Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-12-30
PAUL DE CAsSAGsAC.
A RatfIIng sketch OF the Partisan
EDITORIAL Bully.

1Es EDITORIAL Bully.
Paris Correspondence Of the Chicago Times.
The notorious Paul de Cassagnac would
be called in America a fighting editor,
though fighting is so much part Of journ-
alism here that the particIpal adjective
| would be superfuous. Cassagnac is far
better fighter than writer, fact he may be
conscious of, since he has depended for
reputation more on his sword than on his
pen. Duelists are pretty certain of popu-
| larity in France, and the pugnacious Paul
has, in consequence, large following.
RESPECTING HIS COURAGE
there Is divergence Of opinion; his friends
maintaining that he is as brave as Belisarius;
bis enemies that he is mere bully, who
will not fight except when he has his enc
my at disadvantage. suppose Cassag-
nae has valour enough-the only reason to
think otherwise is, that he is constantly
trying to convey the impression that he is
anxious to fight and yet there have been
occasions when, with every provoca-
tion, he has decided to forego the luxury of
contest A thoroughly brave man is so
sure Of himself that he feels no temptation
to prove he is not afraid. Cassagnae often
acts as if conscious Of some inward lack
ing, which he endeayofs TO hide by sending
challenges without adequate cause.
A GENUINE sAscoN.
Paul de Cassagnac, BY constitution no
less than by nativity Gascon, was born at
Averon-Bergelle. His father, prominent
writer Snd Journalist, after having edited
the Pays and retired, returned toit IN 1866,
and took in Paul, then only twenty five, as
his associate. The young man more than
supplied any want of talent by supersbund-
ant selfesteam- He had such craving for
notoriety that, unable TO wlite himself, he
determined TO fight himself into notice.
Little ability is required among these SEN
sitive people to offer affront, and Paul
penned clumsy articles Of so personal and
malignant a character that he very soon
had a duel On his hands with Aurelien
Scholl, also of the aggressive order, and a
diligent seeker after sensations. Scholl, if
remember, was slightly wounded. As he
had the name Of a skilled swordsman and
had acquired good deal Of certain kind
Of fame on the minor press, Cassagnac was
delighted with the glory gained by the
issue. -
INCONSISTENT BEHAVIOR.
Next he had violent controversy with
Vermouel Of the Courier FrdncGise,
heaping upon the latter the most opprobri-
Gus epithets, without driving him TO an
appeal to arms. The writer for the ColT-
rier very sensibly held that the matters in
dispute should be decided in the columns |
Of the newspapers, not in the field, and
having gained clear advantage over his |
adversary by the pen, he was unwilling to
lose it by recourse to the sword.
The associate Of the Pays filed columns |
about men pretending to be honorable, |
while unwilling to fight, and gave out that |
a desperate combat was more attractive |
to him than dinner at the Maison Doree. |
The tables were speedily to be turned on |
this boaster. Lieut.. Dullier of the navy, |
also literateur, attacked Cassagnac With |
exceeding bitterness in one Of the newspa- |
pers, pronOuncing him liar, an adyen-
turer, a braggsrt, paltroon, and ringing |
the changes on this time and again. One |
might think that here the staggering Paul |
would have had a summons TO fight which |
he could not consistently fOregO. Never
theless, he refused to be martial on the oc-
easion, and had, think, recourse to the |
law. Whether the fact that Lullier is one |
of the very best swordsmen in France had |
anything to do with Cassagnac's extraOr-
dinary self-restraint is an open question. |
Those who do not like him say it had; and |
whenever his proves is talked of, they /
ridicule it by the single word "Lullier."
DESPERATE DUEL
The PGyS having fercely assailed some |
ardent Republicans condemned to st. Pc
lagie for political Offenses, Gustaye Flour
ems, espousing their quarrel, challenged the
author OF the articles, who was no other
than the younger Cassagnac. The duel
was desperate. FlOurens was not nearly /
so good a swordsman as his antagonist; but
he fought for half an hour; received num-
Der Of wounds, and insisted on continuing |
the contest until he tainted from loss Of
blood. This is wholly contrary TO the
French code, according to which duel
ends with the drawing of blood. Flourens
would not submit to the restriction, and
the seconds yielded to his demand. He in
tended to fight to the death; thai Lie did
not was no fault of his. Afler be had re-
covered from his hurt-for some time
thought to be fatal-he wished to renew
the contest, but no one would act as his
second; everybody regarding another meet
ing, under the circumstances, as barbarous.
A AGallic acquaintance Of mine, in talking
the matter over, said to me: "You Ameri-
cans would, no doubt, have had another
duel, but we are too civilized to lend our
selves to such butchery."
It is hardly necessary for me to mention
that his funeral the next day was well
attended, and that he was beeomingly in
tered.
CHAMPION OF THE EMPRESS.
Cassagnac, after his combat with Flour
ems, was decorated (1S6S), and made cham
berlain to the Empress, a conspicuous reeOg-
nition of the fact that she and her imperial
husband appointed the duel, really pOliti-
al, since the prisoners sent 10 st. Pelagie
were intensely opposed 10 the empire and
were condemned for their expressed hostil-
.ility. After that the bellicose editor of the
Pd1s constituted himself the champion Of
Eugenie, and in such capacity invited Henri
to the field. The renowned ire
,oncilable chose pistols, in order not to give
ais adversary the advantage o. his fayorite
weapon, and even then was wounded.
ELASTIC NOMENCLATURE. Il
Cassagnae has fought at least a dozen
luels; two or three because he has been
,alled Granier, which is his actual name,
md therefore Just cause of ofience-on the |
ground, presume, that the greater the
ruth, the deeIer the insult. His father
added the ''de Cassagnac" for tie sake Of
he aristocratic sound, under the pretext {
hat be was born a. Cassagnac, which he {
vas not, although he is so set down in !
most of the French biographies.
The modern Gauls have not particle o f
'espect for family nomenclature. They ar
'ange their names TO suit themselves. If a &
nan be Brun (Brown) or Forgeron (Smith)
Ne is very apt to style himself De Laurent,
'r d'Artagnan, or something which sayors
If lineage or consequence. Alter he has |
Uttered bis patronymic, it is counted
ross offence to address him by his former
lame-all the more so in that the French I
ire so much in the habit of doing this sort
# thing.
Cassagnac has now been for several years
of the Pays, and continues
o advocate the Napoleonic cause with the :
most
INTEMPERATE AND INDECENT ZEAL.
One of the poorest writers on the press,
ie seldom gets into controversy without
,eing worsted; so that, wounded N his
elf-love, he loses his temper, and tries to
wound his opponent with the point Of the
word. He is cOnspicuously incapable of
he neat phrases and epigrammatic points
lis brothers of the quill are famous for.
lie is addicted to very long articles, full Of