The Washington herald., 1909-07-04

Six miles northeast OF Washington. on
/ the eastern bank OF the AnacosJia branch
Z OF the Potomac. and on the old Turn
/ pike road connecting Washington with
[ Baltimore. stands ancient BIadensburg-
now IN ruins II is not only the oldest OF o.
al the hamlets that had life and heroic
+ history before the war OF the Revolution.
but IL is now the deadest
; II IS probable that not One-half the
( population of washington OF to-day ever
/ heard cf Bladensburg. And yet a short
/ half mile across the District OF Colum-
bia. and on an invisible line OF the State
OF Maryland. In the midst OF tangled
4 thickeJs and the fantastic drapery OF
vines. wreathed IN the ancient trees. is
4 the famous old duellng ground. Here
/ the most famous duels were fought. The
\ most desperate and fatal ever known on
/ the Western continent II IS rightly
I named the dark and bloody ground"
z II lies IN a deep valley surrounded on all
sides by high hills. There is a narrow
/ cow-path now across the -feld OF hon
or" where men Of blood and iron settled
all questions OF honor with blood instead
OF organizing an Ananias club.
Thirty DueIs Fought There.
More than thirty duels were fought on
this fatal spot As early as 1914. Capt
Edward Hopkins. OF Maryland. then an
ensign Of infantry. was slain here in
duel with swords. On February s. 1873.
a desperate and fatal duel was fought
+ here between two famous virginians.
2 both OF the F. F. Y. pedigree-Gen.
Mason. formerly United States Senator.
and Col John " McCarJy. They were
second cousins, bur had Cuarreled over
politics. AlcCarty first challenged Mason.
but Mason declined on account OF the
conditions Afterward when Mason was
riding through Richmond Va. fl a stage.
with Gen Andrew Jackson. CT Tennessee.
the general told Mason ne should now
challenge 8cCarty-
When NcCarty received the challenge,
he accepted and named the conditions.
that he and Mason should leap together
from the great dome OF the Capitol. 20
feet above the ground These terms were
declined as against the code dueIO- Then
McCarty proposed bowie knives. close
range, which was also declined The
next proposition was muskers loaded
with oEcksh0t. ter feet apart These
: terms Mason accepted Al s e. m
. Mason and McCarty net on this fatal
field AT first FIRE Mason fell dead. and
, AicCarty was severely wounded ol the
life.
Admiral Decatur Killed
The next most famous duel was on
March 2. IS20. between Admiral Stephen
Decatur and James Barron. a commodore
o1 the navy admiral Decatur vas then
, IN the fuu v.sor OF his manhood AID az
the zenith % his fame The cause OF this
duel was as follows:
} mand OF the L :. Frigate Chesapeake.
On meeting the British ship Leopard. he
} allowed several OF his seamel claimed
: as British deserters. 20 be taken from
q his decks without firing a gun. and this
- was one Of the incidents that brought on
- Tie var o. IsI1 between the United states
< and England ADMIRAL Decatur vas chos-
= en- by the Secretary Of the Navy as
one OF tie members OF the CourT--lar-
4 ral that fO-nC Commodore Barron guilty.
! After The CoUrt-na-riai Barron Chai-
! lenged Admiral Decatur 70 deadly com
! bar. This duel was fOuglr with pistols
p eight PAGES apart B5th fired az the
same instant and both fell al first hrs
, Admiral Decatur died az ii O'Clock thar
night. but Barron recovered leading
WasLing-1a paper printed the following
the next morning
Commodore stephen Decatur, the pride
/ % his country. the nohle-kearted gentle
/, Huan IS 20 more Mourn Columbia. f0r
one OF thy brightest stars Is set"
seven Prove Fatal
To give GetsHs OF the seven fatal duels
fought on this same spot would make
this letter TOO long II was OF this
$ bloody ground that Henry Clay fought
! his notorious duel
As % dueIing in general. II came 20
Us from across the Atlantic. but il was
p the bloody game OF the gentleman OF
hot blood in this country for fifty years
/ preceding the civil war.
Dueling originated in the age OF chiv-
airy Chivalrous dueis. however. were
- seldom fatal as knights fought each
: other IN fun sTmOr OF steel Neither
did they have any Ananias clubs IN the
fourteenth century. and Il was danger
Gus 20 fight duels either with lance or
broadsword-
In 1850. SO years ago. a duel was fought
a. Westmlnster. England. between a
knight and a squire. both IN fun armor.
+ They became so exhausted that when
they closed and fen they had 70 be
lifted from the ground By their seconds.
on account Of THAT tired feeling The
next cay the squire died from exhaus-
Jion. and the chronicles Of the period
wrote: He died 10 the delight Of the
people and the grief of ali traitors"
Grent Tobacco Mart.
But old Bladensburg. that was once a
smart town with 15o3. people. has other
TeROWn besides b.oodShedding. Il was z
great tobacco mart long before the war
OF the Revolution. when the Eastern
branch Of the Potomac was navigable
and sloops and ships loaded tobacco on
the docks at Bladensburg 70 make san
direct 20 Liverpool. across the Atlantic.
A. Biadensburg stilI stands as a live
lh0stelry the George Washington Hotel
that has been kept continuously as a ho-
tel for Is years IL IS a twO-story brick
structure, plastered and painted white.
with a projecting balcony On second
story. and a large board sign swung ~
front with q faded and battered head
OF the immortal George. that looks 20
be at least 100 years old. A tower pro-
jects above the center roof on which IS
painted n bold black letters: George
Washington Hotel, Established I7s2
During the War Of the Revolution,
George Washington stopped over night
al this hotel on his way from Mount
Vernon 70 his army.
Everything that Oliver Goldsmith said
o. the Deserted Village" can be said
with all the pathos OF the pauper. poets)
OF old Bl2densburg. as IL looks to-day
deserted and tottering 70 its death.
and dUeling in the United States is
tdeader than Bladensourg. and ought 70
: be. ISAAC R. SHERWOOD