Pyror, who perceived the implication that he was being dishonest as an attack on his honor, challenged Potter to a duel to “demand the satisfaction usual among gentlemen.” As late as the nineteenth century, dueling had been a common form of settling disputes of honor, but had been outlawed in many states (including Wisconsin) and Potter likewise despised the practice. Neither wishing to decline the challenge and forfeit his own honor, nor wishing to take part in what he saw as barbarism, Potter had to devise a clever solution. He decided to accept the proposed duel and, as it was customary for the challenged party to choose the weapons, he took this opportunity to make a political statement, proclaiming they would fight with bowie knives—a weapon just as barbarous as the practice of dueling—to expose the folly in settling disputes in such an inhumane manner. Pyror’s second rejected these terms calling them “vulgar, barbarous, and inhuman.” Pryor, who had fled the state to avoid arrest for dueling, also objected to Potter’s terms but still tried to continue the challenge. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for him, Potter had been arrested and briefly detained for disturbing the peace, so the feud never came to any bloodshed. The incident proved to be a humiliation to Pryor on a national scale, and it painted Potter as a northern hero for exposing the foolishness of southern bravado. Potter began to receive bowie knives in the mail from his supporters in reference to his now infamous response to Pryor, spurring the dedication of the “monster knife” to him at the convention.