The Washington herald., 1914-05-31
FAMOUS DUELLING
GROUNDS DOOMED
|Bladensburg's Bloody Sward
Is to Be Cut Up Into
Building Lots.
SCENE OF NOTED FIGHTS
Where Senator Mason. Of Virginia.
Was Killed and Stephen Decatur
Received Death Wound.
SCENE OF NOTED FIGHTS

Received Death Wound.
Baltimore, May So.-The old Bladens-
burg dueliing ground 10 soon TO be con-
verted into building lots for happy
homes, and the happy shouts Of child
hood viii soon echo where once the muir
derous pistol barked. the sword clashed.
the dying duellists moaned.
The famous duelling ground borders Q
small brook and Ii about fifteen acres In
extent. nat and low, and covered with
weeds. grass. vines, and an occasional
cedar. II was convenient to Washing
ton. close enough to Bladensburg for q
nights lodging. and easy Of escape from
legal authority on either side Of the DIS
trict liife-
More than nifty hostile meetings oc-
CURED on the banks Of this lonely and
melancholy brook-some fatal. some
bloodless. The FIRST victim was Edward
Hopkins. Of Maryland. an ensign Of in
fantry. He fell early in 1915.
Two Famous Duels.
Two duels were fought on the ground
that were especially desperate. One was
between Gen. Mason. Senator from Vir-
ginia, and Col. McCarty. from the same
State. Although they were cousins, they
had O violent tilt at the polls in Lees
burg, Va. Mason challenged McCarty's 5
vote and McCarty at once challenged
Mason's life. Mason at FIRST declined.
was called . coward. and then deter
mined to die. II need be. to refute the
charge.
Neither would consent to terms in
which there was the least escape from
death for the other. They proposed to
L. ~ ~. fa1athar and
fight on the way down, or to night on a
barrel of powder to be ignited by q slow
fuse, but objections were raised by their
seconds They finally agreed to fight
with muskets charged with buckshot and
at ten feet distance.
The parties spent the night previous to
the battle in what 10 now known as the
George Washington House at Bladens-
burg. At o'clock on the morning of
February 6, 1873. they repaired to the
field of honor. The citizens Of Bladens-
burg consregated In q snowstorm to wit
meas the event. The weapons were chos-
en-, ground measured, choice decided. an
tasonists placed. seconds and surgeons
at hand, word was given. both fired SIM
uitaneously. Mason fell dead and Nc
Carly was badly wounded.
Decatar-Barron FiEht.
The other notorious meeting was the
one that made the ground forever ia
nous. II was fought by James Barron
and Stephen Decatur. Both were prom
inent In the navy, but Decatur was the
bright and shining star" the pride of
the service. and when he fell the nation
sorrowed and grieved. This duel u said
Islander, and came on without . formal
ehaIIanRA eroT,, aitAar marty
Commodore Decatur was . member Of
the court-martial and voted to suspend
Barron In 1857 for allowing the crew of
the British ship Leonard to board and
search the frigate Chesapeake. which
Barron commanded. Commodore De-
catur opposed every application in after
years that Barron made for restoration In
rank. and although II Ii said Decatur
acted the part Of . true man At the court
martial and subsequently, nevertheless
Barron naturally considered him his
enemy. Some one reported that Barron
had been challenged to combat BY De-
catur. Decatur denied the report and
wrote, Il do not think that the fighting
Of dusls under any circumstances can
raise the reputation Of any man. and
have since discovered that II 10 not even |
an unerring criterion Of personal oour- !
age"
From this report insults and CORE
spondence accumulated. The following In |
aa extract from . letter Of Barron to |
Decatur. dated November 1s 1873. the |
original Of which is In the possession Of
Mrs. Janey Hope Mari, Of Virginia:
Makes Severe Arraignment.
You acknowledged that you had
formed and expressed an opinion unfa- |
vorable to me and yet your conscience |
was made Of such pliable material that |
because the then Honorable Secretary Of |
the Navy was pleased to insist on your /
serving as Q member Of the court-mar-
tial and because I did not protest against |
t, you conceive that duty constrained |
you to take your seat as q member. al
though you were to act under the solemn |
sanction Of an oath to render me i'm
partial Justice upon the very testimony
from which you formed an unfavorable
opinion Of me. How such conduct can
be reconciled with the principles Of COM
non honor and Justice IL to me inexplic-
no power or authority on
.arth could or ought to have forced any
fberal. high-minded man to sit In case
n which he had . prejudice"
The final result was that these two
men. unquestioned in courage and hold
ng the highest grade in the navy at the
lime, stified their better Judgment and
IN March q, 1890, took their places, eight
,aces apart, on the field at Bladensburg,
Face to face they raisei their pistols and
ook deliberate aim. although II has been
claimed that Decatur intended only to
wound his opponent. The fact that Bar
on r--7 hit in the exact spot Decatur
rad indicated seems to bear out this
.laim Commodore Bainbridge was De-
.atur's second. while Capt. Elliot acted
or Barron.
Word Given to Fire.
Before the command to IRE was given
Barron addressed Decatur:
''Sir. I hope on meeting In another
world we win be better friends than In
HIS
Decatur replied: II have never beea
our enemy. SIR"
Both fired at the same instant Both
ell, revived. forgave, regretted the act,
nd parted. Both were taken to WASH
ngton, Decatur to his home near La
ayette Square, where he soon died. Bar
on, after eighteen days of GONZALES
ence. removed to Hampton, Va
Superstitious negroes who live near the
round believe that II 10 haunted by the
pirits Of the men who fell there. Untfi
he civil war meetings were held there.
ut since then there have been no hostile
ncounters.
% man of his time was 80 well fitted 70