Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-09-06
A Memory
OF the Code. ~
How an ext Confederate and a
Brilliant Young Lawyer Fought
Duel In Richmond Shortly
After the Civil War
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Died.-At his home in Richmond, Va, May 25.
1900. Captain Page Mccarthy. aged O. years
General Robert E. Lee had surren-
dered. The Confederacy had fallen.
Thousands Of young southrons had
come from the war to find their homes
10 ruins and their fortunes lost. Moth
ing but the land remained. and many
Of them settled down when the first
shock Of defeat was stilI fresh to plant
cotton and tobacco Proud young men,
the product OF the chiyalry of the old
south. who had never done a stroke of
work. they lived for a time the life Of
field hands. They got up with the sun,
hitched the only remaining mule to the
rusty plow and worked hard In the
fields all day. In the intensity Of the
labor they were able to forget the bit
terness Of their lot.
Meanwhile Richmond, the old capital
OF the 'slost cause" became more than
ever the social center OF the south.
Outside of New Orleans Richmond was
the largest of southern cities. To 1t
had gone most of the few old planters
who had managed to save q part at
least of their fortunes. Naturally the
more ambitious and enterprisIng Of the
younger generation gravitated In the
same direction.
Two years after Lee issued that last
sad farewell to the remnant OF his
shattered army, Richmond was gay
and bustiing city. Half the great fam
lies OF the old south were represented
there. And there for a time an at
tempt was made to carry on the stately
and splendid social life which the war
bad ended forever. Big clubs were
opened. and gambling and drinking,
both fostered by the excitement and
temptation OF army life, so recently
over. ran high. The mansions of the
Richmond gentry were the scenes Of
nightly hospitality, and each week the
fashionables drove in their coaches to
q ball.
Gradually the young men who had
gone home to their plantations from
the war gave up the fight with nature.
and one after the other gathered To-
gether the little remnant of their for
tunes and came to Richmond to prac-
tice law or attempt to earn living
In some other way. Hundreds OF
young men. dependent on their own
resources for the first time, and all
Of them Of the highest social standing,
added to the excitement and gayety OF
the Virginia capital.
Among the fashionable beaus of Rich
mond at the time was Captain Page
Mccarthy, then q man Of 40 and q
descendant of famous Fairfax coun-
ty family. His father had served sew
eral terms In congress and had met
and killed his man according to the
regulations of the code Of honor. ALI
over the south an appeal to the code
had always been the first resort of an
insnlted gentleman, and now, since
the four years OF war had taught these
defeated soldiers how cheap Is human
life. duels were more common than
ever.
The belle OF Richmond during this
period Of unrest and excitement was
Mary Triplett Half the young men
In Richmond were In love with her and
there was great rivalry among them
ali for the slightest favor from her
hand. She was the nightly toast and
at the weekly ball reigned supreme.
One Of the most feryent Of her ad-
mirers was Captain Page Mccarthy.
Miss Mary. however. did not favor the
captain, and finally quarrel arose
between them, as result OF which
they passed each other on the street
without speaking.
At one Of the dancing parties It so
happened that Mary Triplett was plac-
ed in the formation OF some figure
directly opposite Captain Mccarthy.
She could not refuse to dance with him
without creating a scene. so she walk
cd through the figure with great cool
ness and dignity, only so far recog-
nizing the captains existence as was
necessary under the circumstances.
Already Captain Mccarthy was an
CRY, but this treatment made him
furious. He left the ballroom a few
minutes later. In the next issue of
Richmond paper there appeared a
little poem OF perhaps six stanzas,
which set all Richmond In a fever of
excitement -Four of the lines were as
follows:
When Mary's queenly form press
In Strauss latest waltz,
might as well her lips carcss.
Although those lips be false.
The poem was entitled .'To Mary"
and, though everybody recognized the
application Of the lines and wns moral
II certain that Mccarthy had written
them. nobody had any proof that be
was the author.
Hal9 OF the beaus OF Richmond start
cd out to ran down the man who had
written and printed the cowarily lines,
determined to call him to account on
the field OF bonor. Among them was
John Mordecai, newcomer to Rich
rnond and young lawyer OF great
brlllianey and learning. Mordecal