The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1878-08-08

editor of the Bonapartist journal lie
Pays, Is Of creole origin and has the
complexion of mulatto. His figure is
tall and massive, but STOPPING, and his
aspect as martial as he can make IL.
Cassagnac uses his pen as If were a
bludgeon, and when not engaged In
writing articles Of three columns
length-for his style is not concise-he
may be generally found fencing In NJ.
Paz's gymnastic rooms, and there is no
denying that he fences well. Although
but thirty. five years of age. he has
already fought over fifteen duels, and
will probably 60 on fighting dlels until
be gets badly stuck in the throat him.
self. So enthusiastically did he champion
the cause OF BOnapartism In the days of
the Empire that on the 10Th of August,
1868, when the Emperor made up his
jewels, the only journalist who received
the Legion of Honor was this young
ruffian. The Empress sent her own
Chamberlain, NJ. de COsse- Brissac, to
congratulate him. One of his most
famous duels was with Henri Roche
fort, who wields as scurrilous a pen as
CaSsagnac himself. This Was before
the war with Germany, Rochefort
named pistols as the weapons, not
wishing TO run the risk of thrust
from such an accomplished swordsman
as his adversary, but he calculated en-
tirely without his host, and was badly
wounded. Six years afterwards, In 1875,
Rocheiort challenged Cassagnac because
the latter had called him "a mad dog"
In 1875, and pistols were again named as
the weapons, but the seconds contrived
to get into such wrangle over the dis
tance that the encounter never came
off, Another of his famous fights was
with Gustave Flourens, the Radical
editor whom he had assailed with great
bitterness while the latter was under
going Government prosecution and con-
fined in prison. Flourens fought with
great energy for half an hour, but
finally fell exhausted by his wounds.
Equally exciting was Cassagnac's en-
counter with NJ. Lissagaray. On that
occasion Cassagnac simply parrled, re-
fusing to expose himself until he had
thoroughly wearied out his antagonist.
The fiery Gascon losing his prudence
and his strength together, at last cried
out, "Why don't you striker" to which
Cassagnac smilingly replied, "That's
my affair" As soon as he saw that
Lissagaray was helpless from fatigue,
he cody ran him through. In July,
1873, Cassagnac had an encounter with
M. Arthur Rane, the celebrated Lyon
naise Radical, on Luxembourg terri.
tory, and was seriously wounded, his
antagonist also sustaining some injury.
But Cassagnac does not always follow
his bluster with fight. About four
years ago, he inslnuated that M. Gle
mencean, Republican Deputy, was a
coward, whereupon Clemenceau sent
him challenge of rather unique sort
proposing duel between ten Repub.
lican and ten BOnapartist Deputies.
To this wholesale invitation Cassagnac
contemptuously replied that he would |
fight nobody but Gambetta, and that
the Bonapartist Deputies coald not ac-
cept such challenge. On one occasion |
he refused to fight a certain Lieutenant |
Lullier, Whereupon the latter slapped |
him, and Cassagnac was content TO call |
for the police. On another occasion a
NJ. Vermorel refused to accept his chal- |
lenge, and Cassagnac resented this
gross atfront by splitting in his face on
the boulevard and describing the exploit
at length in the columns of lie Pays.
Such is a brief chronicle of some of the
characteristic amenities of French
journalism.