The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-03-24
FRENCH DUELlNG.

lll4@
,.,,,. Of the GoVernmen, :" 'r ,. ~ -"
-. .,,ous statutes aee Tried oo' WIN WV"
partial success 90 The NoiS'''e
V O.nsau winFight, salute or no statute ''
of'F nm lie Rarely Gets Hurt and 1t is
hal M" -, AFFAIR More of aonah Than
generally an Hi''
al Blcod.Letuns
s,,,e.siye legislative bodies IN france
,.;.5 over aud over again, to frame
~, practicable plan OF putting a stop to
guy several projects with this object
aa'.'- -s,sssnted to the national assembly in
ss' ga "a both chambers in 1879. In the
r,med year commission was APP
~ go far the exhaustive consideration OF
49, - or,posed, and of this commission
iae pa ,r.,,s WAS reporter. Another drait oi
j. 5ueliug bill was presented by n.
!ANI, IN me republican senate IN 1871.
hs'vS ,,onosals have formed the basis Of
.nssob .Ts now reported upon by the sena-
lIs i,,Con,mi,sion ofwhiCh NJ. Melhadlerls
'l..sils,t and NJ, CRETE reporter. The pro
'ns If The proposed law may to GER
's.avtent be regarded as very thorough,
si,s ~ although not by any means 50 strin
-.ss onr own practice in the matter. In
~ Sr.t instance, duellng is styled un
1.Is which, in tins case may be
w. w. a, meaning less a crime than
SAvS ;.5smeanor. The delinquency of
,srng duel is made punishable
sT ,n,nris0nment OF from one month to one
.sdnratlon, and by n fine ranging be
- iOO and LOCO francs. The term of
''',,rsratlon and the pecuniary mulct are
4 i."hled in the case OF the duelist who
!.SiSts anv wound on his adversary. Whe
4 18th has ensued from wounds the homicide
NV he condemned TO from one TO three
ra,,s Imprisonment and to line of from
INTO 4 100 francs. To send challenge or
y anv wav TO provoke the holding of hos
4 III meeting subjects the offender to from
week TO months imprisonment, and TO
ens If which the minimum is To be Loco
francs. Those are TO be considereda as accom-
niices In the misdemeanOr who by gifts,
promises, menaces, cu.pable articles, or
6ihe- Vaccinations" have excited the
principals to fight. This somewhat vague
Eut cnriously comprehensive clause is not
aimed at the seconds who are punishable
N miSie ueanantS for assisting at the con
hjc hut, if 1t can be shown that they have
done their best to prevent the duel from
taking place and that they have actively
interviewed TO deprive Il OF any fatal results,
thew may have escaped without any Judi.
cial Censure AZ all. Again, the minimum
penaty, both corporal and peCuniary. will
Be inflicted on the person who sends a Cha,-
lenge or tights duel it he has been pro-
yoked thereto by gross insults, threats or
personal violence on the part OF the indl-
ydual whom he has challenged. The news
papers, moreover, are forbidden, under the
pain Of heavy fine, topublish any reports or
process -yerbaux" of duels either contem.
plated or cOnsummated; and the signatores
Of such 'prOces-yerbaux' are to be deemed
aCcompcts within the meaning Of the law.
Such prohibition as the foregoing would
in England be resented as fragrant viola
ton Of the liberty Of the press; but looking
at the peculiar constitution of modern
French society, the silence imposed on
newspapers with regard TO duels either pro-
lected or completed might be very strongly
Instrumental in dlscouraging practice
which owes its beng quite as much to a
spirit Of rh0domOntade as to vindictiyc
desire to shed the blood af an enemy. At
least twothirds of the challenges sent
in France at the present day do not
end and are nevei meant TO end, in
ahOStile encounter; but all the parties to
the "atlar of honor" are on the other hand,
extremely anxious that detailed accounts
Of their potential prowess shall "get into
the papers Things may go so far as in
Exchanging the measurements of swords
OF the gauges of pistols, and weighing the
eligibility Of the Forest Fontainebleau as
against that OF the Belgian frontier as
place for meeting. Then mutual friendsn
interfere, and, after long "pouparcrs" in
yoly!ng the consumption Of many cigar
cites, "demio-tasses, and "petits verres,"
tsiormaly declared by the amicable as
SCISSORS that in calling NJ. lie MARQUIS de
Caeq "cancre,' "gredin,n a "chena-
PAN and a 'yanu pieds,n NJ. lie Vicomtc
De Baccarat did not intend to convey the
slightest aspersIons on the character Of the
llSl'named gentleman, whom he begged To
accept the expression of his DISTINGUISHED
CONSIDERATION, and that honor does not de-
mand that the dispute should be submitted
70 the arOltramenI Of lethal weapons. So
pfoceSyerbal, 10 this intent Is drawn up
sleRed by the friendly assessors, and trans.
United 10 the newspapers; and for iour.and
twenty hours aiterward all the "gobe.
Mouches' IN Paris are talking of that Terri.
o'e nTe-eater the Marquis de Grace, and
.lal emHIalor of the Chevalier Bayard
a. sa p peur et sans reproche," the Nicomte
ue DaccaEat.-lLondon Telegraph.