The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1912-08-30
HALTED THE FIGHT.
Humor Proved the Victor In the
Duel at the Spout.
A TALE OF OLD TIME POLITICS

Colonel Fitxhugh's chivaIry In Scoring
Both Wings and Democrats Won Him
achalIsnse. and the Weapons He &C.
Ieeted Avsrtsd the Meeting.
In book long out Of print a con.
Tibutor to the New York Sun has
.ound tale Of old Maryland politics
which shows that. the knight Of La
Mancha to the contrary notwith.
standing, an almost extravagant ideal
OF chivalrous conduct II not incompat.
ible with keen sense OF humor.
Colonel FitZhugh OF Calvert county
was a pattern Of generosity and mo-
biity OF character. He was once q
candidate for office. In those days It
was the custom for rival candidates to
stump the county together and speak
from the same platform.
On certain occasion Colonel Fits.
hugh and his opponent were to speak
n joint debate. When the day came
his rival did not appear. The people
assembled and grew impatient. Final
~ Colonel Fitzhugh. taking out his
big watch and giancing at 1t, got up
and delivered his speech. In it he took
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 q
message that the rival candidate was
critically Ill. Colonel Fitzhugh looked
round for representative Of the Wing
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 a. his oppo-
nent could not be there to reply to the
arguments that he himself had id.
vanced and as there was nobody OF
his political faith to take Ids place
he would himself deliverta speech dor
the sick man. He added that he would
keep his watch open before him to see
that he gave just a. much time to his
opponents cause a. he had given to
his own.
He then began. II he had scored
the Wings he now sea rifed the Demo.
Gratis. II the Whlgs had been men Of
broken promises. of smirched reputa.
tons. tricksters and rogues. the Dem
ocrats were now liars. thieves and
murderers.
From the Whig point Of view the
address was mastery. But among his
own partisans there were some who
refused to see thnt 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 be sent his seconds to the colonel
with challenge. Az no explanation
would satisfy him. the colonel reluc-
family named his seconds. who &C
cepted the challenge. The Spout-a
stream Of wat er that gushed from the
side OF hill on st. Leonard's creek
was selected :as the place Of the duel.
The time app United was the following
morning at o'clock.
When the q lallenger and his seconds
rode up to tie Spout little before y
o'clock they found the colonel and his
seconds. but cs,uld see nothing that
ooked like weapons of any kind. On
M beach near the Spout, however.
mere was big iron kettle steaming'
way owe tire that was being indus
r'ously fed with cordwood BY two OF
ne coF ,nel's darkies.
hA
q o. .e Of the challenger's seconds.
olonei Fitzhugh. az the challenged
- 'ty. has the right to select the weap-
as" was the reply. ''They will b
produced at the proper time"
When the seconds agreed that the
time for the duel had come Colonel
Fitzhugh approached the pot, holding
his hands behind him. The challenger
advancing In turn. demanded to know
what the weapons were to be.
"Mr. Blank" said the colonel, "the
ammunition Ia In the pot. The weap-
"ns are behind my back. This pot
contains boiling pea soup. Here are
two ladies'. ] propose to give you one
Of them. and will keep the other. !.
propose that yon take your stand on
the other side OF the pot and that We
fling hot pen soup at each other untri
one or the other has had enough"
But this IL ridiculous. sir, ridicu.
ious" exclaimed the other.
Not more ridiculous. DIR" xently Ne.
monstrated Colonel Ettxbugh. ethan
your quarrel with mer'
The other saw the point. and they
shook hands.
EaAhAe Ma