The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-11-18
Uhe 4eraIa aud News
STOCKTON'S GREAT COURAGE
DUELS DE THE FAMOUS OFFICER
D-ESCRIBED IN A LOG BOOK.
startling Adventures of Tone OF the
Most Celebrated Fighters In the
Old American Navy.

AouS SA 49,
Most Celebrated Fighters In the
Old American Navy.
An old sailors log, brought to light
by the Princeton Alumni Weekly,
records some startling adventures of
Capt Stockton, afterwards the fam
Gus Commodore Stockton, of the Uni
ted States navy. The courage and
reckless daring of this member Of
the historic New Jersey family are
remembered at Princeton, yet the
events set forth in the log eclipse any
thing that has ever before been gen
orally known Of his doings.
The log Was kept BY an officer
named Squibb, on board the United
States storeship Erie, off Gibraltar,
in 1849. The story of the Comma.
dore's adventures on this occasion
has been told in his family and the
version of it in Squibb's diary CORE
spends minutely with theirs. Charles
s. squibb, Of Brooklyn, a son of the
author Of the log, has sent the ex-
cerpt to the Stockton family. He says
that he is sure it is authentic, be-
cause his father was very careful in
such matters. Here is the story as
told by the elder squibb's log:
"This Gibraltar in the place where
the English officers were taught to
be more civil and more sparing in
their use of opprobrious epithets to-
ward our officers and countrymen
after the last war. This lesson they
learned, too, upon their own i'm
pregnable ground,
"Our Mediterranean ships at that
time frequently came in here to buy
supplies, and, as the officers were
commonly insultsd in the streets,
duels were by no means uncommon
and generally terminated in favor of
our side. To such an extent was
this carried that the governor first
prohibited fighting within the garri-
son and prohibited his officers from
going outside, and next prohibited
American officers from coming
ashore, except under peculiar circum
II
"About this time an English off I
ser grossly iosulted the consul, who {
was q pescesble old man of family t
and did not resent the sfront. This
very ship Erie came in soon after,
lnder the command of the fre-eating I
stockton, Of Princeton. he, hearing 4
II this insult to an old consul, sought J
,ut this officer and grossly insulted G
him in return, with q view to elicit q
a challenge. Finding his efforts G
lnavailing, he challenged the Officer, q
Who promised to make arrangements IL
or the duel, notwithstanding the a
b
ga few days after Stockton re- q
eived a note telling him that if he L
7ould land at the Ragged Stsf u
and take certain roads up the ''
,ountsin TO a certain PERCEPTIONS -
EDGE, a. an appointed time, he u
'ould find his adversary ready. The .
liter pledged his honor that Stock. III
N would be allowed to return to LII
is ship unmolested if he escaped
Ding shot.
al
stockton went, Of course, and on %,
saching the spot found his adver 70;
Try ready. But just as they were be
bout to take their places a guard of
IS seen coming up by the way Fl,
:ockton had taken. He, however, 81.
sisted on having a fight, since they its
ID come for that purpose, before P,
9 guard arrived They took their OF
sces and fred, the Englishman of
Hing, not killed, but manned for an
9. Stockton started then to 60 p
wn the hill in q direction opposite At
that by which the guard was COM uie
Z, but soon found himself opposed inc
another guard in front. he there mol
g returned to the ledge in front
i met the officer of the first guard
t as he was mounting upon the
ge. He asked to be allowed TO CAS-