| Show duel averted by strategy col george W veale of Topeka Uhe well known kansas politician had a narrow escape from a duel one time says the kansas city journal V J lane the veteran democratic editor of wyandotte and one of the few sur livors of tha W mandotte constitutional convention tells the atory it was in 1809 he says when col veale was living at quindaro that a long tall col R smith chal ledged him to fight a duel veale had been one of the leading spirits at a meeting which passed some resola eions which were rather derogatory to the character of col smith and the mississippian wanted vengeance he wanted vengeance because he thought veale wouldn t fight under any cir cum stances so he sent mm a chal lenge to fight a duel veale was scared almost to death when he received the challenge and he at once sent for some of his cronies to ask their advice in the matter I 1 was one of the number consulted and we advised him to accept by all means we told him had every addan tage and he should accept the chal lenge and demand that he be allowed the privilege of selecting the time place and weapons to be used the mississippian promptly sent back work that any arrangements veale might make would be tory and he at once called his friends to arrange for the fight veale at our direction named pistols as the deap ons to be used the mississippian told us he had never used a pistol and he wanted to practice this just suited us and we told him we would arrange tor target practice in an old barn which we did there was a small crowd of us went down to the target practice and col smith said now gentlemen you do the loading and I 1 will do the shooting the mark was fixed in place and col smith began shooting but he could not hit anything he could not even find the mark of the bullet any place on the barn he finally got frightened and declared he never would stand that sort of a thing and he left the barn the most nervous man ou ever saw that night he digap feared and the duel dian didn t come off it hight have been different it the mis had discovered that in load ing his pistol for that target practice we always carefully omitted to put a ball in the load |
