Salt Lake Herald / April 11, 1880
About 10 o'clock Friday morning a rumor was afloat in town that a duel had taken place between two officers, and it gained credence when doctors were summoned to Fort Douglas. It finally came out that Capt. C. B. Weston and Dr. LeCompte had engaged in a shooting scrape that morning, but the particulars could not definitely learned, as those in a position to know anything about the transaction are unwilling to communicate it.
It is, however, known that about 9 o'clock yesterday morning, immediately after muster, Capt. C. B. Weston and Dr. LeCompte met in front of the officers' quarters and began firing at each other. It is generally believed that Weston fired first, getting in two shots at LeCompte, but it appears that the participants themselves are unable to tell who began the work. LeCompte, however, returned the fire, the first shot striking Weston in the left shoulder, breaking the bone and disabling the arm. Weston then turned round and LeCompte fired again, the ball striking near the side, opposite the loin and close to the spine, inflicting a flesh wound.
The story has it that Weston then fell, and made an effort to bring his pistol into play again, when LeCompte stepped over him and told Weston that if he did not leave his pistol alone he would be killed outright. Weston desisted and was carried off. The shot fired by Weston scored LeCompte's little finger on the left hand, passed through his cuff, scored him on the under side of his arm just below the elbow, passed up, grazed his left side, and having spent its force dropped into his left boot. This was the only injury sustained by LeCompte.
Dr. Hamilton examined Weston's wounds, and found it necessary to perform an operation, which he did, opening the shoulder and cutting out about four inches of the bone below the shoulder. Both are moderately young men, never married. Weston was recently promoted, and is the junior Captain of his regiment. LeCompte is Assistant Surgeon of the regiment, but it is said is not listed, which would make him amenable to civil authority, while Weston will be held to account by the military.
