Philip Hone -- 24 februari 1838

• Philip Hone (1780-1851) was een Amerikaans politicus en burgemeester van New York. Hij hield een uitgebreid dagboek bij van 1828 tot aan zijn dood in 1851.

February 24, Saturday
A dreadful affair had happened at Washington to-day, which only came to my knowledge a few minutes before I left Washington this morning. Mr. Webb, the editor of the Courier and Enquirer, was attacked with great violence in the House of Representatives by Mr. Cilley of Maine. . . . Webb was of our party to Washington, and soon after his arrival took measures, it appears, to obtain satisfaction. He applied to Mr. Curtis and Mr. Draper to bear his challenge both of whom very properly refused. He then called upon Mr. Graves of Kentucky, a very fine fellow, who has been with us almost constantly, and he unfortunately consented. He called upon Mr. Cilley, who refused to accept the challenge, on the ground that Webb was not a gentleman, and moreover, that he was not bound to account for words spoken in debate; upon which Mr Graves, according to the ridiculous code of honor which governs these gentlemen, insisted upon his fighting him, and after some negotiation it was agreed that they should fight this day. The first suspicion I had of what was going on arose from my meeting Webb in the passage at Gadsby's, about eleven o' clock when I told him I was going to take leave of Mr. Clay, who lives in the same house with Mr. Graves; on which he said that Mr. Clay, not knowing of the extra train of cars at noon, had gone to Baltimore early in the morning. I went, however, to their lodgings, inquired for Mr. Graves, and was told by a servant that he had gone to Baltimore; but on inquiry found that Mr. Clay was at home, and went to his room, where I saw and took leave of him. This circumstance, together with the mysterious appearancc of things at our lodgings, caused me to make inquiry, and I found that Graves and Cilley had gone out to fight with rifles at eighty yards' distance [ca. 73 meter], the former with Mr. Wise and the latter with Gen. Jones, of Wisconsin, as seconds; both adepts in this damnable practice, who would carry things to the utmost extremity, and who are said to have gone armed for the purpose of shooting any person who might come upon the ground to prevent this most unnatural combat. The friends of Graves, who is a gallant and amiable gentleman, who has his wife here and his children at home, are doing everything to prevent the meeting and bring about a reconciliation; and Webb is much distressed at being the cause of his engaging in this quarrel, which he had nothing to do with, and much reason I think he has. This unhappy affair has caused a gloom among our friends, and prevented the members of Congress from coming on to public dinner prepared for us in Baltimore.