The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-09-04
DUEL-IHG IN THE NAVY
The Tragic Affair That Put an
End TO the Practice.
A MIDSHIPMAN'S CHALLENGE.
1t Was Accepted by the Lawyer, and
the Battle Was Fought In Delaware.
Sad Fate of the Two Principals In the
Unfortunate Meeting.

the Battle Was Fought In Delaware
Sad Fate of the Two Principals In the
Unfortunate Meeting.
That settlement OF QusrrelS by appeal
| to the code OF honor WAS 10 longer to
be the unwritten law Of the American
navy was determined by duel III
which William Miller, il, Phl!ade!.
phia lawyer, was slain in I peiso-i,''
affair fought along the northern ciiI.e
of Delaware. The man who h'e'' ~
fatal shot was A1idshipman SHaiies w.
Hunter. and the encounter looA d. - :.
along Naaman's creek on tue 'l'eiiioc1i
Of Sunday. March y, leoo.
sinonlarly enough. neither Miller,
,-bn Iosr his life, nor Hunter, who kill
"a him. was principal in the original
Quarrel that led to The meeting on the
honk OF the little Geek in Delaware.
Neither had seen the other until few
hours before the challenge was sent
and accepted.
Simply :: miSshot in game Of bill
lizards played at Third and Chestnut
streets, Philadelphia, led to the tragedy
that plunged two homes into sorrow
and imbittered the life Of the man
whose pistol shot causelessly shed hu-
man blood.
Henry Wharton Griffith and r. Dill
lon Drake, prominent society men OF
Philadelphia, played the game OF bill
liards, and Griffith made the misshot
which called forth a taunt from Drake,
who was Immediately struck III the
face with cue by Griffith. y chal-
lencc to duel was sent by Drake, but
Griffith declared that the challenger
vas beneath his notice and that he
would not demean himself socially by
consenting to meet him.
Then followed a long and wordy war
fare in which each posted the other as
coward Lieutenant DurEce Of the
United States navy was called to make
an effort to settle the dispute, and II
| was then that Miller, the lawyer, ano
Hunter. the midshipman, became IN
yolved in the quarrel. In The heated
| discussion Hunter accused Miller OF
publishing 4 confidential letter and 1
| challenge was at once sent by the mid,
! shipman and accepted by the attorney
1t was decided that the duel should
be fought early on Sunday morning OF
March II, but it was nearly 10 O'Clock
before carriages containing the princl'
pals, seconds and surgeons left house
that stood on Chestnut street above
Sixth. The presence of the company
| excited some suspicion at Chester
| where the party stopped for lunch, but
they hurried down the post road, tlec
their horses close to the highway anc
proceeded 200 yards behind { clumD oi
trees that would shield them from OBJ
servation.
AS the sun was setting two pisto
shots rang out simultaneously as one
of the seconds counted Zone, two, three
fire" Hunter stood unharmed as tho
ball from his opponents pistol struck
, 3. his feet, but Miller cried out that
he was shot, placed one hand on his
breast and fell with L bullet lying
close to his heart. In 4 few minutes
he died, while pale and anxious faces
watched the convulsive breathing OF
the dying man.
Gentlemen" said Hunter, Il had nc
enmity against this man. l never
heard OF him until two days age. Let
those whose quarrel embroiled him be
responsible for his death -
After a hurried consultation it was
decided that the midshipman should
leave the state at once, and he was
driven rapidly to New Castle, DEL
where he boarded boat for New York
and rejoined the navy. In order tc
hide the tragedy it was decided to wall
| until dark and take Miller to Philadel
| phia in q carriage.
Seating the dead man between them
two seconds held him in an upright
| position on the long journey to Phlla
delphia. News Of the duel had reached
| Chester, and crowd of men stood Al
Third street bridge TO intercept tho
carriages. The first buggy containcC
the surgeon, and, as his explanation
| was satisfactory, he was permitted te
proceed. The dead man in the seconc
carriage was driven through the crowc
without the ruse being detected, ant
at midnight the body was placed in
house in Walnut street, where vig
was kept by the seconds, who dranl
heavily TO support them in the terrible
strain under Which they had beer
| placed.
NIillcrs father said that he held ne
malice against Hunter, but the mid
shipman, who was suspended for
year for punishment, was haunted by
the specter Of the dead man lying Oh
the bank Of Naaman's creek, slain b!
his hand, and died a prematurely ole
man after a lonely life, shut off from
all hope Of preferment in the navy. Hf
was buried by the newspaper men o1
New York, who erected tombstone