Sierra County CA Archives History - Books .....The Kellley-Spear Duel 1882
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Book Title: Illustrated History Of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties

THE KELLEY-SPEAR DUEL.

   Dueling has in all countries had more or less humor attached to it. The
delicate sense of wounded honor unappreciated by the masses, the formal
exchanging of civilities prior to the encounter, the backwardness of the
principals and the forwardness of the seconds, the frantic effort to look calmly
into the muzzle of an opponent's loaded pistol, and the invariably bad
marksmanship of the majority who take the field, are all pregnant themes for the
exercise of wit, creating laughter for the public from time immemorial. Not that
dueling was a laughing matter always, but it was oftener so than otherwise. Two
duels have been fought in Sierra county. The Kelley-Spear affair happened some
time in the early part of 1852, and is well remembered by many of the old
residents of Downieville. John Kelley, commonly known as "Kelley the Fiddler,"
earned his living by scraping a violin. William S. Spear was one of the first
members of the Sierra county bar. Both were rollicking, good-hearted men, but
unfortunately they became enamored of the same woman; and to decide as to which
should enjoy her exclusive favor, and which should furnish a job for the
undertaker, a meeting was arranged for by the intervention of the friends of
each. Joseph McKibben, afterwards member of congress from the third district,
acted as second for Spear, but the other parties who officiated are unknown to
the writer. The place selected for the bloody work was on Smith's flat, since
known as Sportsman's flat, a mile above Downieville. The woman who was at the
bottom of the trouble took a position across the river on the side of the hill.
She wept violently at the prospect of losing one or both of her lovers, and,
like the biblical Rachael, "refused to be comforted." The matter was no secret
to the public, and a large crowd assembled to witness the spilling of blood. At
the appointed signal both fired, neither receiving a scratch. The conditions
were that they should continue shooting until one was disabled or called for a
cessation of hostilities. Spear immediately recocked his weapon, and took a
deliberate aim at his adversary. But Kelley was in hot water; the hammer of his
pistol refused to be raised, some of the mechanism having become disarranged,
and he felt that his hour was drawing nigh. He tugged and pulled without
success, all the time Spear getting his aim down to an exact certainty, and
being in no hurry to shoot until he had a Dr.-Carver bead on his victim. The
situation was critical. Kelley turned red and pale by turns; then with an angry,
quick movement, he threw his pistol at Spear with all his might. The suspense
was over; the crowd breathed freer, for Spear had dropped his weapon and fled.
The spectators started at once in pursuit, and caught the frightened duelist,
brought him back to Kelley, and made the parties clasp hands across the
bloodless chasm. It is said that the seconds, fearing an accident might occur,
had prudently withdrawn the bullets before going on the ground, which is
probably the reason that Kelley's pistol was the most dangerous of the two.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Illustrated History of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties

San Francisco: Fariss & Smith
(1882)

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/sierra/history/1882/illustra/kellleys295ms.txt

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