Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-07-02
Students Duels I'm Heidelberg.
From the Chicago Tribune tti-st.s Att

From the Chicago Tribunel "i-' 30"
The largest corps student that ever
appeared in Heidelberg was an Ameri-
can, who came here an average.sized
man and went away something wonder
full to behold, and having the honor of
being the best drinker and also the best
duelist in Heidelberg. So you see
America bears the palm here and every
where else. He fought something like
hundred duels, and never got defeated
till nearly the last one, when he got his
nose almost cut off; but, nothing daunted,
he stepped up to his adversary, holding
his nose with his hands, challenged him
to another duel, which was accepted.
They fought, and the indomitable Ameri-
can, the hero Of hundred duels, came
out ahead, to the qualification of admir-
ing friends. He is considered to have
been the greatest man in Heidelberg
(which he certainly was as regards size),
and his name will be handed down from
generation to generation, and looked up
to as something superior, something al
most immortal, by the students. hFl
The house which they use for their
duels is situated short distance out OF
town, and when duel is going on, sem
tinels are placed, communicating from
the house to the town; but this is en-
tirely unnecessary for, although the duels
are against the law, vet they are winked
at by the authorities; in fact, the inhabit.
ants are rather proud of them than
otherwise, and would be sorry if they
were put stop to. The student, who
took me to see the duels, and myself
started at about half-past ten in the
morning, and walked for about fifteen
minutes. We arrived at the house, and
after introducing me to his corps, we sat
down by a table and talked and drank
beer, and waited for the duel to COM
mence. a
The duels are arranged so that there
are duels on three days of the week,
whether provocation is given or not.
The way of it is this: The director of the
duels takes the names Of the members
Of the corps in regular order and pairs
them off, and they are compelled to
fight, although they may be the very
best of friends in the world, or, perhaps,
even relations. So you see that when
fellow goes into one of these corps he is
compelled to fight, although he may be
a very peaceable fellow; for, as | said
before, they don't wait for provocation,
but fight anyway. The swords that they
fight with are made of long and very
thin piece of steel, which bends very
easily, and 1t is as sharp as razor, SO
that the least touch leaves mark. The
students here are cut up horribly, and
some Of them are really disgusting to
look at, their faces are so frightfully
SCARED.
Last Friday / saw four duels. Each
pair fought for quarter of an hour, un-
less the doctor declared one of them too
badly hurt to fight it out for that length
of time, when, of course, the opposite
party was declared victor When stu
dent got cut the students all walked up
and examined it in the most uncon-
eerned manner possible. The director
wrote down in his book how long a cut
it was, and also how deep a cut it was
1.-THE longer and deeper it was, the more
the sufferer was thought of J; and the
doctor washed it out and sewed it up,
and the duel continued, unless the stu
dent who was cut was unable to do so,
when he was declared to be the loser;
and the next duel went on in the same
manner. All this reminded me very
much of barber shop, with the barber
calling out Next" when his chair is
amnfv