The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, February 14, 1879, Image 1
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VOL. X.?Neyt Series. UNION C. II., SOUTH CAROLINA, FEBRUARY 14, 1S79. NUMBER 7.
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I I - - : ! - ' -' - ? 1 . . 1 - .* ." * ' '- 1 - 1 '- 9. t - , '.
THE OAMBETTA DUEL. | lit) rosu to his foct and assumed an atti- | Tlin t.w?..1,..!I.ft.li ?- ? i nnr ? ? ? 1
now aui rwain Distinguished Himself a? the
Statosman~s Seooud.
Mark Twain writes lor tlio February
number of the Atlantic Monthly an uccouut
of his participation in tho recent duel betwofu
Gambctta and Fourtou. When lie
bad heard of tho outbreak in the Assembly,
he says that he called on Gambctta, whom
ho found "steeped iu a profound French
calm." Mr. Twain, after being embraced,
began tho conversation :
I said I supposed he would wish uio to
net as his second, and lie said, "Of course.
I said I must bo allowed to act under a
French name, so that I might be shielded
^ ? from,obloquy in my country in case of fa?'
"tal results. IIo wiuccd hero, probably at
tho suggestion that dueling was uot regarded
with respect in America. However,
he agreed to my requirement. This accounts
for tho fact that in all the newspaper
reports M. Gauibctta's second was apparently
a French man. First, wo drew up
my principal's will. I insisted upon this
and stuck to my point. I said I had never
heard of a man iu his riaht mind iroincout
W o
to fight a duel without first making his will.
IIo said ho hnd ucvor heard of a man in
his right mind doing any thiug of the kind.
When we bad fiuished the will, he
wished to proceed to a choice of his ''last
words." Ho wanted to know how the
following words, as a dying exclamation,
struck me:
"I dio for my God, for my country for
freedom of speech, for progress and the
universal brotherhood of man 1"
I objected that this would rcquiro too
lingering a death ; it was a good speech for
a consumptive, but not suited to tho exigencies
of the field of honor. Wo wrauglcd
over a good many ante-mortem outbursts,
but I finally got him to cut his
obituary doWn to this, which ho had copied
into his memoradum book, purposing to get
it by heait:
"I die that France may livo."
I said that this remark soeincd to lack '
relevancy ; but he said relcvaucy was a mattor
of no consequence in last words?what
you wanted was thrill.
I then wrote tho following note and
carried it to M. Fourtou's friend :
Silt; Mr. Gambctta accepts M. Fourtou's
.1.-11 ?J
uuaneugc, auu auuiorizos mo to propose
Plesfis-Piquet as the place of meeting, tomorrow
morning at daybreak as tbc time,*
ami axes as the weapons. I am, sir, with
great respect, Mark Twain.
M. Fourtou's friend read this note and
shuddered. Then ho turned to mo and
said, with a suggestion of severity in his
tone :
"Ilavo you considered, sir, what would
be the inevitable result of such a meeting
as this?"
"Well, for instance, what would it be?"'
"Bloodshed 1"
"That's about the size of it," I said.?
"Now, if it is a fair qucstiou, what was
your side proposing to shed ?"
I had him there; he saw he had made a
blunder, so ho hastened to explain it away.
He said ho had spokeu jostingly. Then
bo added that ho and his principal would
enjoy axes, and indeed prefer them, but
uuch weapons were barred by tho French
code, and so I must change my proposal.
Aftor proposing Gatling guns, rifles, navy
pistols and brick-bats, Mr. Twain left the
choioo of weapons to tho other second, who
fished out of his vost pocket a couple of
little things, which I carried to tho light
mill rlifinAvnrnil fn Kn niclnlo TKaw
siogle-barrclled and silver mounted, and
very dainty and pretty. I was not able to
speak for emotion, v 1 silently hung one of
them on my watch-chain, aud returned the
other. My companion in crime now unrollod
a postage stamp containing several
cartridges and gave mo ono of them. I
asked if ho meant to signify by this that
our men were to be allowed but one shot
apiece. lie replied that the French code
permitted no more. I then begged hitn to
go on and suggest a distauco, for my mind
was growing weak and confused under tho
strain which had bccu put upon it. IIo
named sixty-fire yards. I nearly lost my
pationce. 1 said :
"Sixty-fivo yards with these instruments?
Pop-gaus would bo deadlier at fifty. Consider,
my friend, you and I arc bandod together
to destroy life, not mako it eternal."
But with all my persuasions, all my
arguments, I was only able to get him to
veduoo the distance to thirty-five yards;
and even this concession ho made with
roluotance, and said with a sigh :
"I wash my hauds of this slaughter; ou
your head be it."
There was nothing for me but to go homo
to my own lion-heart and tell my humiliating
story. When I outered M. Gambetta
was laying his last lock of hair upon the
altar. He sprang towards mo, exclaiming
;
"The weapon, the weapon, Quick I what
is tho weapon 7" j
"This !' and I displayed that silTcr
mounted thing. lie caught but one
glimpste of it, then swooned ponderously
to tho floor.
Whon he came to he said, mournfully:
"The unnatural calm to which I have
subjeoted myself has told upon my nerves.
But away with weakness! 1 will confront
y my fato liko n man and n Frenchman."
[ tude which fur sublimity luts never bccu
approched by man and has seldom been
surpassed by statues.
After a long siicuce lie asked :
"Was nothing said about that man's family
standing up with him, as an offset to
my bulk ? Hut no matter; I would not
stoop to uuiko such a suggestion; if he is
not noble enough to suggest it himself he
is welcome to this advantage, which uo
honorable man would take."
"At what hour is the engagement to begin
?"
"At lialf-past 9."
"Very good indeed. Have you scut the
fact to the newspapers t"
"Sir I If after our long and intimate
friendship you can for a moment deem me
capable of so base a treachery"
"Tut tut! What words are these, my
dear friend ? IIuvc I wounded yon ??
Ah, forgivo mo; I am ovurlondiug you
with labor. Therefore go ou with the other
details, and drop this one from vour list.?
The bloody-uiiuded Fourtou will bo sure to
nttcud to it. Or I myself?yea, to make
certain 1 will drop a uoto to my journalistic
friend, M. Noir"? _
"Oh, como to think, you may save y<rflp
self the trouble ; that other second has informed
M. Noir."
"H'm ! I might have known it. It is
just like that Fourtou, who always wauts to
make a display."
\t half-past 0 in the morning the procession
approached the field of I'lessis-Piquot
in the following order : First cnuio our
carriage?nobody in it but M. Gambctta
1?nd myself; then a carriage coutaiuiug M.
Fourtou and his second; then a carriage
containing two poet orators who did not
believe iu God, and these had MS. funeral
orations projecting from their breast-pockets;
then a carrier containing the head surgeons
and their cases of instruments ; then eight
privuto carriages coutaiuing consulting
surgcous ; then a hack containing the coroner;
then the two hearses; thcu a carriage
containing the head undertakers; then a
train of assistants and mutes on foot; and
after these cauic nloddimr through the fiv
a loug procession of camp-followers, police
and citizens generally. It was a noble
turnout, and would have made a fino display
if we had had thinner weather.
'I'hn pnlleo nntiwiH fhof. ilia poklia li?.l
mnsssd themselves together on tho right
and left of the fijld ; they there'oro begged
a delay whilo they should put these poor
people in a place of safety. The request
was granted. Tho police having ordered
tho two multitudes to take position behind
the duellists, we wcro once more ready.?
The weather growing still moro opaque, it
was agreed between myself aud the other
secoud that before giving the fatal signal
wc should each deliver a loud whoop to enable
the combatants to ascertain each olh
er's whereabouts.
I now returned to my priucipal, aud was
distressed to observe that he had lost a good
deal of his spirit. I tried my best to heartcu
him. I said : "Indeed, sir, things arc
not as bad as they seem. Considering the
character of tho weapons, the limited uumbcr
of shots allowed, the generous distance,
tho impenetrable solidity of the tog, and
tho added fact that ono of the combatants
j .1 ?i 1 - - i
io uuu-cjcu, iiiu utuur t'ruM-u^uu auu ucnrsighted,
it seemes to mo that this couflict
need not noccssarily bo fatal. There aro
chances that both of you may survive.?
Therefore, cheer up; do not be down-hearted."
Tho speech had so good an effect that
my principal immediately stretched forth
his band and said, "? am myself again;
give me the weapon."
I laid it, all lonely and forlorn, in tho
centre of the vast solitude of his palm.?
Ifo gazed at it and shuddered. And still
mournfully contemplating it, he murmured,
iu a broken voice :
"Alas ! it is not death I dread, but mutilation."
I heartened him onco. more, and with
such success that ho presently said, "Let
the tradegy begin. Stand at my back , do
not desert me in this solemn hour, my
friend."
I gave liim my promise. I now assisted
him to point his pistol toward the spot
wbcro I judged his adversary to be standing,
and cautioned him to listen well and
further guide himself by my fellow-second's
whoop. Then 1 propped myself against
M. Oambetta's back and raised a rousing
"Whoon-oe This was answered f'rnni
out the fur distance of the fog. aud 1 immediately
shouted;
"One?two?three?;fire !"
Two little souuds like tpit! rpxt ! broke
upou my ear, and in the same instant I was
crushed to the earth under a mountain of
flesh. Buried as I was, I was still able to
catch a faint accent from abovo to this effect
:
"I die for . . . for . . . perdition
tako it, what ts it 1 die for ? . . .
Oh, yes?France ! I die that France
may live !"
The surgeons swarmed around with their
probes in their hands and applied thoir
microscopes to the whole area of M. Garnbctta's
person, with tho happy result of
finding nothing in the nnturo of a wound.
Then a scene cusucd which was in every
way gratifying and inspiriting.
...? f..Uvnu?vio avii u|iiui uuuii utuur s
nocks, with floods of proud and happy tears ;
that other second embraced uic ; the surgeons,
the orators, tho undertakers, the
police, everybody embraced, overybody congratulated,
everybody cried, and tho whole
atmosphere was filled with praise and with
joy uuspcakablo. It seemed to mo thcu
that I would rather bo the hero of a French
duel than a crowned aud sceptred monarch.
Intkucui-tijual Tillage.?At our request
the following was furnisnhed us by
Dr. J. 1*. Stovcus, of Lee Co ., Ga., woll
known as a prominent and scientific farmer
iu Southwest Georgia. l?t is'ihteSS&lfrg as"*
being the first effort wo have heard of to
test by experiment the new theory iu our
southern climate:
"I was very much interested in Sturtcvant's
"New Theory of Tillage" and tried
an oxperiuicnt with it in my garden, on a
plat of ground 105 by 45 feet. 1 broke
up the ground with a turning plough; manured
iu the drill uuifirmly over the plat
with cotton seed compost, and then planted
corn at intervals of three feet. The first
working was done by siding with a long nar?
row scooter, aud breaking out the middles
With a six inch round shown! *\lnti.rh t
.... ?.
then selected three contiguous rows 1'or testing
the after culture, which, at the sccoud
ploughing, was done with the round shovel,
ruuuing near enough to the coru to throw
the dirt to the stalks. The remainder of
tho plat I ploughed out with the sweep.?
Just wheu the coru was ''bunching" to tassel,
I gave tho whole plat tho third working
prccisuly similar to the preceding, and runuiug
near enough to throw the dirt up to
the stalks of the experimental rows." The
plat received no further tillage, and when
tho cars of corn wcro fulfy matured, 1
counted those upon the rows that received
the deep culturu, and each row yielded teu
cars more thau cither of the three adjaccut
rows that received the superficial culture ;
and there was no apparcut difference between
tho size and perfection of the ears
of corn. I will remark that when the coru
received tho last ploughing we had had no
rain for ten days, and not uutil ten days
thereafter, yet there was apparently no wilting
of the leaves upon tho rows that received
the deep culture. I had auothcr
I)lnt nf
with which 1 had commonccd a similar experiment,
but personal illness compelled me
to leave home for the remainder or the
summer, and the experiment was not completed
by uiy agent in charge of my business.
It is my purposo to test the experiment
upon a more extended scale the present
yftar, although of course, without iucurriug
any material risk.?J. 1\ Stevens, in
Southern Cultivator.
Breeds of 1'ouury for tub .South.
?i am otton asked the question, " What
breed of fowls do I recommend ?" Boforc
I can answer this question' I am compelled
to ask auother. "Do you desire a fowl
for eggs or for table use "
Ther arc some breeds that arc classed as
non-sitters. As they seldom manifest any
desire to become mothers, no tiuio is )ost
in egg-production; and hence, during the
year, they lay many moro eggs thau those
breeds that are all tho time getting broody
and want tosit. As great layers, the Brown
Leghorns stand at the head of tho list.?
They lay a white egg of over moderate size,
but not as large as tho Black Spanish,
while tho Black Spanish chicks are very
difficult to raise; tho Brown leghorus arc
hardier and grow more rapidly. They are
larger bodied than the Ilamburgs, and their
eggs will weigh more to tho dozcu. Their
party-colored plumage, beautiful combs, and
proud carriage, make thorn particularly attractive.
For a tabic fowl wo need something
larger than the Leghorns. We need size
and compactness of body; and ouo that
will take on fat easily. Theso qualities wo
find in the l'artridgo Cochin. For size of
body and eggs, the Bruhuias head tho list.
The chicks of these breeds nro hardy and
very easily raised. They are good sitters
and excellent mothers.
Thj Plymouth llocks arc an oxccllcnt
fowl both for eggs and table use. They
are not as large bodied as the Partridge
Cochins, nor either the l>a?k or Light
Brnhmas, but thoy dress well, have yellow
skin, flesh tender and juicy.
Any of tho abovo breeds arc well suited
to our southern country. It is timo our
farmers were waking up to tho full appreciation
of the value ofgood poultry, howls
well kept, and properly attended to, pay as
well, if not better, than any othor farm
, stock, in proportion to tho money inves
ted.?J. P. H. BltOWN, in Southern Cultivator
When the train conveyiny GeneraJ,SJ>erman
to the South stoppedat Kettle Hollow,
Montgomery County, Virginia, Tecumseh
walked out to view the sterile aspect of tha
country. Seeing an old resident standing
near, the Geueral inquired : "What do
they raiso in this country, anyhow V*
The aforesaid Kottle Hollow man replied :
"They raiso h?II here about as quick as
any place you ever saw." The general
tucked his feathers and sought refuge in
the car instanter.
vuKiunt. or riSA IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
It is well known that for many yours the |
tea plaut has bccu grown in the South.?
The plants flourish luxuriously in uiost
parts of the Carolines, aud iu Georgia and
Louisiana. Occasionally the leaves were
picked aud dried for use, but the process
was tedious and the tea strong and rank.?
Last yoar, however, a quantity of leaves of
the tea plant grown iu Georgetown, S. C.,
were sent to importers of tea iu Baltimore,
aud by a member of the firm were made
iutoexcclicut merchantable tea. Mr. Gillct
Gill, of the firm of Martin Gillet & Co.,
superintended the drying, and was so encouraged
by the rcsul^^' the experiment
that he is now trnvollioPuirough the South |
with a view to disseminating information
relative to the cultivation of tea, and to .
ascertaining what arc the capabilities of the .
most favored localities. Mr. G ill had charge .
of a tea factory in Japan, and is familiar |
with the whole process of growing the plaut, (
picking the leaves and preparing them for
market. He has ulrcady visited Charlotte, |
Columbia, Augusta and lower Georgia, and ,
arrived in Charleston yesterday ou his way ,
to Georgetown. i
There is 110 doubt that tlio tea plant will ,
grow well throughout South Carolina, and j
belter in this Stale than in Georgia. The ,
plant is not iujured by ordinary cold weather, |
bearing without daugcr temperature as low ,
as 2 deg.Fahrenheit. Such cold is au |
auvantagc to the plant as it checks the j
rapidity of development. It noeds no spo- |
cial care, but Mr il ill finds that (he plaut <
usually is not trimmed closely enough.? ,
The leaves used l'or uiakiug tea are only j
oue or two and sometimes three leaves on |
the extreme end cf each limb or branch, and .
the object oi'thecultivalor, therefore, should ,
be to keep the plant down so as to multiply i
the number of branches. This, also, rcii- ?
dcrs the leaves easier to pick. The plant ,
can be raised form cuttings or form seed, }
and requires no particular nursing. Plants {
in hot-houses, free from the inllncnccs of (
frost, do uot bear as well as plants iu the ,
open air. I
The common belief is that the manufnc- ,
turc of tea is atteuded with peculiar ditticulties.
This is a mistake. The different ,
grades ol tea made in Chiua come from the |
same plant. They are, iu fact, the same
tea grown in this country should have the 1
same appearance as (Jhiucso tea. The |
American tea isas fragrant and invigorating, ,
and, as avowedly American tea, will bring j
? --- -? - ' ? "?
?o iu?ii u |iucu us nit* mucin, luuncsc. or
Japanese variety. Mr. Gill is confident
that the c iriug and preparation can be done j
with machinery of simple construction as |
thoroughly and more cheaply than by hand. 1
The purpose is to form a company, itrtimc, j
for the manufacture of tea, similar to the i
companies established iu India, which pay i
their stockholders dividends of 18 and 20 t
percent. Our understanding is that Gillett (
& Co. will purchase, at tho rate of one dol- <
lar a pound, such Carolina leaves as may i
be properly picked and forwarded to them ]
| for manufacture. I
We shall await with much interest the I
formal report to be made by Mr. Gill upon j
his return, and it is to be hoped that, in !
the meantime, they who are now growing i
tea plants will coulinuc their cultivation.?
There is far less difficulty in making tea
than in growing and preparing jute, and we
see uo reason why Carolina tea should not
soon be as well and favorably known as our
famous long cotton.?Xeics and Courier.
Set Up Youit l>.ut at Home.?The
following excellent suggestion it; from a
temperance lecture delivered iu Maysvillc,
Ky., but it will answer equally well for
Charleston :
"Barkeepers in this city pay, on an averngo,
$2 per gallon for whiskey, oue gallon
contains au averngo of sixty-fivo drinks,
and at ten cents a drink the noor nan nnw
r-? I?J 80
50 per gallon for his whiskey. In other
words he pays 82 for tho whiskey and
$-1 50 to a man for handing it over tho bar. ,
Make your wife your barkeeper. Lend
hor two dollars to buy a gallon of whiskey
for a beginning and every time you want a
drink go to her and pay ten cents for it.? ,
By the time you have drank a gallon she ,
will have 30 50, or enough money to refund ,
tho 82 borowed of you, to pay for another (
gallou of liquor and have a balance of 82
50. She will bo ablo to couduct future
operations on her own capital, and when
you become an inebriate, unable to support
yourself, shunned and despised by all rospcctnble
persons, your wife will have
enough money to keep you until you get
ready to fill a drunkard's grave."
A lady taking tea at a small company,
being very fond of hot rolls' was asked to
havo another, "lleally, I cannot," she
modestly replied ; *'I don't know how many
I have eaten already." "/ do," unexpectedly
cried a juvenile upstart whose
mother had allowed him a sjat at tho table.
"You'vo eaten eight; I've been counting."
A Kentucky paper remarks that tho
look of intelligence assumed by tho young
lawyer as he sits in court should bo put a
stop to. It is calculated to cause tho presiding
judgo to loso confidence in himself, to
make him helicvo ho doesn't know anything.
A Widow Successfully Tracing
Her Stolen Child.?A romance in real
life, stranger than any fiction, lias roccutly
had its dcnoucmcut, 0110 of the parties
most interested being a resident of this city.
This is a widow lady, whose name wo aro
not at liberty to make publie for the present,
who has recently discovered the wlicroabouts
of a long-lost daughter, stolen froui
her twenty-seven years ago, when an infant.
The lady, though a resident of Springfield
for some years past, is a native of lJartlprd,
Conn., aud went witli her husband, after
her marriage, to Western New York, which
was then a good deal of a wilderness as
compared with its condition now. Her
first child, a girl, was born there, and sho
was ou her way to join her liusbaud, after
a temporary separation, when the infant was
stolen from her during a long stage journey,
and she has never seen the child since,
though, as noted above, she has recently
discovered that she is alive and living in
Wisconsin, where sho is married and has
lliroo children. The auguish ot the mother
at losing her first-born child can be conceived
but not described. A long fit of
sickness followed, aud after her recovery
all possible search was made for tho missing
babe, but without success. But tlio
mother never gave up hope of hearing of
l?- ,.l;li o.,.i * ' v
..v.. vu>>v>, uuu uilvi twenty-seven years nau
elapsed her l'aith and patience have at last
becu rewarded. It seems she always suspected
a man who carried her somo fifteen
miles by private convevanco to meet the
stage, when on her way to join her husband,
>f stealing the child, with the intention of
idopting it as his own. She now knows
:hat he was the abductor. Ho gave it to
hi accomplice, who took it some fifty
miles across the border, into Pennsylvania,
[vhcrc it was placed in a family, with a
?uui of money sufficient to provide for its
vnuts for some tiuio. His evident intention
ivas to reclaim the child when he could do
;o without suspicion. Hut the time never
;amc when he dared to do it, and the little
?irl grew up as the adopted child of the
family, finally married the younger brothor
jf the master of the house, aud removed to
Wisconsiu, where the family is prosperous
aud happy. Couunuuicatiou has been established
for some months now between the
mother aud daughter, and photographs cx.l
?v, ?1 -? ?
the relationship, if any had existed before.
They propose to have a meeting soon near
the scene of their tragic parting more than
a quarter of a century ago. What a meeting
it will be !?Sjirinrjfichl (Mass.,) Union*
Silver Will Ho for Him.?A Washington
dispatch to a Chicago paper souio
time ago stated that " Treasurer Gilfillan
ins attempted to make Secretary Sherman's
plan more successful by sending a great
lumber of circulars to private individuals
is well as to banking institutions, uotifying
heui that silver in amounts of from 81,JUO
to 810,000 will be sent free to any adIrcss."
Sonic of the Western people have
jotgouc dcyond what was said in the dispatch
and grasped what was nicaut to havobeen
said. As witnes? the following extract
from a letter just received by tho trcusurcr
from an Illinois back woodsmau : "I have
iccu tho plan of Secretary Sherman, algo<
tho plan of yours. Now I am a deserving
poor man, with a large family and uo mouey
; and you say that you will send free
to any address from 81,000 to 810,000.?
I will take any amount from the lowest
figure uauicd up to the 810,000, and will
make good use of it. I thiuk if you want
to give it away, give it to the deserving
poor. I would, indeed, like to be one that
gets some of the silver dollars. So let me,
and scud as much as possible to a needy
poor man, and do a God's blessing. Enclosed
you will find the piece cut out of tho
paper. My address is," &c.
Poisonous Stockinos.?A dyer writes
to a Now York paper as follows: So much
has been said about dyed stocking poisouj
ing, which remarks have been confined entirely
to the medical profession, that a few
words from a dyer may not be out of place.
It does not appear as if any of tho gcntlomcn
linve given the matter any really practical
test in the way of chemical analysis,
simnlv r^lvinc unon mere miesK-werb Af.
I ?r f o O '9 ***"
tcr many investigations tho writer has concluded
that in the cases where bright anuiliue
shades are desired, acids (principally
sulphuric acid) are used to developo
and brighten the colors, and the
sintplo cause of so much trouble lies in tho
fact that the acids have not becu rinsed
out properly. When the stocking aro
worn, perspiration releases the acid, which
causes irritation of tho skin, and continued
wearing naturally causes tho iflamatiou
complained of. Again, if tho stockings aro
(through an economical notion of the dyer)
not properly scoured, they will crack off
and color the feet, which, without the aoid,
is perfectly harmless. In concluding, I
can add this simple cautiou: Always
wash thoni in soap and water before wearing.
This will neutralize all acids in tho
~ 1 A at-- ? ? ?
jraiu uuu icuucr 1110 ODJCCtlOCaDIC colored
stockings perfectly sat* to wear.
Man wants but little hero below; but
wouian wants most everything she sees her
neighbor have?excepting her toothbrush
and youngest baby.