Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 February 1883 — HON HORACE HEFFREN. [ARTICLE]

HON HORACE HEFFREN.

Mobs Remimibcejnces CoKCßssrisa His Cabee*. All About thi Famous Heffbeh- * Moody Duel ox i»81. . , It seems that in the regular session of. the Legislature O 1861, Alt, Hetiren, in tbe course of a heated political debate, Severny denoui ced and finally stigmatised as a coward one Gideon C. Moody, then representing Jasper aud Pulaski counties’, afterward a Colonel in the Ninth luuiaua Moody, a small man in stature aud light in weight, knowing his physical inability to cope with an antagonist who tipped the beam at nearly 200 pouuds, in a personal encounter, yet smarting under the insult, challenged Hetiren to fight a duel. The challenge.was accepted, and seconds being cho-en (Moody calling upon his friend Hubert H. Milroy, then practicing law at Rensselaer, to act in the capacity for him) the party set. out on bora'-back lor Kentucky, followed by a squad of reporters, who, ju turn, as they neared the Elate line, were followed by an increasing crowd of curious countrymen anxious to w itness the bloody-affray. Safely on the Keutucky side, fleffren, when calb-d upon to make choice of weapons—being the challenged parly —instead oi choosing pistole, aud to tbe astonishment ot Moody’s second, chose rifles weighing thirty pounds. Aware of the disadvantages under which Moody would labor iu attempting to fight .with such weapons, Milroy promptly refused to agree to their u-c, and demanded that Hetiren make a further selection. Alter some delay Heffren’a second »epo; ted that, he was willing to fight with broadsword s! Here again, because of the disparity iu size of the two principals, the oiler was promptly rejected. Hefiren refused to make a choice of auy other weapon, which so enraged Milroy that he sent a message back to Heffrcn, by his second, telling him that he was a miserable coward, and that he (Milroy) would lake Moody’s place now and tight him (Heffreu) with either broadswords or thirtypeund rifles, or even bowie-knives, if he chose. Milroy, in size and physical strength, was the equal of Heffren, hence that gentleman very wisely refused the offer, saying that he had no quarrel with Milroy, and left for InJiaua without fighting a duel, much to the disgust of the zealous reporters and excited countrymen.—Delphi Journal.

The above is given in extenso as a sample of Republic&u jeurualism of these tunes. A more bare-faced tissue ot falsehoods could not be put in print. All the letters that passed between tbe seconds in this affair were published at the time in Cincinnati and Indianapolis newspapers, and they present u history of the case entirely at variance with the statements of the Delphi Journal. The facts as gathered Irom the correspondence of the ‘‘seconds,” and of some gentlemen who were personaliv cognizant of all that transpired, are simpij these: When Mr. ileffren received a note from Moody asking where, outside ot the -state, a further communication would reach him, be handed it to hi i next fnqnd and forthwith took a train for Cincinnati. Mr. Moody was in due time informed that Mr. Heflren would be pleased to receive a lurther communication from him at the Buruatt House Is tho city above mentioned. Oa the following day, which was Saturday, the expected challenge came and was promptly accepted. The weapohs selected by Mr. Heflren were rides, the place a well-known valley about eight miles southeast of Covington, in Kentucky, and the time the following Monday morning at sun-rise. It then became the duty of Mr. Heffren’s second to produce the guns, from which Mr. Moody should choose the one that best pleased his fancy. The rides presented weighed fourteen pounds each, but Judge Milroy, on behalf of Mr. Moody, peremptorily refused to accept either ot the weapons on their weight. Two twelve pound rifles were then supplied, of same make and caliber as the heavier guns, with offer to Moody that he should select one of the four, leaving Mr. Heflren to choose from the three that would remain. 'This offer was refused because as is alleged, the heavier] gun which Mr. Heflren would select mignt carry a bullet (sixty yards) more steadily than the lighter rifle which woulu be selected by Moody. These concessions on the part of Mr. Heflren were all in violation ol the rules of the “code,” but he was dctelmined that Moody should be accommodated; so he agreed that Mr. Moody should take one of the light rifles and he would take the other. To the utter astonishment of Mr. Heflren and his friends, an answer then came back that Mr. Moodv would not accept any of the terms offered by Mr. Heflren, but that HeffreD must take one of the light rifles offered and that Mr. Moody would use a gun of his own, which turned out to bo a sort of a hybrid between a shotgun and a rifle, with aj caliber that would accommodate a ball weighing over an ounce. It was at this point, that Mr. Helfreu’s second advised hini to publish Moody as a coward and return to Indianapolis. Judge Milroy spoke privately to Mr. Heflren’a second about taking th# light upon himself, but he made no formal proposition to do so. Air. Heffren was unwilling that Moody should have even so slight a pretext for getting out of a fight which he bad challenged. An answer was therefore dispatched to Mr. Moody that he would be at liberty to make use of his own gun and that Mr, Heflren would accept the rifle selected for him by Mr. Moody.

The Monday morning came, with rain and thunder and lightning, and the Kentucky clay was half way up to the horses’ knees; but the carriage containing the Heffren V-arty arrived upon the ground selected for the combat at the appointed time and impatientiy waited until alter 9 o’clock for Moody and his friends. — Final 1 v the latter party arrived, Mr. Moody looking as if he had just arisen lrem an attack of typhoid fever. h e was accompanied by General Fitch and Major Terrell, the latter of whom informed Mr. Heffren’s second that to force Moody to fight would be nothing but murder, and begged that he be "let down’ as easily as possibie. Accordingly a letter was dictated lor Moody by Mr. Heffren's second, in which Moody retracted the offensive language which had provoked Mr. neffren’s retort, upon winch Mr. Hcffreu’s retort fell to the ground, whereupon Moody withdrew his challenge. Those who were of Mr. Heffren’s party, and especially his second m the affair, most positively assert that he (Heffren) was ready and more than willing to flghtfrom first to last, and came home deeply chagrined that the as fair had to end in a fiasco. —Indianapolis yentinel. v v >