his
abdomen. Both mon had To he carried |
from the field, and Mordecai died two
day laters McCarty's life WAS despair.
ed OF for several weeks, but he finally |
recovered.
This affair occasioned IL tremendous
sensation throughout the country. The
seconds were all arrested and kept in |
tho Richmond jail six weeks. They |
refused to testify aud nder the iaw
OF The State could not tc forced to do
80 and were released.
McCarty after his recovery WAS ar
rested and tried. He WAS convicted |
ana sentenced TO serW six months in
jail and TO pay fine q $500. The inc
was promptly paid. He had been in
jail but short time Vhcn the surgeon
Of the prison certified that longer con
| lincmeut would result in his death, |
and he was pardo>cd 10y Governor
Kemp9r.
soon after the dlcl Miss TripIott,
who, it is said, hal more than fifty
SuitOrs, was married to Captain Philip
IlaXall, IL wealthy fur manufactures.
Snc reigned as the acknowledged and
undisputed social queen Of Richmond
until her death a!cw years ago. Nc
CBrty never agaiJ sought the society
OF ladies. He deWtcd his life TO Jour
nalism and to literary work AS
political editor lD was IL bold aud fear
less writer. Th' Democrats had him
to edit their caGpaign papers, and he
made several tiece and savage attack
upon the late Gneral William Muhon
and other Republican leaders.
1T was often thought that he would
be cha!lengedb rs political Oppo