558

Sacramento,CA - Denver Letters Collection on the Presidency and a Duel :

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 500.00 USD
Sacramento,CA - Denver Letters Collection on the Presidency and a Duel :
Lot of 4 letters (3 with covers included) and an article from the Denver Republican, dated 1884. Two of the letters are signed by George Bates, an attorney friend in Colorado, who supports Denver for President. A third letter, signed by Wm. Terrell and refers to the Denver-Gilbert duel in Sacramento in 1852 in which James W. Denver killed Edward Gilbert. The newspaper article, dated October 3, 1884 refers to and describes the same incident. The 4th letter, also from Terrell, offers to lend support to Denver at any time, should it be necessary "for your vindication." Denver served as Secretary of the State of California under Gov. Bigler between 1853-1855. He was pro-Union and anti-slavery in his political stance. In June of 1852 he shot and killed young Gilbert, a newspaper editor and member of Congress from California, for his outrageous attack on Bigler in the Alta Californian. Gilbert, of the pro-slavery group, sent a challenge. Denver accepted. The duel was with rifles at 30 paces on a race course at Sacramento at sunrise. The story goes that Gilbert fired and missed, and then Denver shot at the ground 15 feet in front of Gilbert, put on his coat to leave, satisfied that that settled the "demands of code." Denver then said he was going home but Gilbert called him back, and demanded another shot. Denver said, "I am forced into this fight by men who are using Gilbert . . . in the hope of killing me. I must protect myself." This was the same crew that supported Judge Terry when he murdered Free Soiler David C. Broderick, Denver's close friend.