The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-04-06
A DUEL AMONG STUDENTS.
HOW THEY FIGHT WITH SWORDS IN
GERMAN UNIVERSITIES.
A Custom Handed Down from the Days of
Chivalry--IIow n Plucky kentucsinn
Avenged an Insult.


German students of settling disputes
by fighting with swords. lie says:
The method of fighting and using
the sword is peculiar. The weapon is
flat, straight blade, made always at
Solingen, about a meter in length and
having at the handle a bell-shaped
metal protection for the hand. The
dueling swords are sharpened for
about six inches on either side of the
end of the blade, which is cut off
square. The swords used in practicing
are merely blunt iron blades of the
same shape. In the fencing-room one
wears heavy iron mask, padded
shirt of leather reaching from his neck
down to his knees and on his sword
arm a very heavily padded leather
glove, with gauntlet extending to his
shoulder In practice, as in the regu-
lar duels, the antagonists stand facing
each other and about three feet apart,
the left hand nervously grasping the
trouser strap behind, and the right arm
curved almost directly over the head,
holding the sword, whose blade, al
most perpendicular to the forearm,
falls down in slanting line about two
feet before the face. The blows are
struck in swinging manner from the
wrist and forearm, the point of the
sword describing circle as the blow is
struck. There are four or five blows
only, which are used singly and in
combination with each other. The
quart is blow destined for the left
temple; the wittel quart for the left
ear; the tief quart for the left side of
the chin and the teiz for the right
temple. The blows are received on
the arm, which, as l have said, is pro-
tected by thickly padded gauntlet,
and on the blade near the hilt.
My friend l., who was in the
university at the same time, was a
tall, raw-boned Kentuckian, superb
boxer, as active as a cat, and as mus
oular as trained gymnast. l.
was as fine and noble-hearted fellow
as there was in the world, but he had
one fault, that of rashness, which
often led him into serious scrapes, but
which in the present case was the
cause of German student duel, which
l witnessed. L and l were one
evening rowing on the Pleisse toward
Connewitz, a small village few miles
from Leipzig, which, as there is a
pleasant inn and dance hall there, was
the objective point of many boating
parties, when we were rather unpleas-
antly and suddenly surprised by re-
ceiving considerable dirty water on
our backs and heads, splashed inten-
tionally by the oars of some semi-in-
tOxicated students, and by their in
sigma corps students. L with
few strokes pulled our boat to the
shore, jumped out, and in broken Ger
man and profane English, invited the
Germans to land also. After little
consultation our baptizers pulled to-
ward the bank and the largest man in
the boat got out and was promptly
knocked down by the cleft of that
hot-headed young man. AS Germans
consider it literally beastly (schwein-
ish) to use their fists in combat, the
student rose in an awkward manner
and demanded LIS card This
meant duel. and as l., who had
become a proficient fencer, was desi-
rous, for the fun of the thing, of in
dulging in little conflict with one of
the students, cards were exchanged,
and one of the Germans companions
and myself were appointed seconds to
arrange all the details of the meeting
The other second and met on the
following day and decided on
gasthaus in the village of H and an
early date for the meeting. The duel
was to be fought at z o'clock in the
morning, and as there were no accom-
modations in the village, consequently
an early start would he necessary.
L and / retired early on the evening
before the eventual day and enjoyed
good nights rest, while our antagonists
were indulging in an all-night w;lssail,
called by them kneipe. We rose
early, and after IA hearty breakfast
drove with few American friends,
who went mostly out of curiosity, and
also, in case of any emergency, to see
fair play to L, and had plenty Of
time to enjoy quiet after-breakfast
smoke before the other principal, with
most of the members of his corps,
which, by the way, was the Thueringen,
arrived. The Germans appeared tired
out after their bout but went imme-
diately to work to prepare their cham
pion for the contest. In the duel, the
padded gauntlet Of the fencing-room is
replaced by fold after fold of silk,
which renders the arm a good shield
for certain blows. A long, wide silken
scarf is wound many times around the
neck, to protect the iugular vein, and
the eyes are guarded by iron goggles,
which also hold the ears close to the
head with their straps. The German
wore also his corps cap on his head,
while L was bareheaded. The duel
was to be fought in dance hall in the
inn, and after our men were fully
equipped and banddged we then pro-
ceeded. The Germans took one side
of the hall. the Americans the other,
and a doctor who hal been brought
by the Germans occupied one
side of the "Mensurboden, with a
table holding "A basin of water