Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-06-01
HALTED the FIGHT.
Humor Proved the Victor In the
Duel at the Spout.
A TALE OF OLD time POLITICS

Colonel Fitzhush's chivaIry In Scoring
Both Wings and Democrats Won Him
Challenge, and the Weapons He So.
leetsd Avsrtsd tho Meeting.
In a book long out Of print con.
trtbutor to the New York Sun hes
found a tale Of old Maryland politics
which shows that. the Knight Of La
Mancha to the contrary notwith.
standing, an almost extravagant ideal
Of chivairous conduct Is not incompat
ible with keen sense Of humor.
Colonel Fitzhugh OF Calvert county
was pattern Of generosity and no.
bility OF character. He was once a
candidate for office. In those days 1t
was the custom for rival candidates to
stump the county together and spea K
from the same platform.
On certain occasion Colonel Fftz
hugh and his opponent were to spea K
IN joint debate. When the day came
his rival did not appear. The people
assembled and grew impatient. Final
ly Colonel litzbugh. taking out bis
big watch aud eIancing at it, got up
and delivered his speech. In it he too k
all the liberties that a gentleman OF
the Democratic party might take with
Wing principles and closed amid pro.
longed cheers.
AS he was concluding he received a
message that the rival candidate was
critically Ill. Colonel Fitzhugh looked
round for a representative Of the Whig
party who might take the place of the
sick man. but could not discover one.
Finally the colonel rose again with
the announcement that he believed in
fair play. He said that as his oppo.
nent could not be there to reply to the
arguments that be himself had ad-
vanced and as there was nobody Of
his political faith to take his place
be would himself deliver a speech for
the sick man. He added that be would
keep his watch open before him to see
that he gave just as much time to his
opponents cause as he had given to
his own.
He then began. If he had scored
the Wings he now scarifled the Demo-
Gratis. If the Wings had been men OF
broken promises. of smirched reputa-
lions. tricksters and rogues. the Dem
ocrats were now liars. thieves and
murderers.
From the Wing point Of view the
address was mastery. But among his
own partisans there were some who
refused to see that the colonel was do
ing anything chivalrous and who were
unable to appreciate the real humor OF
the situation.
One Democrat in particular. whose
name tradition has not handed down.
was much offended. The next morn
ing he sent his seconds to the colonel
with a challenge. As no explanation
would satisfy him. the colonel reluc-
family named his seconds. who &C.
cepted the challenge. The Spout-a
stream Of water that gushed from the
side Of a hill on St. Leonard's creek
was selected as the place Of the duel.
The time appointed was the following
morning at 3 o'clock.
When the challenger and his seconds
rode up to the Spout little before =
o'clock they found the colonel and bis
seconds, but could see nothing that
looked like weapons Of any kind. On
the beach near the Spout, however,
there was a big iron kettle steaming
away over a fire that was being Indus
triously fed with cordwood by two Of
the colonel's darkies.
Where are the weapons?" demand
ed one Of the challenger's seconds.
Colonel Fitzhugh. "a the challenged
party. has the right to select the weap-
ons." was the reply. "They will he
produced ut the proper time"
When the seconds agreed that the
time for the duel hid come Colonel
Fitzhugh approached the pot, holding
hts hands behind him. The challenger.
in turn. demanded to know
what the weapons were to be.
Mr.. Blank" said the colonel. 1.-THE
Is in the pot. The weap-
ons are behind my hack. This pot
contains boiling pen soup. Here are
two ladies'. ! propose to give you one
Of them. and l will keep the other. |
propose that you take your stand on
the other side Of the pot and that we
ding hot pea soup at each other until
one or the other has had enough"
But this Is ridiculous. sir. ridicu.
IOus." exclaimed the other.
" mot more ridiculous. SIR" gently re.
Colonel Fitzhugh. than
your quarrel with me!:'
The other saw the point. and they
shook hands.