The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-07-19
The Tragic Affair That Put an
End to the Practice.
MIDSHTPMAN'S CHALLENGE
Was Accepted by Lawyer and Battle
Fought in Delaware. Sad Fate Of
Two Principals in the Unfortu-
nate 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 q personal
affair fought along the northern circle
of Delaware. The man who fired the
fatal shot was Midshipman Charles G..
Hunter, and the encounter took place
along Naaman's creek on the afternoon
of Sunday. March 81, 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 few
hours before the challenge was sent
and accepted.
Simply a 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 hui
man blood.
Henry Wharton Griffith and R. Dill
lon Drake, prominent society men Of
Philadelphia, played the game of bill
lizards, and Griffith made the migshot
which called forth tannt from Drake,
who was Immediately struck in the
face with q cue by Griffith. A chal-
lenge to duel was sent by Drake, but
Griffith declared that the challenger
was beneath his notice and that he
would not demean himself socially by
consenting to meet him.
Then followed long and wordy war
fare in which each posted the other as
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 a 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 u, but 1t was nearly 10 O'Clock
before carriages containing the princi-
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, tied
their horses close to the highway and
proceeded 200 yards behind clump Of
trees that would shield them from OBJ
servatlon.
AS the sun was setting two pistol
shots rang out simultaneously as one
Of the seconds counted zone, two, three
-fire!' 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 a bullet lying
close to his heart In few minutes
he died, while pale and anxious faces
watched the convulsiye breathing Of
the dying man.
Gentlemen" said Hunter. Il had no
enmity against this man. / never
heard of him until two days ago. Let
those whose quarrel embroiled him be
responsible for bis death"
After a hurried consultation Il was
decided that the midshlpman should
leave the state at once, and he was
driven rapidly to New Castle, Del,
where he boarded boat for New York
and reioined the navy. In order to
hide the tragedy 1t was decided to wait
until dark and take Miller to Philadel-
phia in a carriage.
Seating the dead man between them,
two seconds held him In an upright
position on the long journey to Phila-
delphia. News of the duel had reached
Chester, and a crowd of men stood at
Third street bridge to intercept the
carriages. The first buggy contained
the surgeon, and, as his explanation
was satisfactory, he was permitted to
proceed The dead man in the second
carriage was driven through the crowd
without the ruse being detected, and
at midnight the body was placed In a
house In Walnut street where vigil
was kept by the seconds, who drank
heavily to support them in the terrible
strain under which they had been
placed.
Miller's father said that he held no
malice against Hunter, but the mid
shipman, who was suspended for a
year for punishment, was haunted by
the specter Of the dead man lying on
the bank Of Naaman's creek, slain by
his hand, and died q premeturely old
man after lonely life, shut Off from
MI hope Of preferment in the navy. He
was buried by the newspaper men Of
New York, who erected tombstone
over his Philadelphia Ledger.