The Cook County herald., 1901-07-06
ON .HONOR's FIELD.
DUELING IN THIS COUNTRY
AND GREAT BRITAIN
Game Down to Quite Recent Times
Last Duel in England Fought in 1sA5,
in the United states in 18ss-Fisht
from Balloons

Last Duel in England Fought in SA5,
in the United states in 18s3-Fi. .llt
from Balloons
Il is the fashion today both in Amer
lea and England to ridicule that pecu-
liar code of honor which finds its ex-
preston in dueling; but perhaps we
would be little more saving in our
ridicule and censure if we remembered
that until quite late in the 18th cen
tury both Americans and Englishmen
were enthusiastic patrons of the field
of honor. When the last century was
young it was not an uncommon thing
the British islands. During the reign
OF George III there were 172 duels in
England alone, and there were several
trials of peers for murder by the
House OF Lords growing out of them.
Ehere are men still alive who can re-
call the sensation that was made by
the Duke of Wellington, then premier
OF Great Britain, in fighting duel
with the Earl of Winchelsea. That
was in 1929. The last duel in England
between British subjects was fought
at Southsea in 1S45, when Lieut.. Haw-
key killed Lieut., Seton, of the Elev-
enth' Hussars. Until so years ago duel
ing t1ourished in Ireland as much as it
ever did in France. All the noted
lrlshmen of the early part of the CEN
tury were duelists. Even the great
O'Connell, religious as he was and
averse to shedding of blood, figured
ON the field of honor. AS for our own
American record, dueling was quite a
conventional thing with us down to
the time of the civil war; and as late
as 1883 it may be recalled that Mr.
Knox and Mr.. Sheehan, the last-named
gentleman being direct descendant
of the famous duelist, Richard Brinsley
Sheridan, met at Far Rockaway, near
New York, and exchanged shots, Knox
being wounded on the second fire In
the same year R. r. Beirne and W. G.
Elam, two Richmond editors met on
the field of honor at Waynesboro, after
most exciting race to escape the pur-
suing sherifis, and Mr.. ELAN was
wounded in the hip. These, we be-
lieve, were the last two duels conduct
ed according to the code in this coun-
try. Our ante-bellum record may we'll
restrain our contemptuous comments
on dueling in Europe. There are many
places in this country which have trag-
ic memories as dueling grounds. On
the fighting grounds of Bladensburg,
named after Gov. Bladen of Maryland
many istinguished Americans have
met. The first duel was fought there
in 1908 when two congressmen-J. W.
Campbell from Kentucky and HI. B.
Gardiner from New York, the latter
sign Edward Hopkins of the navy
was killed there by brother officer,
whose name is still in doubt There
Armistead Thomson Mason, one of the
most brilliant and popular Virginians
of the period, was killed by his cousin
John Mason McCarty, on a February
morning in 1919. They fought with
muskets only 10 PAGES apart. The
great name of Stephen Decatur, of
Maryland, naval hero of 1872, is also
on the list of Bladensburg's victims.
He was killed there, in 1920 in a duel
with James Barron, brother officer.
Later came the Graves (Ky.) and Gil
ley (Me.) duel in which Cilley was
killed The last fatal encounter on
that celebrated fighting ground was
fought as late as 1946, when Daniel
johnson, a physician, and Thomas F.
Jones, lawyer, both of North Caro-
lima, met there. Johnson was instant
~ killed by his adversary's first fire.
A notable duel between Virginians
took place near Weldon, N c., about
lS4O in which Daniel Dugger, Whig,
was killed by George C. Dromgoole.
Democratic member of Congress for
the Petersburg district. In France
there are about 1000 duels yearly and
in Germany, in the army and in COL
leges, ,duels are daily occurrences. There
is a growing tendency to discredit the
practice, however, and it is probable
that before the present century has
run half its course dueling will be as
obsolete in Germany and France as in
America. Probably the most sensa-
. tional duel ever fought was in France.
In 1903 NJ. De Grandpre and M. De Bis
que, who had quarreled about an opera
dancer, agreed to fight a duel from
balloons in field near the Tulleries,
armed with blunderbuses. The balloons
kept about 80 yards apart and when
they were 800 feet high, on signal
being given, NJ. De B1sque fred. He
missed aim, whereupon Grandpre fred
into Bisques balloon and he and his
seconds were dashed to pieces on a
fhousetop.-UticaG Globe
E. Tree as a Land Owner. sss -