A WONDERFUL STORY.

Western Star, Issue 377, 4 September 1880, Page 2 (Supplement)

A WONDERFUL STORY.

A Death-Dealing Pistol—Number of Persons Killed by It:

I was standing a few evenings ago on the corner of Lamar and Jackson streets, in this, little city, looking vaguely towards the setting suri, and " chinking" two Mexican dollars in my hand, when an acquaintance approached and .remarked:-

"See, here, Jones, is something with a .history—a thing which you may have heard before, and he placed in my hands what thirty years ago s was jthe most noted weapon in all Georgia—a long, rifled, double-sighted duelling pistol. The weapon was single jbarrelled, with cock under, not above: no ,guard to protect the triggers, one of which ■drew the' cock back, and the other threw it. iTJpon the market at' this day of modern improvement the article would have fetched, perhaps, 1.50d01. but half a century ago the pair, of which this was the survivor, had sold in London for £25. But let me .tell its history as my friend told it to me : This, you see, has the name of A. Prevot, London, on the barrel, and was purchased, with its fellow, fifty years ago from that manufacturer by one Sir Hugh Cadwalader as the best duelling brace ever manufactured in London. See how fine the steel, how perfect the rifle grooves and yet how simply the thing is gottenjup. Cadwalader, soon after the purchase, had occasion to use them,, and did, with effect. A lieutenant in the army insulted him at a banquet one evening, and the Baronet threw a glass of wine in his face. A challenge followed, and Sir Hugh, being anxious to try his new purchase, chose pistols. They met at sunrise the next day,, and the lieutenant fell, pierced through the heart by a bullet from this weapon. Sir Hugh soon after came to this country, and ir. a difficulty with a Scottish gentleman in Charleston, S.C., used the pistol with fatal effect. Sir Hugh afterwards gave the brace to his second in the last-named encounter, a young South Carolinian by the name of Alston, an . ancestor of the Colonel Alston killed last year in Atlanta. It was not long before Alston had occasion to use them. While in Augusta, Ga., a wealthy young man of that place made some disreputable remark about Alston's political party. A quarrel ensued, and a meeting was the consequence. Alston was desperately wounded, but with his pistol he killed his adversary. We next hear of these twin death-angels in Florida, where Alston carried them. ±le had removed to Texas, but had a brother in Florida who was killed by General Reade, a rising young politician of that State. ; On learning of the homicide Alston set out for the scene with his trusty brace to avenge his brother's blood. He arrived at night and found Reade at a banquet. • Disguising himself he gained admittance and "made at" Reade with a hugh knife. Reade rose and hurled his chair at the intruder. In the melee that occurred Alston dropped his pistol, and quick as thought Reade seized it and fired straight at Alston's head. The latter threw up his hand toward off the pistol, and the combatants were separated, the pistol restored to its owner, and he taken away. A few days later, as Reade was walking the street with a friend, he was suddenly confronted by the insatiable Alston, who

poured a load of shot into the Not satisfied, Alston then drew his pistol, and, advancing to where Eeade lay, placed the muzzle to his temple and pulled the trigger. The next moment the brains of the most brilliant young man that ever lived in the State were scattered over the sidewalk. Alston outdid the authorities, and left for Texas scot free. Soon. after his return to that State he met an enemy, a Doctor Stewart by name, alone on the prairie, and, after a desperate encounter, killed him with one or the other of this brace. Report seems to favor the idea that it was this one. This ended Alston's career, for he was taken from jail by a mob of Stewart's friends and hanged, and the pair of pistols were captured by one of the mob, who soon after killed his brother-in-law with one of them for calling him a horse thief.

A semi-bandit, knowing something of the history of the pistols, bought them for 15dol, and during the next five years killed no less than four men with them. He was taken by vigilantes and hanged. The pistols then went to a pard of his, and this worthy kept them several years without it being positively known that he used them to take life. Finally he died at the end of a rope for stealing another rope that had a horse attached to its other end, and the pistols descended to his son, who, leading a wild, reckless life, migrated to the East and located in Alabama. It was not long before he saw in his town a stranger with a considerable sum of money, and the old Murrell taint in his blood prompted him to make an effort to get it. Watching the movemenns of his prey, he soon found out that the stranger was a Georgian by the name of Brady, and would leave for home that afternoon.

The same evening, as the shades of night grew dense, the innocent Brady, pursuing his lonely way, heard the thunder of hoofs behind him. The country was wild and desolate, and the rapidity of the hoof-beats warned him that there was a reckless rider in the rear. He now regretted the exposure of • his money in the village, and just had time to open his saddle-bags and get hold of an old "pepper-box" revolver. On came the horseman and bounded into view; a second imore and he was alongside; another second iand he had with one hand seized Brady's j reins, while with the other he levelled one of ! these pistols at the head of his victim. ! Quick as thought Brady presented his old 'pistol and fired. The robber's horse—the finest specimen of horse-flesh, Brady said, he lever saw—wheeled and the rider lost his (balance and fell to the ground in a heap. JNbw was Brady's opportunity, and stooping !low, he took deliberate aim and fired, and ithen'using his spurs, sped ten miles distant jto the nearest farm house, to the inmates of j which he told his story. The host and his (sons returned with him to the spot, where I they found the robber dead and the pistols by •his side.

! Brady brought the pistols to Georgia, and [soon afterwards got into a difficulty with two jmen of prominence in one of the middle counties-, named respectively Allen and Whitsett. (The difficulty occurred at the Court-house, and .: Allen attempted to hold Brady while Whit- ! sett flogged him with a cane. Brady, who is ! a small man, got the use of his left hand, and ; drawing one of his brace, fired it full in the | face of Allen, who, you may judge, released jhim instanter. Whitsett then ran. Brady | wiped the blood from his eyes (he was j severely punished about the head and face iby Whitsett's stick,) and, having his back I against the wall of the building, with the ! other,pistol ; took long and deliberate aim at his would-be murderer as he ran. Those who witnessed the scene say that it was thrilling ;in the extreme. . Fifty pair of eyes where watching the muzzle of the pistol, and the seconds seemed like hours. Whitsett ran for l his life, going directly away from his antago- ; nist, who trained his deadly weapon long and carefully upon the running man. Just as everybody began to believe that < Whitsett was beyond the reach of the deadly : missile, a short, whip-like report rang out, ; there was a puff of white smoke, and the I doomed man turned a complete somersault, 1 and ere his body was StfS- his_soul had flown. Brady, with the pistols, went" to Texas and remained there four years, at the expiration of which time he came back, the brace still being in his possession. Some time after his return he got on a spree, and a sister, fearing that he might do violence, took the absent pistol and threw it in an old well, where it has lain ever since, and where this one would ;be had the drunken man not secreted it when he saw his sister's design. Brady married, reformed his ways, and for 25 years the great Cadwalader quelling pistol lay and rusted in a drawer until a pilfering negro stole it; and for four years its whereabouts was unknown. Look at the notches cut in. the butt —see, 11! Every one of them represents a life taken ! Strange that every man that ever owned it should come to a violent death but the last, and he yet to hear from. — Georgia Gorr. Philadelphia Inquirer.