Comments on: Early American humor, courtesy of Henderson’s 1812 Almanack for North Carolina

By: Lew Powell

Lew Powell — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:44:03 +0000

When John Randolph encountered Henry Clay on a narrow Washington sidewalk, Randolph supposedly said, “Sir, I do not step aside for a scoundrel.” Clay, however, did step aside, replying, “On the other hand, I always do.”
Don’t have a date on this episode, but Secretary of State Clay and Randolph, senator from Virginia, went through the motions of a duel in 1826.
True or apocryphal? Who knows? How did the exchange become public knowledge?
And then there’s this twist: More than once, the story is written with Randolph as the one stepping aside.

By: John Blythe

John Blythe — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:34:50 +0000

Kevin,
Yes, indeed. You are correct. I had never seen the word spelled that way, so I had to look it up when I came across it.

John

By: Kevin Cherry

Kevin Cherry — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:17:07 +0000

I think blackgaurd is pronounced “blaggard,” right?