through the heart. A misunderstanding concerning a poHtical matter was the cause of the trouble.
Early in 1856, a committee of the legislature investigated the management of the State Insane Asylum under Dr E,. K. Reid, whose place had been made vacant by Governor Johnson, in order that it might be filled by Dr Samuel Langdon, a gentleman from North Carolina. Dr Washington M. Ryer, a native of New York, and an experienced and skilful surgeon and physician, testified regarding the comparative care of the insane patients under Dr Reid and his successor, Dr Langdon. His testimony was decidedly favorable to the tormer,and anything but complimentary to the latter. This was an indignity upon Langdon, so his southern friends were pleased to construe it, and a plan w^as devised to get rid of Dr Ryer. One night, about three weeks after the investigation, Ryer was struck from behind, on the arm, by a pistol. He turned about, and saw Dr Langdon and Dr Hunter, each with a pistol in hand ; he was himself unarmed. " Which of you gentlemen desires to insult me ? " he asked. Hunter replied, " Dr Langdon." Ryer calmly said: "Dr Langdon, to-morrow I will hunt you." But Lanojdon's business took him out of town for several days, and Ryer was not able to find him. Samuel A. Booker, Esq., a Virginia gentleman, advised Ryer not to follow Langdon up; that he would be taken at a disadvantage, and allow^ed no show for his life, and counselled him to settle the matter by the code. A challenge was duly sent and accepted. The weapons selected by the challenged party, who was familiar with all the devices of the art duello, were a brace of pistols owned by Dr Aylett.* When asked by Colonel O'Neill, Langdon's principal second, to choose one of them, Mr Booker, Ryer's principal second, chose one and discreetly kept it until the meeting
- If these pistols were subsequently used in a celebrated duel in California, this may account somewhat for the result to one of the principals, who was not auj'ait in their use.
