The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1904-11-01

purpose OF decldlnB some private dl1-
ference or quarrel and have been
fought with deadly weapons and with
purpose to take life.
The challenger has generally been
one who was confident that he could
worst his adversary with pistol or
sword, but there have been many in
stances where men, goaded to des-
peration by persecution or SANDER,
have challenged the ones who made
life unbearable even when they felt
that the chances were against them,
but like the man who meditates sui
eide, they felt it was the easiest way
to end their troubles. However, in
most cases, duelists are either selfish
or wantonly thoughtless, for the duel
list values his honor above the life of
his antagonist, his own life, and the
happiness of his family"
In France and Germany dueling en-
joys a certain amount of popularity,
although the laws forbid It, and, until
a half century ago, fight with swords
or pistols between prominent men in
this country, who wished to settle a
contention, was by no means uncom-
mon, and a description of several of
these incidents occupies many pages
Of American history. They invariably
resulted fatally for one and sometimes
for both of the combatants, so that
dueling became exceedingly unpopular
with Americans.
Duels have been fought not only
with all kinds OF weapons, but in vari-
GUS other ways, some of them under
the most dramatic circumstances and
with the most tragic results. The
methods employed have been most
original; some have been fiendish,
with the outcome utterly hopeless for
either duelist.
Davy Crockett frentiersman, Indian
fighter and congressman, was once
challenged to mortal combat by a
famous duelist in Washington. Crock
ett's bravery was unquestionable, but
the odds were against him with sword
or pistol, for the skill of the challenger
with either weapon was world re-
nowned. However, Crockett accepted,
and, being the challenged party, had
the right to name his choice of weap-
ons.
He had gone into the wilderness on
numerous occasions and with his
Drawn and a sharp axe had cleared
hundreds of acres of timber land. His
prowess with the broadaxe was ia
miliar to everybody. and when he
chose broadaxes as dueling weapons
his challenger hastily apologized to
him. Then what might have been
famous duel was averted. Crockett
regarded his would-be antagonist as a
coward, and he proved 1t.
The hero of the broadaxe, few
years later, fought to the death with
little band of brave men in the
Alamo, of whom 1t was written: MAR
athon had her messenger of defeat;
the Alamo had none" The moral of
this incident is obvious.
A few years ago two Swedes went
out upon a railroad track in a cut in
the mountains of Pennsylvania and
fought until an express train killed
them. Both saw the approaching
train, and tainted each other to CON
tinue fighting where they were. They
battled to the death.
Daniel O'Connell's son was chal-
lenged by an English student to fight.
He went to his father, the great
emancipation, and asked what he
should do. The father advised him to
accept, to choose pistols. the condi-
tons of the fight to be that, facing
each other and toeing mark, they
should place the muzzles of the pis-
tolls in each others mouth, and, upon
the word from referee, they should
fire simultaneously. When young
o'Connell's conditions were made
known the bullying Briton declined to
fight.
Two expert swimmers, whose repu-
tations are international, engaged in a
hot argument one night several years
ago at beach near Boston, and a
novel duel was the result. They
agreed to swim at midnight, straight
out to sea. in the rays of the moon
light, no boats to follow, until one or
the other became exhausted. They
swan several miles, and the Boston
swimmer towed his adversary back
to the beach and restored him to con.
seriousness.
A duel in the clouds credited to two
French aeronauts terminated In the
death Of both. 1t was deliberately
planned and executed.
Less than ten years ago two locomo-
tive engineers in Texas, who had sew
eral petty differences which they
wished to settle, decided upon a most |
original duel Taking two engines,
they went out upon a plain on the
same track, and when half mile lay
between them they whistled for the |
beginning of hostilities. opened the
throttles wide and hurled their loco
motives at each other with tremen- |
dous speed. In a few seconds there |
was frightful crash, the boilers ex-
ploded and the explosion was heard
for miles. attracting a large crowd to
the scene. 1t was found that the two
engines had collided and that the two
engineers had been killed. The alb /
sence OF Iiremen in the locomotives
brought out the fact that a duel had