The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-07-12
PAGAN DECLINED DUEL.
BUT so MOULD OTHERS WHEy
 THE DUEL
Meant shotguns at Distance of Twsn-
 ty Feet.


 Colonel W. P. Harlow, the Mexican and Arizona rancher and miner, who was challenged by General Charles P. Eagan former commissary general of the United States army, to fight a duel at Guaymas. Mexico, month ago, has come to New York in connection with mining interests. His suite of offices is at N. 379 Broadway, where he was seen yesterday by Tribune re- porter. His version of the duel is sub- stantially as follows:
 General Eagan is trying to secure valid title to tract of coal land in the state of Guaymas that is claimed by Colonel Harlow for the Pacific Coast Coal company. General Eagan, in the | absence of Colonel Harlow from the mines. elected the Harlow men from the premises. News does not travel as fast there as it does in some other places, and 1t was four days before word reached Colonel Harlow that Eagan had | busted his men. Then Colonel Harlow appeared on the scene. and ran off all of i General Eagan's men. A week later the colonel appeared at the hotel in Guaymas, where Eagan was a guest. The men had been introduced a month before. and had met socially number of times.
 How are you, general?" said Colonel Harlow lowing politely.
 Who the devil are you, sir?" asked General Eagan. hotly.
 Colonel Harlow is about six feet two inches tall and weighs more than two hundred and twenty-five pounds He confesses that he has the Arizona way of getting angry in hurry.
 I'm not the embalmed beef hero" said he, shaking his fist under the nose of General Eagan
 General Eagan that night sent Colonel Harlow challenge to fight duel. MT. Crocker, the United States consul at Guaymas, resigned his position by tele- graph in order to act as second for Col onel Harlow. General Eagan's second was a Mexican judge. There is law against duelling in Mexico but when ever men want to fight there is a way found for them to gratify their desire. As the challenged party, Colonel Har- low had the choice of weapons. When Mir Crocker asked him what he was go- ing to do he said:
 I'm going to fight. I'm too near sighted to stand any sort of a show with pistols at long range, and you know that my title as colonel is of the. tin soldier variety, as I never had a sword in my hand half dozen times. Write General Eagan a note saying that my choice of weapons is shotguns, and that the distance apart for us will be not to exceed twenty feet
 This acceptance of the challenge was taken to General Eagan by Mir Crock CT. When General Eagan heard the terms imposed by Harlow he refused, Colonel Harlow says, to go on with the duel, The night afterward Colonel Harlow and his friends dined at a Guaymas hotel, and in minute of hi ladity it occurred to Harlow that he ought to play the role of challenger. He challenged General Eagan to fight duel, and told him that he (Eagan) might use thirteen-inch gun, but that as for himself he (Harlow) would be content with a can of embalmed beef as weapon.
 To Colonel Harlow was shown the narrative giving his side of the case. He said for publication:
 The foregoing are the facts, and l am ready to stand by them. I can prove every one of the statements by affidavit of half 8 dozen men. General Eagan will not deny them. I thought Eagan would fight revolving buzzsaw, but he doubled up in hurry. To be perfectly honest, I am ashamed of the whole transaction, but General Eagan was the aggressor, and his refusal to fight after he sent challenge has exci- ted unfavorable comment in Mexico. '- New York Tribune.