A NOVEL AMERICAN DUEL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1287, 26 January 1883, Page 2

A NOVEL AMERICAN DUEL.

.. A cruel and novel duel was recently 1 /• fought in the vicinity of Guildford, North Carolina, between. Ralph Johnston, and.- • < Saks Williams, two young farmers of that •' section, and nvali for the affections of a! young woman. Bad feeling'had existed between theiri for'some time, ending in ' harsh words. Soon afterwards Johnitoo • sent a friend to Williams with a letter de- '; mandipg a retractation of certain language : : need. • Williams declined lowithJr«w hii remark*, and further correspondence resulted in an agreement to meet in hostile combat, the time being fixed for the next morning. The articles drawn up sped- 1 ■ Bed horsewhips as the weapons to be ; used, something not heretofore recognised 1 bythe code in North Carolina, These • weapons were chosen, it is understood, in order that the. parties could thereby evade the penalties of the duelling law, ' which does not speoity horeowbips as deadly weapons. Under the rules of the fight each man waii required to atand upon / a lino traced upon the ground, miking the distance between the combatants about. • • three feet. They were armed with hear/ ; horsewhips, especially selected for the fight,, and the srcund vl each duellist was ' supplied with an extra whip, to be uffld by •:, his principal in the event of the wearing out or breaking of the weapon first used. The field (elected Was a high ■ and level spot, about half a mile from the main • road. The lines were mado of. rope fastened to the ground with long staples. After a vain attempt hod been uiade by the seconds to adjust the difficulty, the men took places for the fight. Both wore in their shirt sleeves, the provision of the fight being that no coat, vest or under- ' '• >• 1 shirt should be worn.' At seven o'clock ' the'question was asked; "Gentlemen aro you ready ?" Eaoh man nodded his i head.'. The command « Strike I" was then given, . f • and the duellists fell lo blows with vigor. • . Although the blows were given heivy '< and fast neither man flinched, Upon the hands and faces of the, combatants great welts soon rose, and the shirtaof tho men ! soon gave evidence that the blood wai being drawn. At times theywielded their weapons with one hand, then with both, ' ; and occasionally one or the other was 1 ' 1 foroed by the desperate assault of his adversary to fall back from his line. After. : ' fighting half an hour time was called, and the men, nearly breathless were given ft ' brief resting spell, The fight continued ■, i for three hours witk short intervals for rest, The seconds finally, decided.thatthe requirements of the code had bean complied with, and forced the duellists to desist. It ia understood that Johnston was more severly hurt than hiiadversary"T? " and that there.is not a place on his body - V that is not covered with welts. Many of the blows gnashed the flesh in a horrid manner. Williams is almost in the same condition and both men are now suffering torribly. from the effects of their wounds, which are such that they oan hardly lie down. Their feet are almost the only parts not. covered with whip outs. No —■ arrests have been made, and the friends of the duellists are endeavoring to hush the matter up. ■