I’ve learned so much from George West, founder of the Colorado Transcript. The story that follows was told by his friend, William Loveland, about one of West’s famous duels. The story was recorded by Alice Polk Hill in her book, Colorado Pioneers in Picture and Story. From this tale, we learn that the terms of a duel (weapons, time and place) are drawn up on a “cartel,” and signed by both parties. Such a useful life skill to learn.
William Loveland:
In the fall of 1859 West established a paper at Golden called The Western Mountaineer, publishing the same during the following year, when he sold out to enter the Union Army. A rough element had gathered here during the winter of ’59-’60. There were many southern sympathizers in this locality, most of them good fellows, but quite free, in the vernacular of the period, “to talk with their mouths.” Among them was a young fellow known as ‘Dick Turpin,” from Western Missouri, a rabid sesessionist, and somewhat addicted to drink. When full of ‘tangle-foot,’ he was particularly loud-mouthed and reckless. One day he mounted his horse, and pistol in hand, rode through the streets, cursing all who claimed to be ‘Yankees.’ In the next issue of The Mountaineer, West gave him some pretty serve taps for his recklessness and general cussedness, at which he took umbrage, and called at the office to demand satisfaction.
He had taken the precaution to ‘brace up’ at the liquor saloons en route, and by the time he arrived was pretty full. He demanded to know if West was the author of the attack, and, being assured with great urbanity that such was the fact, he issued a peremptory verbal challenge to mortal combat. In fact, blood seemed to be the only fluid that would satisfy him and heal his wounded honor.
Taking in the situation, West thought best to humor him in his sanguinary desires, and, after much talk, said: ‘Why Dick don’t you know that this is not the best way to get at the business? I’ll fight you, of course; but you ought to send a friend with the challenge; then I will refer him to my friend, and let them fix it up for us.’
‘Well, Cap,’ said he, ‘I’ll be dog-goned if that ain’t so. I didn’t think about the ‘forms.’
They joined in a little ‘O-be-joyful,’ to bind the bargain, when Dick departed in search of a second.
He selected Jim Watson, who was a particular friend of West’s, and who soon presented him with a challenge, properly made out. West chose George Jackson as his second, and between them they fixed up a scheme to sober Dick, a difficult matter at all times; but they concluded if he could be brought to that condition he would not care to fight any more than West did. His second found him shortly afterward fuller than the legendary goat, informed him that his challenge had been accepted, and endeavored to impress upon his mind the necessity of sobering up in order to do justice to himself in the approaching combat. He succeeded in shutting him up in his room, and refused him any more liquor.
As the effects of the liquor gradually wore off, he was informed that the challenged party had the choice of weapons, time and place of meeting, and he had chosen Bowie knives.
This suited him exactly; he said Bowie knives were his favorite instrument of death.
Finally, Watson and Jackson had West’s antagonist in a proper state of mind to receive his ultimatum.
They presented the cartel to him for his signature. It had already received West’s, and ran to this effect:
The parties were to be on the ground at sunrise on the following morning; the instruments to be Bowie knives of equal length and sharpness; the blade to be not more than eight inches long and one and one-half inches at the widest part; the combatants to be placed back to back, one on the south edge of North Table Mountain, the other on the north edge of South Table Mountain, and at the words ‘one, two, three,’ to turn and fight across the intervening gulch.
The chasm over which the fight was to take place is fully a half mile across. Dick, of course, saw the joke, the very ridiculousness of the proposal acted upon him as expected, and he declared himself satisfied, accompanied the seconds to the Mountaineer office, and compromised it over a bottle of ‘old cherry bounce.’
George West:
Yes, that was one of the duels I didn’t fight, and I assure you it was decidedly a ‘satisfaction’ affair.’
Alice Polk Hill:
I was deeply impressed with the danger of early journalism in Colorado.
Source: Colorado Pioneers in Picture and Story by Alice Polk Hill
Pete and Nancy Torpey, Golden residents and hosts of the Eyes on Success radio show/podcast, used ChatGPT to generate today's featured image, showing George West and a group of men negotiating terms in front of the Transcript office. The Golden History Museum Collection provided the baseline images.
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