The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-05-22

| DrOugnt GWO swords to the green-rOOm
Mile d'Urlis accepted the challenge
and was severely wounded in the neck
ColOmbey mentions number OF
duels fought by the dark-eyed daugh-
ters of the Iberian Peninsula. Here
the leading role is played by the aavafa
the short, dager-like knife which the
Spaniard carries in his belt. In rage
and indifference to death no women in
| the world surpass the Spanish. Their
hatred is like a stream of molten lava
it destroys everything that comes in its
way. And with their passionate ma
| lures they combine great native clever
ness. A single example will suffice to
| illustrate these characteristic traits:
Two 1aGn0lGS-girls of the middle
classes-Of Madrid contended for the
possession of rich Andalusian. They
determined to let a hand -to-hand COM
bat settle the dispute. One bright May
morning. therefore, armed with daggers
and havajas, and accompanied by their
seconds, they drove out at the Alcala
! gate. The understanding was, that
only one of them should return alive.
But, just as they reached the spot chosen
Tor the bloody work, they were ap-
preached by three policemen, who ar
rested both principals and seconds.
"
and followed od-humOredly to the
nearest police station.
"Senor," said one of the would-be
duelists to the officer on duty, "these
gentlemen, contrary to all law and
right, have wilfully interfered with our
personal liberty" -
"That we sh;l see," replied the
enpIeado, with becoming official gravity.
Officer, what charge have you to make
against these senor0s ?" ..
"SenOr," replied the policeman, "I
had good reasons for believing that the
prisoners were about to fight a duel to
the death. For that reason we have
brought them before your honor, that
they may be punished according to
laws '=.a+. ,.s. - - g.
"If you please, senor," one of the
prisoners replied, we have done moth
for which we can be legally punished"
astonished official that the law for the
suppression of dueling applied to men
only, they being specially mentioned in
it, and they only. The legal erudition
of the young girl took the empleado
completely by surprise, and perplexed
him greatly. After O careful examina-
ton of the cOdex, he came to the con-
clusion that the law did not reach the
case under consideration, and he was
reluctantly compelled to release the
prisoners, but not till he had obtained
from them promise that they would
desist from their murderous design.
1t is related that two girls in the
royal tobacco factory recently had |
killed each other in hand -to-hand con-
test. The mode adopted by the comba-
taI1ts was as romantic as it was barba- |
rous. The antagonists, who were both |
about twenty years old, and remarkably |
handsome, repaired one Sunday morn |
ing, accompanied by certain of their |
comrades, to village some four or five |
miles distant, where they breakfasted |
at different tables. The |
reDast ended, they closed the window
curtains, stripped themselves to the
waist, and requested their friends to |
leave the room. Then, at O. given sig
nal, they attacked each other with
their naVajas, and cut, and slashed. and |
thrust, until both fell to the floor, NOR
tally Wounded2 When q few minutes
lad elapsed, their friends re-entered
the rOOm Estefania, one of the COM
oatants, had received ten wounds, from
which she bied to death i'm about half /
IN hour. Casilda, her antagonist, died
sooner, from CHASTITY wound
n the neck. r. le .t-.51..s #s sa
In this instance the authorities were
ess scrupulous than in the case of the
,wo manoias. The participants in the
lorrld tragedy were arraigned and
punished. a H.