A meeting took place in one of the Kilburn fields, adjoining the New North-road, St. John’s Wood, between Mr. Antonio Garbonia and Mr. Nicholas Kechoff. On the first fire Mr. Garbonia received his antagonist’s ball in his left groin, and fell. Mr. Kechoff advanced to the wounded man, shook hands with him, and immediately quitted the ground with his friends. The cause of the meeting arose from disputed betting at a billiard-table.
BETWEEN THE EARL OF CARDIGAN AND CAPTAIN HARVEY GARNETT PHIPPS TUCKETT.
September 12, 1840.
In consequence of the Earl of Cardigan having ascertained, that certain letters which had recently been published in the Morning Chronicle, reflecting, as his lordship considered, on his character as an officer and a gentleman, were written by Lieutenant Tuckett, late of the 11th regiment of Dragoons, of which his lordship is Lieutenant-Colonel, the noble Lord sent him, through Captain Douglas, a challenge. This was accepted, and Captain Wainwright, of the Half-pay, was selected by him to arrange the preliminaries. An apology was demanded by the noble Earl; to which the reply was, that if he would deny the allegations contained in the letters referred to, it should be given. Lord Cardigan declared that certain portions were true; but that the greater part were calumnies. On this the apology was refused, and a meeting was the consequence.
It took place on the afternoon of Saturday, the 12th of September, on Wimbledon Common. The first shot was ineffectual on both sides: on the second, Mr. Tuckett received his adversary’s ball in the back part of the lower ribs, which traversed round to the spine. As Lord Cardigan and his second were moving off after the duel, they were taken into custody, but liberated on bail being given to the police for their appearance before the magistrates at Wandsworth on Monday: when Sir James Anderson deposed, that, after the removal of Mr. Tuckett to his house, he made an examination, and found that a pistol bullet had entered on the upper part of his right hip-bone, slightly shattering it, had passed transversely, and come out over the spine of the back-bone. He said he had visited the patient again on Sunday, and saw no symptoms of present danger. The magistrates decided, that, as the case was one of a serious nature, they could not be contented with ordinary recognizances, but should order the Earl of Cardigan to enter into his own recognizance in the sum of a thousand pounds, and Captain Douglas in the sum of five hundred, to ensure their reappearance before that bench on Monday, the 28th.
The following statement of this affair was published by Lord Cardigan:—“Lord Cardigan having been informed, upon good authority, that the editor of the Morning Chronicle, upon application being made to him for the name of the writer of a letter dated the 3rd of September 1840, signed ‘An Old Soldier,’ which appeared in that paper of the 4th of September, had stated it to come from Mr. Harvey Tuckett, Captain Douglas, at the request of Lord Cardigan, waited upon Mr. Tuckett, on the 11th instant, to demand satisfaction. Mr. Tuckett acknowledged himself the author, and requested time to go into the country, to consult Captain Wainwright as his friend. On Saturday, the 12th instant, Captain Douglas met Captain Wainwright, when the latter solicited in writing the grounds upon which Lord Cardigan demanded satisfaction of his friend Mr. Tuckett. Captain Douglas delivered, about half-past two, P.M., the following statement, viz.—
“‘Lord Cardigan yesterday authorised Captain Douglas to require of Mr. Tuckett to afford him satisfaction, in consequence of a letter, of which Mr. Tuckett has avowed himself the author, and which appeared in the Morning Chronicle of the 4th instant, signed ‘An Old Soldier;’ many parts of which contained matter entirely false, and the whole of which was slanderous, insulting, and calumnious.
“‘Cardigan.’”
“London, September 12”
September 28.
Lord Cardigan, his second, and the second of Lieutenant Tuckett, were brought before the bench of magistrates at Wandsworth, and were all committed to take their trial at the ensuing sessions of the Central Criminal Court. The charge, as against the noble Lord, was for “shooting with a pistol at Lieutenant Harvey Tuckett, with intent to murder or do him some bodily harm;” and, as against Captain Douglas and Captain Wainwright, for aiding and abetting, in the character of seconds. Lord Cardigan was admitted to bail on his own recognizance of 2000l., and two sureties of 1000l. each; and the two other prisoners were required severally to give bail in the sum of 500l., and two sureties in 250l. each. The parties were then bound over to appear and prosecute the prisoners at the ensuing sessions.