The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-23
A VIRGINIA DUEL IN 1873.
Twice the Trouble Was AVerted, Be-
fore Gossip Forced x On.

J VICE hUS liSNDiS W g. nv N@N' -
fore Gossip Forced Il On.
CFrom some "reminiscences by VIII
liam l. Royal OF Richmond.}
One incident of the year 1873 in which
l played a leading part made great
noise at the time. Miss Mary Triplett-
one of the most beautiful women ever
created by the Almighty, was at that
time a reigning belle in Richmond. Page
McCarty. an attractive. devil-may-care
sort of fellow. fell desperately in love
with her. and il was generally under
stood that they had become engaged tc
be married All at once Miss Mary
broke of with n m and went to Europe
where she stayed possibly a year. Wheh
/ she returned she would not speak 10
NcCsFty and would never afterWard
4 have anything to 90 with him. we had
/ a german club that met once IN Two
weeks The club was usually led cy
RECKLESS. bright audacious fellow named
+ Sprigg Campbell At ono of their meet
/ ings Campbell contrived figure tnat
/ would throw McCarty and Miss Tip
/ lett together for a dance. Tt was
/ wanton act intended for CleVerness-
/ They. met and commenced to dance. Dut
after a turn or two Miss TTipiett olsen
/ gagged herself and walked TO ner seat
/ Every one knew that she intended II sS
3 e SUR on MctdflS- II tiiitN II III mn
a desperate rage.
4 Amongst the young men OF klchIhonu
N that time was one named John Il.
/ NIordecai. He was six feet two aboul
| az years of age and one of the handsom-
/ est men I have ever seen. He mad served
esllantlv through the war as private
/ soldier in the Richmond Howitzers, was
a fellow Of the most delightful VIII anu
take him all I'm all. I think he was ABOUT
the most charming companion nave
ever known. Handsome, gallant, chlN-
alrous. affectionate and witty, I have
never seen his like. He. too, was des-
peratelv in love with Miss Triplett-
The night Of the german and after II
was over McCarty went To the Enquirer
newspaper and offered them the follow
ing verses. which the paper published
next morning
When Mary's queenly form press
In Strauss latest waltz.
I would as well her lips caress
Although those lips be false.
For still with FIRE love tips his dart
And XII. dies up anew
The flames that once consumed my
heart
When those dear lips were true.
OF form so fair. OF faith so faint,
!. If truth were only i'm her:
Though she'd be then the sweetest saint
, I'd still feel Ike a sinner
, was a bachelor then and took my
/ meals usually at Gerot's restaurant
The net morning after the german
= was in Gerots getting my breakfast
and had just read these verses IN Tho
ENQUIRER when John Mordecai came In
He took UP the paper and his eyes fel
on the verses. He understood the whole
situation at once, and 1 saw his race
I get as black as midnight Laying dow
t4e paper. ne said, perceiving that
$ understood the case, Il snar XIII tina
fellow"
2 / demonstrated with him, telling hin
il was a matter that he had no right t
r interfere with. that Miss Triplett haC
\ n grown brother who would do what
I ever was proper to be done in such
case. and that he did not know wnetne
e she or her family wanted anything done
1 he would not be quoted, however, bu
y went off to our mutual and very dea
= friend. Willie Trigg. TO consult witt
2 him. Trigg told him exactly what
0 had told him. and between US we go
d him to promise to let McCarty alone
d That night met him az the Richmon'
l. club, and being seated together on
sofa he proceeded to denounce Mozart
- in the most unmeasured terms. \ rel
n ative OF McCarty overheard him and re
a ported the denunciatiOn to McCarty. A
@ that time duelling was dying in VII
q ginia. but IL was very far from dead
e McCarty sent a friend TO Mordecai de
! mand'ne a retractiOn and apology
q which Mordecai refused to make.
= knew that McCarty said he had no
written the verses about Mary TrIplet
. but about another lady named Mar'
y and I interviewed a. a friend. and 90
. the matter patched UP upon the basi
, Of the verses having been written abou
!, another person. Thereupon the matte
a was supposed to be closed.
But there were goss ps I'm Richmond
. and one. a singularly beautiful and IN
:, telligent girl. made her tongue bus
with insinuations that McCartN ha
backed out because he was afrai'
l. These things came to McCarty's ed
4 and put him in a terrible fury
IS A short time afterward Mordecai CT
Sc tered the barroom Of the Richmond clu
D. where McCarty and Charley Hstch'
he were. MOrdecsf ordered a drink, an
ID while / was being prepared Mozart
I'd walked up and down the floor right
N Mordecai, making reference TO the a
fair and making threats Of what
n would do the next time he got
M chance. Presently Mordecai walked u
a. to him and said. DO you mean tho
i remarks for me?" NcCarty replied
"a the most insulting manner. And WI
lie arc YOU. sir?" Mordecai answered,
NJ am a gentleman. at least" McCart
lie said as extensively as possible. "Ah
= I and Mordecai instantly struck him
=, powerful blow in the face which cut 2
- the skin from over his left eye and fell
ut nm 20 tiie IooI MorIe'l tlls-ii Ju5'i =, y
ar on ii''''' ss'@iiis oo''i MS "iiSts' a'iu *
ng
~, I hold GLASS another was car rz-inE