4. A Duel of 1807 (3)

The Irrevocable Step

Now comes the episode which, as we are told, caused the Jury at the ensuing trial to give the verdict of simple murder against Campbell. He ran home to his lodgings at once, to fetch his case of pistols. They were under a table in a corner of his dining-room, and when he entered to pick them up, he found his wife and his three elder children at tea. Not wishing to let Mrs. Campbell see his purpose, he accepted a cup of tea from her, and entered into conversation with his family. The lady saw that he was looking worried, and insisted on knowing what was the matter. He made some evasive answers, and finally owned that there had been an altercation at mess, the subalterns had been quarrelling, “boys would be boys”. He had drunk one cup of tea when his baby, most unluckily, started screaming in a neighbouring room. Mrs. Campbell ran off to soothe it, and the moment her back was turned the major swept up the pistol case and went off with it very quietly. He had been not more than eight or ten minutes at home.

The Jury, at his trial, as we are told, were strongly of opinion that this gap in the evening’s proceedings took away all chance of pleading sudden and unpremeditated quarrel. There had been a complete break in Campbell’s action: during the walk home and the small-talk with his wife. He had been given time to settle down, and anything that he now did must be considered deliberate. This was the same notion that sent Lord Ferrers to the gallows half a century before: in that case, too, there had been an interval between the quarrel and the fatal act. After a stormy scene with an agent accused of dishonesty, Ferrers had ridden away, and then had returned after some time and shot the unfortunate man. The Court held that no heat of altercation could be pleaded, and that there had been considered intent to murder. And similarly in this case “the cup of tea hanged the major”.

On reaching the barracks Campbell went to the room of Lieutenant Hall, the subaltern who had seen the quarrel commence, and told him that a duel was impending, and that he hoped that Hall would serve as his second, if Captain Boyd would allow seconds to be present; but he doubted it, for Boyd was “a most terrible man and in a furious humour”. The lieutenant said that he would be happy to officiate. This was all proper and reasonable according to the ideas of the day, and Hall should have been sent to find Boyd and ask him to name a friend. At the trial he asserted that he was confident that he and Boyd’s second would have settled the matter amicably.

Instead of this Campbell went himself to the mess, and asked one of the waiters to tell the captain that a gentleman wished to see him. Boyd was walking in the barrack square with another officer and a lady. On being called by the waiter he came up in a few minutes, and was much surprised to find who the gentleman was! They turned into a small side-room. Campbell began by observing that he had come without sending in his name, because he wanted to give no pretext for the insinuation that he wished to give other persons an opportunity for interfering. The remark made half an hour back, about his loud talk being likely to attract witnesses, was rankling in his mind. Boyd left this observation unnoticed, but said that he had not been expecting to be called upon till next morning, and that he had no pistols ready. He was undoubtedly in the right, according to the code of the day.

Then Campbell took the irrevocable step which made the tragedy inevitable. He replied with the taunt that, when they had parted half an hour back, Boyd had said that he would fight at a minute’s notice. He had been kept waiting too long—and here was a case of pistols from which he might make his choice. The captain was as furious at this deliberate insinuation that he had asked for an instant duel and was backing out of it, as the major had been at the idea that his shouting had been conceived as a device for calling in friends who would stop the affair. He asked Campbell whether he was wishing to conduct the meeting without seconds. The major replied with another taunt: ‘That is exactly as you please, Captain Boyd: I was never in a situation where I could not get a friend, and you, too, can readily find a friend, no doubt, if you wish for it.” 

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