On September 5, 1802, political rivals John Stanly and Richard Dobbs Spaight, both armed with smooth-bore flintlock pistols, took deliberate aim at each other and fired. It was 5:30 p.m., and the pair were positioned behind the Masonic Lodge in New Bern. Approximately 300 spectators crowded around. On the fourth discharge, Spaight fell, having been struck by the bullet in his side. He died the next day.
Courtesy of This Day in North Carolina History