ifornia in 1854. Politics was the trouble; London was killed. T. W. Park and M. C. Brazer, both members of the fighting legislature, escaped an encounter unharmed. Washington wounded Washburn badly; both were editors; there were good writers and good fighters in California about this time.
This time a woman was at the bottom of it, and the combatants were Frenchmen, Ellseler and Dubert by name. The compact was that they should fight with broadswords until one or both were dead or disabled. Both were skilled in the use of the weapon; and as desirable, French-speaking women were not plentiful in California in those da}s, the battle promised blood. Eight minutes of scientific gyrations resulted in a severe cut in Ellseler's sword-arm. It was now proposed to terminate the afikir; but how should they divide the woman between them ? Fight it out when the wound was healed ? No; women were too uncertain. So at it they went again, hotter than ever, and in twenty minutes more Ellseler's sword was sheathed in Dubert's body. This was the 6th of June ; Dubert died next morning.
The 2 2d of September Rasey Biven of Stockton, and H. P. Dorsey of Los Angeles, met near Oakland. The seconds of Dorsey were Governor jMcDougal and Mr Watson. Sur12feon, C. M. Hitchcock. Seconds of Biven, Senator Crabb and Mr Bandolph. Surgeon, Briarly. Weapons, duelling pistols. Distance, ten paces. Word was given by Biven's friends. At the first fire Dorsey was wounded in the abdomen and Biven in the wrist.
The duellistic event of this year, 1854, was the planting in the heart of Devereaux J. Woodlief, a ball by Achilles Kewen, on a wheel and fire, with rifles at forty paces. It was a splendid shot, one of which Achilles might well be proud. It is something to tell one's children; right through the heart and at forty paces, wheel and fire. My dear children, I hope you will all learn to shoot—to wheel and shoot right
