The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-02
STALLINGS
 CASE NOW ON Butler County Man is Charged with Murder. SLEW RADF0RD BUCKHALTS Plea of Self-Defense in Behalf of
 the Prisoner. s .e Hrothers-in-law Who Engaged In Des- perate Duel With Pistols on the streets of GreenviiIe, october
 i, 1904.
SLEW RADFoRD BUCKHALTS
By win T. sheehan.

ny Wh1 5HerhAhs F. Ir
 GreenviIIe, Feb. 1.-(Staff Corres- pondence. )--Dan StaIlings, tho survivor of the terrible hand-to-hand duel on the streets of Greenyille, answers m the Circuit Court of Butler county Ao the charge that he murdered Radford Buckhalts, by saying that what he did was done in self-defense.
 And the machinery of the law of Alabama, which seeks to protect It's citi5ens on the one hand and to admin ister justice on the other, set in motion to find out if that plea is just plea and true plea. The lines are drawn for perhaps the greatest legal battle the county has ever witnessed. legal battle which is equal to the keen in- terest the people of Butler. county felt in the killing and feel in the trial.
 It was homeric struggle between the two. The two men fought over 9 buggy wheel Both were men Of nerve. of bravery, of muscle. When the clash finally came. the battle was fought out between the two with noth- ing but snapping. barking pistols and the thin rim of the buggy wheel. With the pistols touching they fought the fight. And when the battle was over, when the smoke of the pistols was yet over the bloody scene. one was dead with three bullet holes in his body. and  sorely and 1t was thought nnortally wounded for his antagonist had sent a bullet through his body.
 But Dan Staliings recovered and to- day he is answering the charge that he murdered Radford Buckhalts, the husband of his sister. He is charged with brfnging on the dlfficuity with being responsible for the events which led up to the desnerate duel on the streets of GreenHille. It is the part of the defense and their purpose to show that he no more than the other was respansibie for the duel over the buggy wheel.
 Tragedy of October I. 1904.
 The tragedy occurred on the first day of October. ts04e-i In lperhaps. lthA busi- est quarter 6s Greenvii1e. The men were very near alike. They were Of Che same class. industrious and pros prous young farmers. both were about 30 years of age. and in s's and strength both were very nearly equal. Both were farmers living some five miles from Greenville. in the same neixhhorLood. and they had known each other since thev were bovs And both when they came to Greenville would take a social drink. and clink glasses with their friends. Beyond doubt, this habit of these two young Bntler county farmers had no liffe to
 
 murderous duel. For they had been at this on a Saturday evening when just at nlehtfall they met and one was carried away dead and the other all but dead.
 But for more than a year past they were enemies and there was danger whenever they crossed each others hath. A year previous Buekhalts had married the. sister of Stallings. She was a beautiful young girl, just bud ding into womanhood then. She is an attendant at this momentous trial in Butler county's court house and sttll preserves her beauty. It was an elope- ment, this marriage of Miss Stallings and Buckhalts. They came to Green ville where the ceremony was perform ed and then they took bridal tour to New Orleans, a thing. which was natural and in keeping with the pros perity of the bridegroom. And then they returned to the Butler county farm to live out their lives.
 staIIings Objected to Marriage. The marriage was not all to the lik- ing of Dan Stallings, the brother or the bride. He brooded over 1t and talked it over with his friends. There may in this trial be brought out evl- dence of what he had to say in these talks. His dissatisfaction, his dislike of the marriage came up sometimes when he was In Greenville meeting so- cial and convivia friends. It was in his mind 1t is said, on that fateful Satur- day evening when both men were in Greenville and when both drank with friends before the bars.
 It is said, and this may be brought out in the evidence, that they were more than once that afternoon drink ing in the same bar, but not speaking to each other. The evidence may show that on one of these occasions when l.. au,lZ and with different friends Stallings said, There is a d----- scoundrel in here, that I don't want to have anything to do with" It may be shown that a little later, when they again met, Buck bauIts said the same thing. that speak ing to no one in particular, he an nounced that there was q scoundrel in inc room and he didn't propose to have anything to do with him. For such is the general account of the events which led to the tragedy
 And after this last indirect encoun- far Buckhalts left to so home with 2 friend. They were in a buggy pulled bv a mule. The friend left the buggy to 70 into a store for a package Buck baits was sitting alone in the buggy. To the buggy came Dan Stallings. He wanted to know of Buckhalts If his re- mark in the saloon meant him It Is said for both men were brave, and that RuckhaIts said his meaning was in- tended for him.
 Deadly Duel Begins.
 Both pistols were then out with Flash. With only the buggy wheel be- tween them, and looking each other in tbe eve, the desperate duel was fought out. stallngs's aim was deadly. He put three bullets into tt the body of his
 made, so 1t is said, would have
 death. Whether he fired
 t the evidence is to show.
 s aim was hardly less ef-
 sent his bullet through
 ,Ilings, and stallings fell
 The frightened mule
 n the buggy from the
 scene. He was fin-
 oss the railroads.
 sitting in the seat,
 to help him out
 Tas dead.
 tallings lowered
 !, But he wac
 2 time recover