The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-23

| S, | from the first ordinance of South Caro- | lima to the last act of reconstruction. l The past eight years he could regard with . no other emotions than unmtigated hor- ror The war was a crime, unpar- donable infringement of the organic law, and the conditions imposed upon sub | iected rebels, tyrannical exercise of un- restricted power.
 HAD REMARK ABLE TRAITS ] The traits which maintained his popu- I arity, in spite of the many drawbacks, were in many respects remarkable. Wher- ever placed he sustained himself with dis | tinguished ability. When placed in re- | sponsible posts he was constantly re- 1 vealing, to the surprise even of those who knew him best, latent powers equal | to any emergency which seemed to arise with the occasion and develop themselves tin proportion to the pressure. In such circumstances a temperament which was habitually too passive kindled suddenly l into administrative energy and impetuouS valor No one ever applied to him in distress and went empty away. He would part with his last penny to any im- portunate mendicant. His generosity was so excessive that it would have ap- peared to fe false if the innumerable deeds of charity and good will, which I he strewed with prodigal hand, did not rise up and call him blessed" His am- bition was so ckastened. or regulated, that he seldom thrust his elbows unpleasantly I into the sides of competitors, or rudely | jolted them from the track. His superior | ity was so transformations that it never excited the jealousy of rivals. He glided rather than stormed through excited crowds which were struggling with i'm up the heights of fame. He was tol- erant of the opinion of others as he was steadfast in his own, and no man in pha rita a jll6 @ fool or knave because he happened to differ from him politically; and he never overlooked in the heat of partisan strife, or forgot when it was ended, those quail ities in an antagonist which really de- served respect. In large companies be- fore strangers his tongue was palsied
 and his manners constrained. But many who have enjoyed the privilege of his fa- miliar conversations can recall occasions when a sympathetic audience, fit though few" unsealed the habitual diffidence of his lips, and he would put forth in an unbroken flood and from a full mem ory of accumuations of his readings speeches. poetry, sermons, holding his friends entranced. Colonel Chambers many friends will deeply mourn his death and sympathize with his lovely daughter, just blooming into womannood;
 his devoted wife, whom he loved with all
 the affections of his earnest nature.
 ATTITUDE TOWARD DUEL
 We have often heard it asserted that
 Colonel Chambers suffered great remorse
 on account of his duel with Col. William
 A. Lake of Mississippi. This we know to
 be untrue The writer of this was friend
 of Colonel Chambers in the unfortunate
 affair which lost Colonel Lake his life
 In our last conversation with him, only
 a few months before his death, we asked
 him if it were true that his irregularities
 rs< y,AA hxv hn
 morse attributed to him. His reply was,
 "You know the necessity under which
 acted.' He calmly, repeatedly and un-
 hesitatingly expressed regret for what
 he regarded as a necessity under which
 he acted, but he spoke lightly and scorn-
 fully of the idea of his feeling the re-
 morse attributed to him. In the conver-
 sation he spoke in terms of admiration
 for the courage and high honor of the
 man he had slain, and his praise was
 just tribute for the history of the world cannot furnish duel fought upon higher
 and more honorable principles, or where
 more true courage was shown than was
 displayed in the duel between Col. Will liam A. Lake and Col. H. c. Chambers. Colonel Lake had been member Of the
 United States Congress and was cam
 didate for the Confederate Congress in
 opposition to Colonel Chambers They
 had some disagreement about list of
 Joint appointments which resulted in a
 collision at Greenwood, Miss. Lake struck Chambers with loaded pistol which re-
 suited in the parties meeting in Mem
 phis, where a challenge was passed.
 The parties met in Arkansas imme- diately opposite Fort Pickering. Colonei Lake was the challenged party and se- lected rifles, the distance forty yarls' the rifles to be cooked triggers sprung, the words to be Gentlemen, are you ready?" After which both parties to answer Ready" and the second win ming the word to continue, 'Fire-one- two-three-stop" Neither party to fire before the word Fire nor after the word "Stop" the second winning the word losing the position. Each party was allowed six friends on the ground be- sides a second and physician. Colone! Chambers reached the ground at daylight with his friends. The morning was cool and a large fire was built. It was his intention to practice until 10 o'clock, the hour of the meeting, but he declared upon | the ground that he had made good shots the day before. was sanguine as to the | results. and bad shots' would cause him | to lose confidence in himself.
 OTHER PARTY ARRIVES
 The opposite party did not arrive on i the grounds until few minutes before | the meeting. Colonel Lake was dressed in | exquisite taste. wore black kid gloves. | AS he strode by he blandly saluted the | opposite party. He weighed about N'' pounds, his bearing was that of a hign | toned, chivalrous gentleman of the ol't school. His whole demeanor was accord ing to his breeding and the decorum which should govern such occasions. The 1 rifles were loaded by the seconds and the pa rites took their respective positions. At the word fire, Colonel Chambers dis charged his weapon, the ball passed three or four feet over the head of his an- tagonist Colonel Lake handled his gun as if if were a cornstalk and at the word f .'three' he fired, the ball grazing Col onel Chambers chin. Colonel Chambers gave an involuntary shrug of the head and it was thought he was wounded. but, being asked. he said that the ball seemed like a big fly about his face. After pause the rifles were again loaded, the word given and the firing was nearly Lakes ball threw the dirt C-r -I -l--- G. N1~0t m-