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Subject: [GenChat-L] Fwd: Aunt Charlotte's Book ( the duel)
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 02:26:01 EST
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Subject: Aunt Charlotte's Book ( the duel)
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After passing Fort Laramie we traveled through the black hills and a new
trouble arose. Up to that time, our people had gotten on nicely with each
other, that is, with the exception of Zanders, and no one had bothered a
great deal about him.
This time, two men, whom we all liked, had a serious quarrel. Mr. Hatney had
sold a mule to J. W. Nezmith, a young lawyer then, but he was later a United
States senator from Oregon. Young Nezmith had not paid for the mule at the
time, but had promised to pay for it later.
He kept it and rode it quite a while. The mule may not have been all that
Hatney claimed for it, I do not know, but anyway it became very jaded and
thin. Then young Nezmith wanted him to take it back, but Hatney refused. So
they quarreled bitterly over it. Finally a group of the boys around the guard
fire put Hatney up to challenging Nezmith to a duel. Nezmith's honor was at
stake and there was nothing for him to do but accept.
The matter was carefully kept from the older men of our party. Had they
known, they would promptly have put a stop to it.
So the seconds were chosen and the time and place was agreed upon.
The two principals took their places and at a given signal, they fired. When
the smoke had cleared away, they found themselves still facing each other and
neither of them was harmed, though the boys said Hatney felt himself all over
before he seemed quite satisfied.
When the duel was on the boys had all that they could do to keep their faces
straight. When it was over, they rolled upon the ground and shrieked with
laughter. They had all been in on the conspiracy and had helped the seconds to
load the pistols with powder and paper. But even at that, it was a bad piece
of business. Something goes wrong sometimes with guns that are not supposed to
be loaded at all.
But it turned out all right for it cleared the atmosphere. Young Nezmith
apologized and Hatney took back the mule. Hatney may have been at fault in
the first place, I do not know. He was a good natured, easy going fellow that
we all liked. I never could understand how they got him aroused to the point
of challenging anyone to a duel.
Walt Davies
Monmouth, OR
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