The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-22
TODAY IN HISTORY
TUESDAY, MARCH 22.



stephen Decatur was one OF the most
brilliant officers OF the old navy. lie
entered the service when the naval spirit
was at its lowest cbb He WAS without
raining as an officer. when, at 20. he
pegan The career that WAS 10 bring him
Iame' Before he Was 90 he had been
sword by congress. and at So he was
captain, In command of the noble
frigate Constitution His deeds Of valor
make narrative like n dashnG 10
nance lis qualities were those The
naval officer today can emulate with
profit TO himself and his country. and
Decatur was killed in a duel with Cap
tam James Barron. fought on March 22,
lH2o, and his remains lie In an old cemc-
terry In Philadelphia, marked by an elab
orate shaft.
1t was the inexplicable portion OF des-
liny that Decaturc should meet his death
1920, when but n few months more than
80 years of age. at the height OF his
physical powers and popularity. he was
! living in Washington. being a member
of the board OF naval commissions. es-
tablished In 1915. and composed OF of
icers acting as advisors 10 tho secre-
tafy Of the navy.
Having inherited property from his ia
| ther who had amassed n moderate for
,une IN seafsring out Of Philadelphia.
Decatur had built a fine house in Wash
though chidless wife. presided with win
ming grace. The cause OF Dccatur's
dcd'n may ne traced DdCK thirteen years,
to an unhappy incident of historic char
acter preceding The second war Of the
United states with Great Britain.
In The summer Of 1907 the United
states ingatc Chesapeake left Hampton
Eoads for sea, in command OF Captain
Barron Lying outside the roads, In
lynnhaven bay. was a British squad
ron. The two countries were at peace.
but the British were pursuing the course
which was TO lead TO the war. the i'm
prsssment Of American seamen
s.fr .slf sata
had claimed that on the Chesapeake
were three deserters from the British
navy and had demanded their surren
der which was refused on the ground
that the men were Americans, who had
been illegally impressed into the British
service
frigatc Leopard was detached TO follow
her and demand the men. The demand
was refused by Captain Barron, and the
Leopard attacked The Chesapeake. Bar
rendered his ship. After the men had
been taken from her she was permitted
to go on her way.
Barron was courtmartialcd. and De-
catur was one of the officers who sem
fenced him to five years suspension from
the navy. Decatur had protested against
serving on the trial board. he had
formed an unfavorable opinion OF Bar
rons professional capacity,
When, at the end of the war Barron
returned to the navy and demanded an
active command, Decatur felt it his duty
to oppose his appointment to any place
of trust. Barron deeply resented this.
Meddling friends famed the fire of his
resentment, Al last. on March 90, he
challenged Decatur. who had no desire
TO fight him, and made every effort con-
sistcnt with honor TO avoid doing so.
Barron persisted. and the men met at
BlandcnSburg. When the word fire
was given Barron fell. wounded in the
hip, where Decatur said he would shoot
him. Decatur was shot In the abdomen
and fell soon after Barron. lie was tax
en- 10 his home, where he died that
night, No man was ever more regret
ted by the country than this heroic Of
ficer. and he was followed TO his grave
by the largest concourse Of pcople-pub
lie and private-that had ever assembled
in Washington city. After a temporary
interment there he was buried in the
venerable churchyard OF st. Peters, not
far from the house. $40 South Front
street. where the hero passed his happy
early days.
1t was on March %, 1865. that the
Stamp Act became law. and In 1Si7 the
bombardment OF Vera Cruz started. 1t
is the birthday OF the Confederate gen
eral Braxton Bragg GS1O; Anthony
Van Dyck, the Flemish painter C599) /;
Rose Bonheur, the famous woman artist
GS2S); Emperor William ] of Germany
GT9T. and the day on which Goethe.
the German poet. died in 1892, and Jona