Garland City Globe | 1919-08-30 | Page 13 | Duel Indefinitely Put Off

DUEL INDEFINITELY PUT OFF How Wisconsin Congressman Turned Challenge to Deadly Combat Into Matter of Ridicule. Tho story of the Pottcr-Pryor duel, tho famous challenge of Civil war times whereby n Wisconsin congressman congress-man by ridicule put dueling In disrepute, disre-pute, recalled by the death of one of the participants, Is' told In Interesting style In the Juno number of the Wis-cousin Wis-cousin Mnga.liie of History, quarterly publication of the State Hlstorlcul society. so-ciety. Itoger A, Pryor, the Virginia core I gressnuui who figured In the episode, ! died n few months ago In New York city. It was ho upon whom John Fox Potter of Kast Trrty, Walworth county, then representative of the First Congressional Con-gressional district of Wisconsin, during dur-ing April, 1800, brought nation-wide I rldlculo In answer to a challenge to 11 duel. Congressman Potter offered to light with bowlo knives at a distance of four feet, but Pryor'refiised because they wero "so demnltlnn vulgar." Most of Mr. Potter's bowle knives, Including the ono he purchnsed for ' thu duel nnd others sent lo him ufter tho iifTnlr, nro now on exhibit In the ( State Historical museum, Madison. 1