Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-08-28
.DUELINC IN THE NAVY
The Tragic Affair That Put an
End to the Practice.
A MfDSHlPMAN's CHALLENGE.

&Aa
1t Was Accepted by the Lawyer, and
the Battle Was Fought In Delaware.
Sad Fate of the Two Principals In the
Unfortunate Meeting.
That settlement of quarrels by appeal
to the code of honor was no longer to
be the unwritten law of the American
navy was determined by a duel in
which William Miller, Jr., Philadel-
phia lawyer, was slain in a personal
affair fought along the northernecircle
of Delaware. The man who fired the
fatal shot was Midshipman Charles g.
Hunter, and the encounter took place
along Mammals creek on the afternoon
Of Sunday, March p, 1880.
Singularly enough, neither Miller,
who lost his life, nor Hunter, who kill
ed him, was principal in the original
quarrel that led to the meeting on the
bank of the little creek in Delaware.
Neither had seen the other until a few
hours before the challenge was sent
and accepted.s F4:
Simply a misshot in a 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
chose pistol shot cauSelessly shed hui
man blood
Henry Wharton Griffith and r. Dill
Ion Drake, prominent society men Of
Philadelphia, played the game of bill
lizards, and Griffith made the misshot
which called forth taunt from Drake,
who was Immediately struck in the
face with a cue by Griffith. A chal-
lenge to a duel was sent by Drake, but
Griffith declared that the challenger
was beneath his notice and that he
would not demean himself socially by
conserving to meet him. ,@stss
Then followed, a long. and wordy war
fare in which each posted the, other as
a coward. Lieutenant Duryee OF the
United States navy was called to make
an effort to settle the dispute, and it
| was then that Miller, the lawyer, and
Hunter, the midshipman, became in
volved in the quarrel. In the heated
discussion Hunter accused Miller Of
publishing confidential letter, and a
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 Fl, but 1t was nearly 10 o'clock
| before carriages containing the prinei-
4 de,s Joft q, hpr
| 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, tied
their horses close to the highway and
proceeded 200 yards behind a clump of
trees that would shield them from OBJ
1 servation.
AS the sun was setting two pistol
shots rang out simultaneously as one
/ Of the seconds counted "One, two, three
-frew Hunter stood unframed as the
/ ball from his opponents pistol struck
at his feet. but Miller cried out that
he was shot, placed one hand on his
breast and fell with bullet lying
close to his heart. In q few minutes
he died, while pale and anxious faces
watched the convulsive breathing of
the dying man.
Gentlemen" said Hunter, * had NO
| enmity against this man. never
heard of him until two days ago. Lei
/ 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
1 driven rapidly to New Castle, Del.
where he boarded boat for New York
land rejoined the navy. In order t.
hide the tragedy it was decided to wal
until dark and take Miller to Philadei
phia in carriage.
! Seating the dead man between them
two seconds held him in an uprigh
position on the long journey to Phila
!; delphia. News Of the duel had reached
Chester, and q crowd OF men stood a
Third street bridge to intercept tn,
carriages. The first buggy contained
the surgeon, and, as his explanation
was satisfactory, he was permitted t
proceed. The dead man in the secon,
carriage was driven through the crow
/ without the rrlse being detected, an,
at midnight the body was placed In
house In Walnut street, where Wig
twas kept by the seconds, who dram
heavily to support them in the terribl
strain under which they had bee
J, placed.
g Millers father said that he held n
malice against Hunter, but the mid
d shipman, who was suspended for
year for punishment, was haunted b
the specter of the dead man lying o
the bank Of Naaman's creek, slain b
his hand, and died a prematurely ol
man after a lonely life, shut or frol
all hope Of preferment In the navy. q
I was buried by the newspaper men I
e New York, who erected q tombstor
lover his grave Phila deiphia Ledger
2 Mentally.
A @You have been abroad, haven't 70
70 MI. Snipleigh r.
$E aETn Miss Sham what made W