Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-01
THE BOURBON-MONTPEN-
SER DUEL.
The Fatal Encounter and It's Cause
Full Particulars of the Affair.

SER DUEL.
The Fatal Encounter and It's Cause
Full Particulars of the Affair.
By the European mail of the 18th of
March we have the following newspaper
account of the fatal duel between the
Duke de Montpensier and Prince Henri de
Bourbon, near Madrid, of which we have
already published report forwarded by
cable telegram Immediately after the Oc
currence:
On the 7th of March Don Enrique de
Bourbon, after having written several
pamphlets in which the Duke de Mont
pensier was the object of unsparing at
tack, published in the Madrid journals an
article in which the claims of the Duke to
the throne of Spain were severely criti
cised. When this article appeared the
Duke de Montpensier was n Madrid. He
felt it to be impossible, Notwithstanding
the advice that was given him, to allow
such outrageous insults to pass unnoticed.
The preliminaries were all gone through,
and finally meeting was fixed for Satur
day last. The duel was fought in'the open
country, in a field about two hundred
metres distant from the little town of
Alcorcoa, which is situate about eight
kilometres from Madrid. We are well
acquainted with this part of the enyirons
of Madrid. 1t presents most dreary as
pect-a perfectly barren plain, where not
a tree, not a house, not a blade of grass,
especially at this season, is to be seen.
The eye can perceive nothing but inter-
minable fields sown with barley OF wheat,
and to which the arid nature of the soil
imparts q dusty hue. The town or vii
lage of AlcOrcon is like all the other
dLde0S of Old CASTLE and La Mancha-a
group of some fifty houses built of earth
burnt by the sun, the surface of which
crumbles away at the first gust OF wind
| or the first shower of rain. The church
| is the only stone edifice in the place. The
| inn where combatants refresh themselves
when these meetings are arranged for
Alcorcon (which is frequently selected as
a site for duels, and whittier the wounded
| are conveyed when their injuries are too
severe to allow of their immediate return
| to Madrid,) is little more than a mud
howell like the others. It was there
that the body of Don Enrique was
| taken after the duel. On the morn
! ing of the 18th the Duke de Montpensier,
accompanied by Lieut. Gems. Cordova and
| AlaminOs-the first Director General of
| Infantry, and the other Chief of the Di-
| vision in garrison at Madrid-his seconds,
! repaired to Alcorcon in landau. A sur
| geon accompanied them. Don Enrique,
on his part, was accompanied by two Re
1 Marie op1 flrtIv
the latter Deputy for Seville-and sur
geon, Senior RubiO. According to the
arrangements previously agreed upon, the
adversaries were to place themselves at
first ten metres apart, and were to draw
nearer each other one metre after each
fire, until one of them should be placed
hOrs de combat. 1t was decided by lot
which of them should fire first. Chance
favored Don Enrique, who fired at ten
metres distance without hitting the Duke.
The latter replied with a like result. The
distance between them was diminished to
nine metres. Shots were exchanged III
this position, but neither cOmbatant was
struck. They were then placed within
eight metres. Don Enrique each time
fired first, and this time his ball
grazed the Dukes clothing. The
latter fred in his turn, and his adver
sary fell dead without uttering cry
He was dead. The Duke de MOntepen
sier, seriously affected by the events o.
the duel and its catastrophe, then lost thu
sang frOid which he had displayed dur
ing the encounter, and his condition be
came such that the surgeon was twic
| obliged to bleed him.
, Prince Henri, Duke of Seville i
brother of the King Consort of Spain an
j, | second son of the Infante Francisco Paulo
> Duke of Cadiz, brother of Ferdinand VII.
, Queen Isabella's father. He was Dor
on April II, 1928 and from the age o
: seventeen had adopted liberal ideas, an
, in consequence of that circumstance ha
!, given Isabella IL, his sister in-law, fire
] quent cause of discomfort, so much SC
indeed, that a royal decree of March
q 1867, deprived him of the title of Infant
r aud of the dignity of Vice Admiral in th
Spanish navy. Since then he has live
chiefly in Paris. He leaves a son, who
! short time back entered the Spanish army
: in which he has obtained the grade
q sub-lieutenant. This young man, Henr
i is now twenty-five years of age. Thrt
. other children, Francis, sixteen; Alber
i fifteen and Maria, eleven, are now
Paris with the Duke de Banos. After Il
fall of Queen Isabella the deceased Prime
- figured among the most ardent republi
ans: and as to the duel which has ju
q terminated SO fatally, it was provoked |
I letter written by him, expressing mo
!, liberal sentiments, but couched in la
!, guage of such extreme violence again
), the Duke de Montpensier that this latt
! | considered himself called on to demal
" satisfaction by arms
ID THE LETTER OF INSULT.
at The following is the text of Che lett
'? or manifesto of Prince Henry de -BOu
W bon, circulated at Madrid, which led
'. the hostile encounter. 1t is address
Id ''TO the Montpensierists: :"
- MADRID, March 7, 1871 owe 1t
n. nv own honor to break silence, whe
in since the arrival in the capital of I
a. Duke de Montpensier, report IS prop
ed gated that / am on humble terms WI
ma him, as if he were conquering hero de
as tined to harness all the world to his CO
its This report is just as maliciOusly calul
Ike NOUS as that which imposes as a cont
ce ton for the browning Of Antoine l.
en- | the noble Marshal Prim the deposit
,e- several millions as reward for the s.
"a vice rendered. AS to the illustrious Pr
he ident of the Council, there is no necess
or to proclaim what, to his honor, everybo
cir knows, and finds proved by his form
ror declarations; for myself, should have
zee occasion to repeat-were there no Mo
er- pensierists interested in making PEG
he forget it-frst, that am and shall be
,rk long as.I live the most decided politi
tly enemy of the French Prince; and secol
ted that there is no reason, no difficulty,