Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-05-24
HALTED THE FIGHT.
Humor Proved the Victor In the
Duel at the Spout.

found 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 is not incompat-
ible with keen sense Of humor.
Colonel Fitzhugh of Calvert county
was a pattern of generosity and 10
bility OF character. He was once a
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 F1tk-
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 glancing at 1t, got up
and delivered his speech. In II he took
all the liberties that 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 i'll. Colonel Fi1hugh 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 as his oppo-
nent could not be there to reply to the
arguments that he himself had ad-
vanced and as there was nobody OF
his political faith TO take his place
he would himself deliver a speech for
the sick man. He added that he 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 scarified the Demo
Gratis. If the Wings had been men Of
broken promises. of smirched reputa-
tons. 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 8 O'Clock.
When the challenger and his seconds
rode up to the Spout little before 3
O'Clock they found the colonel and his
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 fire that was being indus
triously fed with cordwood by two Of
the coloners darkies.
Where are the weapons" demand
ed one Of the challenger's seconds
Colonel FitZhugh. as the challenged
party. has the right to select the weap-
ons." was the reply. They will be
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 is in the pot. The weap-
ons are behind my back. This pot
contains boiling pea 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
fling hot pea soup at each other unit
one or the other has had enough"
But this is ridiculous. sir. ridicu
lous" exclaimed the other.
Not more ridiculous. sir" gently re
monstrated Colonel FitZhugh. thar
your quarrel with mer'
The other saw the point, and they
shook hands.
Washington - Informal conference:
among republican and democratic sen
ators made an adjournment in June
at least a possibility.