Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-10-13

Eiu shooting the next time he aitd MIL
Ter met Milier's friend persuaded
Hewson to refer him to second. The
two seconds anxious to make the af-
fair as bloodless MS possible. arranged
the following terms: At 10 o'clock in
the morning each principal should
leave his house armed with AZ cali
Der revolver. only one chamber Of
which was to be loaded. Both lived
on the main street OF the town, and
they were to walk toward each other
and fire at will.
'Iiewson was very much put out at
this Arrangement. which. he believed,
would result In nothing serious to ell
ther party, and refused to abide by II.
But his second told him that IL he did
not lie 0he secondl would have moth
ing further to do with the matter, and
Hewson reluctantly consented
when this prospective affair got out
we were all very much surprised first,
that Miller had decided to fight, and,
second, that a single firing should de-
eide the issue. But as Hcwson was
known to be Il dead shot it was ex-
pected that the affair might not be
bloodless after all Nobody knew
what Miller could do with a gun. but
he had always been SO peaceable that
it was not supposed he was much Of a
markSman.
NO effort was made TO keep the af-
fair. the terms and the time a secret
\ duel limited to one shot was unique
and Interested every one The night
before the fight all the men in town
We're discussing the probabilities con
cerning it, Most people believed that
Hewson, having but Il single chance to
get rid of his opponent. would let him
empty the chamber Of his weapon
then walk closely up to him and kill
him. Others figured that Miller would
find some method Of drawing Hew.
sons ball at a moment when he would
fire at a disadvantage, which would
leave Miller at liberty to take n delib-
crate aim. All agreed that if one or
the other was not seriously hurt the
matter would come up again later.
shortly before 10 o'clock on the
morning OF the fracas | took position
on the sidewalk between the two dis
putants' houses. | noticed knots of
men and boys gathering. the Union
sympathiZers taking position not far
from Millcr's house. and the seces-
sionists mostly congregated in the di-
rection from which Hewson was to ad,
vance. Within Il few minutes before
10 o'clock the street was lined with
people, eXpcctantly waiting to see the
fight.
when the town clock struck the ap-
pointed hour Miller emerged from his
house and walked to the middle of the
! street. II was now seen that he had
! the advantage of the sun on his back,
though as the morning was generally
cloudy this made hut little difference,
! He walked slowly down the street, and
| before he had gone twenty PAGES,
! turning my eyes in the other direction.
! | saw IlewSon coming also in the
middle Of the street. Il quarter of
| mile away. At this moment Miller
| drew. IIewSon, probably either think.
| ing the distance too great even to
make ready or intending not to ops.
! fire until his antagonist should be at
! close range, did not raise his hand to
his hip
Put suddenly Miller stopped and
! brought his pistol to an aim. The
| people lining the street were puzzled,
not dreaming that he would risk vast.
ing his shot at such distance. Hew-
son continued to walk slowly forward,
still evidently not thinking it worth
while to draw. Miller's pistol had
been raised and sighted perhaps ten
seconds when a crack and puff of
blue smoke were heard and seen. The
next moment all eyes We're turned to-
ward Hewson. He was seen to pitch
forward AMI fall in the street. He
was picked up dead NIiller's bullet
had struck him between the eyes.
Never Cid man more successfully
take time by the forclock to prevent
his enemy from killing him. The space
over which Miller sent his bullet was
measured with a tapeline and found
to be 45G feet and inches. The re-
markable feah.-cs nf his feat were
+. T. +. $g5g'aS,lSr 49,: s ar such l5ns :
range: second. that any ono except
marvellous shot could 90 it. and. third.
that any man had the nervr TO ex-
pend his only shot ut such a distance.
Indeed, so great was the admiration
for his coup that seceSsionists and
Unionists forgot the momentous issues
of the times, crowded around Miller
and congratulated him.
81 asked Miller how he dared fire at
such a distance and to what he at
tributed his success. He said that at
the moment he fired a spark Of sun
light struck one OF a pair of glasses
Hewson wore on his nose. 1t seemed
to Miller that his whole being was
concentrated in his aim. which he di-
rected in line just above the reflect
ed rays, and he was sure he would
hit his mark. That was all he knew
about it, though he thought there was
some luck in it. But this can hardly
be so, for when the war came on Mil
Ter went north. became Il sharpshoot-
er and was considered the crack shot
in his regiment. He possessed fac
ulty of which he was probably ig-
norant at the tlrle of his duel"