Year: 1859




the chief items of interest connected with the
extraordinary duel between Gen. jackson and
q notorious gambler named Dickinson, which
occurred on the 29th of April, 1907, near the
State line between Kentucky and Tennessee
1t appears that jackson and Dickinson had
staked FIVE hundred dollars on horse race, and
jackson proved winner He took Dickinson's
note for the amount, and was satisfied with the
endorsement. Jackson had many enemies who
feared as well as hated him, and they natu-
rally crowded around Dickinson, and laid in
wait for the first opportunity that might pre-
sent itself to bring him in collision with the
latter. This was the first occasion, and they
made use of it, in violation of all truth and
mercy, for they forced Dickinson-who it seems
was, in some respects, of an amiable and cred.
ulous iSposition-beyond his own animosity
and suspicious, to believe that Jackson had
disparaged the character of his note in some
way or other; and hence the challenge. Jack
son denied the charge entirely, but it failed to
conciliate Dickinson, or even to be believed BY
him. against the representations of those who
were thus using him to get their enemy out of
the way and the challenge was accepted
! The two principals were accompanied to the
fatal spot by ten or twelve friends each Six
teen feet was the distance at which the duel
was to be fought, which will be better appre.
ciated by rejecting that it is only five PAGES
and one foot Now couple this with the fact
that Dickinson, the day before, practicing at
the image Of a man, fired four balls inStanta-
neousy after the command each time, into a
space capable of being covered with silver
dollar, and some idea can be formed of the bar
barity Of duelS in those days. 1t is said, also,
on the same good authority, that Dickinson
was so confident of killing Jackson, that be
was induced to authorize bets to the amount
of three thousand dollars that such would be
the case. All that now remained was for the
attendants to retire to safe position and give
the words of command. They fired, but no
one fell But an instant revealed the state of
affairs, and Dckinson's friends ran forward to
sustain him. A dark stream of blood spurted
from his side, and an ominous indication was
afforded in the frutless endeavors to ssaunch
it. A bending paw-paw bush, standing hard
by, afforded q convenient place to recline him
while undergoing the process of examination
1t was found that the ball had entered the
side above the point of the hip-bOne, and be-
low the ribs, and, passing entirely though the
body, was retarded by the opposite hip BONE
and lodged just within the skin. The small
difficulty of extraction but showed the great
danger of the wound /; and all hope was soon
destroyed by the discovery of mingled hemor-
rhage and purgings. The first thing, on dis
covering the nature of the wound, was to dis
patch courier to Dckinson's wife with the
intelligence that he was dangerously wound.
ed" He was then conveyed back to his lodg-
ings. Here he was placed in room, and on
two feather beds, underad by two mattresses
He wrthed in unremitting torture until he was
too far gone to exhibit his sufferngs, and gave
vent all the while to his agony in the most aw-
| ful basphemy So profuse was the flow from
the wound, that it passed all through his bed
ding, aud required it to be cleaned up every
few hours Thus he progressed until nine in
the evening. The bed stood in the middle of
the floor, and brilliant light illuminated the
room, when the clock struck nine just then
he asked, complainingly, why they had blown
out the candle and left him in the dark The
surgeon shook his head, for he knew the infal-
lible omen. He had gone completely blind
The last spark of light went out to him on
earth. Again he commenced cursng, and with
in five minutes from the time of blindness. his
spirit had fed from that suffering body. Dick
inson was man of great wealth, and was the
husband of blooming wife of twenty-five
He lived in Nashville, now, as then, the capi-
tai of Tennessee. He arose several hours be-
fore dawn on the day he left home. His wife
was ignorant of the duel and being aroused
by his restless pacing to and fro, asked what
was the matter. He told her that he was to
start that morning, on business, across Red
River, in Kentucky but that he would be sure
to be back "by tomorrow night" Then ap-
preaching the bed, and taking her cheeks be-
tween his hands, he kissed her for the last time,
remarking tenderly, "Good-by, darling !" and
Immediately set off with his party. With what
soucrushing effect the dreadful tidings fell up
on her heart we may endeavor, at heart to i'm
agine Suffice it to say that her carriage had
accomplished the long days ride while it was
yet early in the evening of the day following
his death, and she arrived in the neighborhood
before the news had spread more than a few
miles on the road along which she came. She
first heard Of his death about three miles from
where he was and at every breath uttered a
piercing shriek until she reached the object of
her deep distress Her youth and beauty ad
ded much to the great sympathy all felt for in
her sad bereavement When she reached his
lfeless form, she rushed upon it in frenzy Of
grief, and gave vent to her feelings in kisses
embraces and wild lamentations. His coffin
soon arrived from neighboring village, and
after passing the lonely vigils of the night il
holding an affectionate guardianship over hi:
mortal remains, she set off, next morning, tC
conduct the mournful cortege. Gen. jackson
was also wounded, Dickinson's ball having
ploughed across his breast to the depth of one
half its thickness.