University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Department of Communication
Symposium on the 19th Century Press, the Civil War, and
Free Expression
Abstract:
Frontier Editors: Typesetters and Gunfighters
Alex Nagy
Middle Tennessee State University University
Writers have paid an extraordinary amount
of attention to l9th Century frontier violence involving fur trappers, Indians,
miners, military commanders, ranchers and gunfighters. But the potential
for violence was also a fact of life for frontier editors. Some editors
never had a chance to settle their disputes with irate readers in a formal
manner; they were simply gunned down on the street or in their office. Others
fell in accordance with the code duello - meetings arranged and supervised
by seconds based on formal rules and guidelines. Others were brutally caned
or horsewhipped for words printed in their columns. There was also the Western
code duello involving semi-formal exchanges of shots, referred to as "affrays."
Under the Western code, the aggrieved party warned the person who had offended
him that he should go armed and be prepared to defend himself. As the frontier
moved westward, formal dueling gave way to more informal challenges and
felonious assaults, resorting to whatever weapon was handy.
Since editors were frequently targets for disgruntled readers,
many went armed at all times and knew how to use a pistol as well as a pen.
Even Mark Twain almost became involved in a duel while working on a newspaper
in Virginia City, Nevada. On the frontier, the Navy colt .41 and Sharps
rifle were the favorite weapons of the period, as familiar in newspaper
offices as the type case and composing stone. Others on the frontier were
attracted to Colt's Dragoon revolver, a deadly handgun weighing four pounds
which fired a .44 caliber slug that could bring down a running buffalo.
This study focuses on violence and lawlessness involving frontier editors
primarily between 1850 and l900 in Tennessee and Nevada.
Last updated: November 24, 1997
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