Kibble Johnson Harrison
Captain of the 5th U.S. Volunteers in the Spanish-American War
Notes:
• "The Kibble J. Harrison Incident Within one year of the chapter's founding, a disagreement arose between two members of Sigma Chi and Delta Kappa Epsilon. On February 28, 1877, two students, Kibble J. Harrison (ΣΧ) and William W. Alston (ΔKE), walked to opposite ends of the second story veranda of Woods Hall to settle their dispute. The previous day, Alston had publically questioned the integrity of Harrison's younger cousin, an act that forced Harrison to defend her honor. Even though dueling had been outlawed by the Alabama legislature in 1819, Harrison challenged Alston to a duel to settle the matter, and Alston accepted the challenge so that he would not gain the reputation of being a coward. As the two students reached the end of the Woods Hall veranda, Harrison drew his pistol and fired one shot. Alston returned the shot but then slumped over the veranda banister and fell to the ground of the quadrangle below, where he lay dead. Harrison was promptly brought to trial for the murder of Alston, but he was acquitted by a jury of his peers. It is interesting to note that historically, the Harrison-Alston duel may be one of the last publicized duels that actually resulted in a fatality in the post-antebellum South." - University of Alabama, Sigma Chi, Iota Iota Chapter
Related Links:
| Born: | September 23, 1857 |
| Died: | September 23, 1915 |
| Buried: | Maple Hill Cemetery, Huntsville, AL |
Notes:
• "The Kibble J. Harrison Incident Within one year of the chapter's founding, a disagreement arose between two members of Sigma Chi and Delta Kappa Epsilon. On February 28, 1877, two students, Kibble J. Harrison (ΣΧ) and William W. Alston (ΔKE), walked to opposite ends of the second story veranda of Woods Hall to settle their dispute. The previous day, Alston had publically questioned the integrity of Harrison's younger cousin, an act that forced Harrison to defend her honor. Even though dueling had been outlawed by the Alabama legislature in 1819, Harrison challenged Alston to a duel to settle the matter, and Alston accepted the challenge so that he would not gain the reputation of being a coward. As the two students reached the end of the Woods Hall veranda, Harrison drew his pistol and fired one shot. Alston returned the shot but then slumped over the veranda banister and fell to the ground of the quadrangle below, where he lay dead. Harrison was promptly brought to trial for the murder of Alston, but he was acquitted by a jury of his peers. It is interesting to note that historically, the Harrison-Alston duel may be one of the last publicized duels that actually resulted in a fatality in the post-antebellum South." - University of Alabama, Sigma Chi, Iota Iota Chapter
Related Links:
• Flickr: Grave - Photo of grave
• Flickr: Stroll - Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll
• University of Alabama, Sigma Chi, Iota Iota Chapter - Story of duel at Auburn (Originally found at http://bamasig.org/s/index.cfm?SSID=4.)