I recently received a request from the chamber of commerce in Little Rock that the organization where I work schedule another conference in their town. I doubt that we’ll plan on that anytime soon, but I have memories from 2019 of stories from Little Rock that have the makings of a bad dream.
On either side of the mezzanine and balcony at the historic Capitol Hotel [built in 1872] in downtown Little Rock, there are two stately rooms sharing the same name: “Brooks and Baxter”. So what was that about? Initially, I didn’t know enough to ask the question. Later as I stood in front of the Old State House Museum in Little Rock (the previous Capitol building of Arkansas), the name Brooks and Baxter was shared with me by a colleague. I immediately wondered if the name was associated to a law firm?
I don’t always get it right. “Wrong answer – no cigar” so to speak. I noticed the cannon to my left perched on the large, manicured lawn. At the time, I didn’t know that the cannon was endearingly referred to as Lady Baxter.
That being said, the man providing the dialogue referenced the name of the rooms we had seen earlier at the Capitol Hotel and said: “Brooks and Baxter had a duel in the Old State House”. It was a stupid question on my part, but I asked: “Did they both walk away?” Duh! Obviously not! At least one of the guys was a better shot than the other. Only one of the two guys walked away or so I’m told.
We looked at other places in downtown and as we made our way back in the direction from which we came, I stopped in front of the Old State House to take a picture. The colleague who had shared the information regarding the duel, said: “We can go inside if you like. It doesn’t cost anything.” Immediately, I had the thought: “I met this guy yesterday and already he has pegged me as being cheap”. I guess you could say: “It is what it is?”
In some respects, I’m a history buff. Even more importantly, there is nothing I like better than a good story. With that thought in mind, I walked inside the building. It only took a moment, but it became clear instantly that no one has the knack of sharing stories like one of the staff personnel in the Old State Museum. When she asked if she could help, I said I was curious: “Did a duel really take place in the Old State House?” Her response surprised me: “Oh, there’s been more than one”.
From the look on my face, she could tell that I was shocked. Georgia may be known for the sound of dueling banjos, but a duel at the Capitol building in Arkansas has to garner more notoriety than a shoot-out at the O.K. Corral in Arizona or anything associated to the sound of dueling banjos.
I guess, back in the day, if a gentleman took offense, one of the two parties could be dead wrong. The staff person at the Old State Museum said:“I can tell you about the most frequently talked about duel”. Intuitively, I knew it had to be Brooks and Baxter. I was wrong again – no cigar. Reportedly, the duel didn’t include pistols.
Though I would never have guessed the forum for conflict resolution, the Speaker of the House Colonel John Wilson and Representative Major Joseph Anthony Arkansas chose to whittle out a resolution to their conflict by using knives. The act of savagery took place on December 4, 1837.
Actually, it really wasn’t a duel. Representative Anthony was viciously attacked.
His response was an attempt to defend himself after being stabbed by the Speaker of the House over a disagreement concerning surplus tax on wolf pelts. Representative Anthony was holding his own until someone tossed a chair between the two in an attempt to stop the brawl. Representative Anthony tripped and fell over the chair.
Long story short, the Speaker of the House was expelled from office and subsequently tried for murder. Disturbingly, no action was taken against Colonel Wilson for three days until a family member of Representative Anthony complained. Colonel Wilson had a host of friends and supporters who showed up and took his side in the issue. At his murder trial, the jury rendered a verdict of “guilty of excusable homicide.”
The truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.
All My Best!
Don
Carpe Diem 