The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1878-12-10
DUELING IN FRANCE.
THE LATE AFFAIR OF HONOR BE-
TWEEN GAAtBETTA AND EOURT0U.

XhE AAIE, AFFAIR OF HONOR Be
TWEEN GA1fBETTA AND I'OURTOU.
cause Of tho Difaculty--Pistols at LONG
Range.-Nobody Hurt .-Concomitants
OF Duels--The Excitement Of the
Populace.
The recent duel in France be-
tween Gambetta and Fourtou was
somewhat of a sensation, because
heretofore the former has abstained
from dueling. His ability and
popularity are such that tho Re-
publicans will not suffer him to
hazard his life, despite the many
provocations that have been offered
by political opponents. But re-
Gently in debate Gambetta insulted
Mr.. Fourtou, who demanded salts
faction, and G.smbetta granted it.
The former is an expert swords
man, and small, while his antagon"
list is corpulent, and it was thought
Fonrtou would choose swords.
But 10 selected pistols, at twenty
PAGES. This distance, was subse
quentiy increased to thirty-fve. A
French paper gives the following
details of the duel, and recalls re-
miniscences, of similar affairs of
honor. It says I,....r. y. ..
1t is known that attempts we're
made to prevent M. Gambetta from
leaving his house, and that he was
compelled to resort to some sub
terfuge in order,toyget clear of the
crowd, which had manifested it's
intention Of following him and
preventing the duel if possible.
He Joined his friends at the house
OF M. Robert Mitchell, and the
principals, with their seconds and
two doctors, drove off to Plessis-
Picquet. M. Clemence,.u flashed
the pistols twice before loading
them, while NJ. Bin de Bourbon,
who, with NJ. Robert Mitchell, acted
for M. de Fourtou, measured out
the five.and~thirty PAGES. NJ.
Gambetta's adversary had the
choice of stations, and Nj. Clemen
ceau, after the two gentlemen had
taken their places and had their
pistols handed them, gave the word
OF command thus, "Are you ready,
gentlemen :" "Attention |" Gone
twol three!" Before the word
"three" was fairly out Of his mouth
both gentlemen had fred. Some
cay M. de Fourtou's ball passed
close to NJ: Gambetta's face others
that III. de Fourtou fred wide, and
that NJ. Gambetta's bullet was with
in foot of his adversary; but the
fact is that at thirty five PAGES, in a
hollow, on the foggy morning, the
two opponents could hardly dis
tingmsh each other, and were COM
pelled to fire at hazard.
PREPARED For ACCIDENTS.
Very little was known in Paris
about the duel until the first tele~
grams came from Versailles an,
nouncing that the encounter had
really taken place. The offices of
the RepubliQue Froncaise were be-
sieged with people anxious to know
the result, as all kinds of rumors
were in circulation, and it was said
on the boulevards that one conser-
vative paper had actually put into
type a biography of M. Gambetta,
reported as mortally wounded.
Groups stood round the Offices of
the evening papers in the Rue
Montmartre, waiting for the first
editions to come out, and immense
satisfaction was experience on all
sides when it was made known tnat
N Gambetta had escaped unhurt.
He has become such popular
favorite that had anything happen-
ed to him, we mi ight have witnessed
q repetition of that scene which
ook place in August, 1890, when
tthe DUO de Castries fought ana
wounded Charles Lameth, a promi-
nent representative of tho peoples
party. The "Marshal-Duc's house
in the ruo de Varennes was sacked
by the populace. Camille Desmou-
lins, in his ".Revolutionl De France
ct do Brabant," tells how the
dowager Marechale de Mirepoix
was disturbed in the midst of her
siessa by her servant, who told her
that her neighbor's hotel was being
3'sacked nv the tribunal" Sho