The Penn's Grove record., 1882-12-23
Stories of Duels.

One Of the most interesting and
curious OF modern additions to the
literature Of duelling is afforded by M.
Theodore de Graves's Les Dyomes de
y Epee.to which M. Jules Ciaretie has
written q preface which in his own
way is equally interesting.
M. de Graves's very curious and
amusing book deals, toa very great
extent, with the fortunes Of q club
which was formed at Bordeaux In the
1880 period, under the name of the
Raterneue, for the sole purpose of ex-
terminating the professional DULLES
ane duellists-the b~retteuys. as they
were called-who Infested the place
and made the lives OF wives and moth
ers an unceasing anxiety. Th,re are
still 6retiew.s. M. Ciaretie tells US
but as the new ronanticists are but the
shadow Of the Chepeius Of 1880. so is
the modern bYetteur but q poor crea-
ture to those who practised the coup
du Colonel ZAnceschi OF the coup du
cochon.
The first Of these, known also, as
M. Claretic emit to state, as the bottle
de Meyers, consisted in fixing your
point just between your adverssrg's
eyebrows; the second took its name
from the fact that the point eversd
the artery beneath the ear. M. Cla-
retic goes on to tell a story Of what
befell one of these brettesus who man
aged to pick q quarrel with an hon.
nete bourgeois" who occupied the
same room with him at the inn.
I'VE will fight tomorrow" said the
duellist. "On the contrary, we will
fight now" replied the bourgeois ;
and, attacking the bully with his fists,
beat him into . mummy. I've will
do this" he added, .'as often as you
like;" and the next day the knight of
the foil left the town. Later on M.
Clsretie tells again the pleasing story
of the duel between Sainte- Beuve and
DUBOIS Of The Globe.
Sainte- Beuve appeared upon the
ground with q pistol of the time of
Francis l., and holding an umbrella
cit poured with rainy w his head.
To all protestations he answered.
Gentlemen, NJ. Dubois has under
taken to ELL me to-day. Very well, |
am willing to be killed, but / viii not
get wet.n AS late as the days of Ben
janiin Constant, we find something
like the conditions Of editorial life in
the Far West prevailing in Paris.
Both Constant ami . friend of his, y
retired Coionel who was q shareholder
and collaboration in his paper, we, Q
weary Of continual challenges aud
duels, and set to work to find some one
who should do the editorial fighting.
such an one was found in an old
soldier, who had served under the
Colonel, and who said when the place
vas offered to him that he must o
suit his wife. .You have q wife ?"
said the Colonel. "Yes sir, and three
cnildren.n "In that case let Us talk
no more of IL. I will find you some
thing else to do.n
The soldier, however, whom the
Colonel assumed to be . good fencer
insisted ; his wife consented, and he
took the place. Two duels came
quickly upon him, and in both he
WAS wounded, and thoroughly well
looked after BY Constant and the
Colonel, who showered presents upon
mis- wifs and children. A third duel
came, and the Colonel said, Come,
no child's play this time. One, two,
aud down with your man." the oiu
man was wounded again, and the
Colonel asked him, "What has hap
pened to you, VIncsnt2 You, . 'vieux
de Ia vielle,' to be three tunes running
worsted like THAI "Ah mon Col
onel," vincOnt replied. what can
you expect I had nothing to do l
had q wife and three children /; you
offsred me this place, which Is well
paid. I took it But ~ for fencing,
I know nothing Whatever about it,"
VOLTA cstte foss," says M. Cuaretie,
"du vrai-courage.n and he does not
seem to be far wrong.
The club Of the FfGternslia. with
which NJ. de Graves de.is, was, as
been said, founded Ia the 1880 pc
Rod In Bordeaux, and the things
which led TO it, being founded were
such Is these. The Comte de Laril-
liere, a of the weIl-born among the
b~retteures. met one dag in the street q