Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-08-13

With one stride he stood beside the Frenchman
then grasping his moustache with one hand and
his chin with the other, he wrenched his mouth
open and spat down his throat.
"Should Monsieur deem fit, he said, in calm
quiet voice, ''to honor me with o call, there Is
my card" So saying he left the cafe. Needless
to add, that his invitation was not accepted
Ducroc never challenged; the choice OF weapons
was essential to his safety.
Similar stories are common and well auther-
ticated If they prove anything, it is that the
English of challenge is;-"You have wronged
therefore kill men
For the private duel-growing ont OF ssme
fancied affront to personal honor, based on no
more solid ground than the mere ostentatious
proffer of life for life, and naturally tending to
homicide-it appears impossible to frame any
decent excuse Ireland is the country, and some
sixty or seventy years ago the period at which
this class of duels have hourished the most
luyuriantly.
Sir Jonah Darlington, the historian of these
Irish duels, figured in one or two OF the most
ludiorous. His first meeting was with known
fire-eater named DAILY, who challenged him by
mistake Young Darlington placed the matter
in the hands of "a friend, fre-eater likewise, and
avowed that he was wholly unconscious of hav-
ing offended Mr.. DAILY. Ills friend, Mr. Crosby,
would not hear of any explanation; 1t was MS
first challenge and he must fight. SO they Went
to the field When they arrived there, pays
friend stepped forward and begged to apologize
for having given them SO much trouole-hls 5
principal, he said, had mistaken the man. 4: But
Crosby appealing to the printed code OF dueillhs
produced the rule which states that ''no apollo
gy can be received after the parties meet, With
ont fire. and insisted on the duel proceeding.
The men were placed, greatly against Mr. Da-
Ilv,s will. and a shot was fired. Darlington
wounded DAILY. :,
| Another duel of Barrington's was fought with
man named M'Nally. Barrington's ball struck
the buckle of one of M'Nally's braces Called
qallows in Dublin and knocked him over,
fbourb without hurting him. mac, my boy, :"
cried his second, ''you're the first man that ever
I knew that was saved by the gallows." This
M'Nally is pleasantly sketchod by the author OF
"Curran and his Contemporaries" "His distress
at one time was truly pitiable at being unable to
induce any body to fight him. Henry Grady,
who wounded everybody with whom he fought
refused that honor to MNally, and every one
followed the inbuman example. The poor man
could get no one to shoot him, and was the PIC,
ture of misery. In vain he fumed, fretted, and
affronted. All seemed determined on being
guiltless of his blood. Never was an Irish gen
tleman so unfortunate At length Sir Jonah
Darlington, out of Christian charity, accepted
his cartel, and shot him into fashion"
A recent industrious chronicler OF duels, MIR.
Sabine, has divided this country into duellinS
States and non-duelling States. The distiction
is only relative, as duels are by no means un-
known in any Northern State. Still it is unques-
tionable that Northerners are not so fond OF tn
duel as their southern brethren. MIR. Sabine ac-
counts for the scant records of duels in New
England by the punishment inflicted on the two
| first duelists of that section of country.
These were Edward Doty and Edward Leis-
ter Serving men" at Plymouth. They quar-,
rolled within few months after their arrival
in America, and settled the dispute in gentle
manly way, with sword and dagger. Both
were wounded When the old Pilgrim Fathers
heard of their proceedings they took long and
anxious counsel, and finally decided to tie the
combatants neck and heels together, and leave
them twenty-four hours without food or drink.
The punishment threw so much ridicule on the
practice of duelling that it was extremely rare
in New England throughout its colonial history,
and is so still.