The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-14
MONDAY, MARCH IA, 1870.
THE FATAL SPANISH DUEL.

THERE is scarcely any country In the world,
except France or Spain, where tragedy IKE
that reported by the cable kilograms from
Madrid could have occurred. Elsewhere the
members of royal families do their fighting
bv proxy. and lack at once the courage and
the motive to risk their lives in mortal COM
bat. But the disposition to dare fate in the
high old Roman fashion still prevails so
strongly on Spanish soil that on Saturday last
the Duke de Montpensier killed Prince En-
rique de Bourbon in duel, which was ar
ranged from the outset to be "fght for
funeral" The surviving party to this
fearful conflict is a prominent candidate
for the throne of Spain. He is the son OF
Louis Philippe, ex-King of France, the hus-
band of the sister of Isabella, ex-Queen OF
Spain, and blood relation of the man he
killed, as we'll as his cousin by marriage.
Prince Enrique is the brother OF the hus-
band of the ex-Queen Isabella, as well as the
cousin of Isabella and of Montpensier's wife.
He was onel of the few modern Bourbons
gifted with courage and brains. He de-
plored the vices of Isabella, and was by her,
in turn, ostracized. He acquiesced cheerfully
in the results of the revolution, and made
such fervent protestations of his devotion to
liberalism that he wor the friendship of some
of the most radical of Spanish Republicans,
and two Republican deputies in the Cortes
acted as his seconds in the late duel. His
real position, however, was similar to that
assumed by Philippe d'Egalite, the grandfather
of Montpensier, in the French revolution of
the last century. A few months ago he
addressed a remarkable letter to the Regent
of Spain, in which he described at length the
earnestness of his repeated efforts to induce
Isabella to abdicate in favor of her son, and
he intimated that it was part of his scheme
that this son should become the husband of
his prince Enrique's) daughter. He pro-
fessed perfect willingness to submit to the
DEGREES of the nation if it decided
in favor of q republic; he avowed
his opposition to priestcraft and absolutism
under all circumstances; but he evidently
hoped that he would become commanding
power behind the new throne he was en-
deavoring to erect He seems to have con-
sidered Montpensier one Of the greatest OBJ
stacles to the success of this ambitious pro-
ject, and he has resolutely antagonized the
royal pretensions of the Duke throughout.
After bitterly denouncing him in various let
ters published from time to time, these
attacks eliminated in an onslaught
branding Montpenser as "a Jesuit, conspira-
tor, and bloated French pastry-cook," which
was the immediate cause of the duel. In
reality the combatants were literally ''fghting
for a CROWN" and one of the most
romantic and thrilling of ancient
incidents was thus repeated in
this prosaic age Nothing could be more
sanguinary than the terms of the duel ar
ranged for this mighty stake. At distance
of ten PAGES, or, after the first shot, only three
PAGES, they fired alternately from recoIoers.
Three shots were discharged on each side, and
two slight wounds were inflicted before the
third bullet of the Duke killed his rival.
Whatever we may think of these descendants
of an old race which is generally deemed
effete, they cannot at least be branded as
towards after this terrible exhibition of mis-
applied courage. Whether the cause which
Prince Enrique SO valiantly espoused will
perish with him remains to be seen, but it is
scarcely probable that Montpensiers chances
of success will be improved by his bloody
deed and it would not be surprising if such
a reactionary feeling of sympathy for the
slaughtered mans family should spring up
that his death would open up pathway for
his daughter, in conjunction with the son of
Isabella, to the Spanish throne
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