Two Friends in Early California

David C. Broderickand

David S. Terry

Anti-Slavery

Pro-Slavery

And Their Unfortunate Adventures

David Broderick came to California in 1847 for the Gold RushHe made lots of money minting $10 Gold coins like this:

Of course, they only contained $8 worth of gold…

Then he really made a lot of money being a California State Senator from 1850-1857, selling lucrative political nominations; enough to becomea US senator from California…

Broderick’s friend, David S. Terry, served as a California State Justice from 1855-1859. He stabbed Sterling A. Hopkins in 1856. He must have been pretty mad at him to have done that.

Not half as mad as he got when he didn’t get re-elected in 1859,and blamed Broderick for his loss. He said many vitriolic things,in public, and so did Broderic.

One thing led to another,and:

On September 13, 1859,at Lake Merced…

They were both REALLY mad!

Oops!

The two friends dueled, but since they were using Terry’s hair-triggerdueling pistols, Broderick had an accidental discharge into the ground, and Terry carefully aimed and shot him through the right lung.

Broderick died three days later.

David S. Terry was killed in 1889 by a bodyguard of United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen J. Field, said Justice whom he was assaulting at a train station in Lathrop, California, near Stockton.

Mr. Terry was really mad at him, too.

Anti-Slavery

Pro-Slavery

Sometimes thingsjust don’t work out.

Even between friends…

Stephen J. Field

This is Senator William Gwin. According to theNY Times, Oct. 10, 1859, everyone was surprised that Broderick did not have a duel with him. Gwinthought that Broderick had blocked his re-electionto the Senate. He had.

Too bad for Broderick. In Gwin’s last duel, with Congressman Joseph McCorkle, the only casualtywas an unfortunate donkey.(Wikipedia)

The same article indicated that Mr. Broderick had also dueled at leastonce before. He and Judge J. Caleb Smith fired a total of twelve shotsat each other at twelve paces,and the only hit was on Mr.Broderick’s watch. Unfortunately,part of the ball ricocheted, and struck Mr. Broderick in the groin.

Ouch!

Although the wound was not serious, I must say that I would have been dissuaded from furtherdueling activities.

Apparently, Broderick and Terry triedto have their duel the day before, onthe 12th of September, but were arrested by the San Francisco Chief ofPolice and three other officers.

The two men were released on parole, but engaged the next day

In “The fight for Slavery in California”, James McPherson speculates that the shot that killed Broderick on Sep 13, 1859might have been the first shot fired in the Civil War, and theshots that killed Terry at the railroad station in 1889,the last.

Sadly, David Broderick and David Terry were not the only two friendswho faced each other over a pair of gun sights in this dispute. ..

The End