Good morning,
Whitewater’s forecast calls for an increasingly cloudy day, with a high of sixty-nine degrees.
The City of Whitewater will have a Parks & Recreation Board meeting today at 5 p.m. The Irvin Young Library will begin a book sale today, running through this week.
The Wisconsin Historical Society recalls that on this day in 1860,
Wisconsin Congressman Challenged to Duel
On this date, with the threat of civil war hanging in the air, John F. Potter, a Wisconsin representative in Congress, was challenged to a duel by Virginia representative Roger Pryor. Potter, a Northern Republican, had become a target of Southerners during heated debates over slavery. After one exchange, Pryor challenged Potter to a duel and Potter, as the one challenged, specified that bowie knives be used at a distance of four feet. Pryor refused and Potter became famous in the anti-slavery movement. Two years later, when Republicans convened in Chicago, Potter was given a seven foot blade as a tribute; the knife hung with pride during all the sessions of the convention. Before his death, Potter remembered the duel and proclaimed, “I felt it was a national matter – not any private quarrel – and I was willing to make sacrifices.” [Source: Badger Saints and Sinners, by Fred L. Holmes]
