Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-03-21
her left side. while the Countess wa.

I her left side. while the Co lntess wal
just quietly touched in an ear.
A duel took place at Paris Jan. 81,
1772, between Mile. de Guignes and
Mile. d'Aiguillon (two ladies of quail
ty), who had quarreled about prece.
dency at a soiree, and retired to a gar.
den adjacent to the scene of disturbance
and fought with knives until both were
wounded-the former in tho arm and
the latter in the neck. 1t is recorded Of
Mile. Moussin, a French prima donna,
that, after killing three men in duels in
the woods near / aris, by sword, she IA
tally wounded her fencing-master, Sc
rane. and fled to Brussels, where she
domiciled with the elector of Bavaria
for a brief period. Lola Montez wal
also skillful with both pistol and rapier,
but it does not appear that she ever en-
gagged in anything of Il hostile character
above the dignity of a street fight. She
once challenged a journalist at Grass
Valley. Cal, to meet her with pistols
according to prevailing rules governing
such meetings; and, upon his refusal to
do so, thrashed him with a cowhida up
on q public street. In 1915 she was q
witness in the trial of M. Bouvalton for
killing NJ. Dujarier, at Paris, and said
in her testimony: 81 was a better shot
than Duiarier; and, if Bouvallon only
wanted satisfaction, l would have fought
him myself" Dujarier was the friend
of Lola Montez, and in his will, written
the evening before his death, he be-
queathed the (afterward) Countess of
Lansfeldt 100. 900 francs. On the 21st
of August, 1777, Mile. Leverricr Ga
young lady Of good family,) who had
been Tilted by a navy officer named Du-
PREF, met the latter in the street, and
handed him a pistol and told him to de-
fend himself-atth h same time she drew
a weapon and shot her false one in the
face, while he discharged his pistol in
the air. An extract from a Georgia
newspaper published in 1917, says:
"Last week q point OF honor was de-
cided between two ladies near the South
Carolina line, the cause of the quarrel
being the usual one-love. The object
of the rival affections of these fair cham
pions was present on the field as the
mutual arbiter in the dreadful combat,
and he had the grief of beholding one
OF the suitors for his favor fall danger
ously wounded before his eyes. The
whole business was managed with all
the decorum and ~infiexibility practiced
on such occasions, and the conqueror
was Immediately married to tho inno-
cent second, conformably to the pre-
vious conditions of the duel"
A Buffalo On. W paper of August,
1858, gives an account of an arrest of
| (No+1,ori,o 1,,,1o1y o~I 1o-1 HILL tk,u1.-
met on the toll-bridge on Ohio street,
in the presence of a vast assemblnge, to
fight a duel with Aliens revolvers."
No other accounts of similar perform
ances have come under the observation
of the writer.
A very interesting anecdote, however,
touching female heroism, NAY be re.
lated of the Countess de St. Belmont:
When M. de St. Belmont, who defended
a feeble fortress against the arms of
Louis XIV. was taken q prisoner, his
intrepid wife, Nine. la Comtesse de
St. Belmont, who was of a most heroic
disposition, still remained upon the es-
tates to take care of them. An officer
of cavalry having taken up his quarters
there without invitation, Nine. de St.
Belmont sent him a very civil letter OF
complaint on his i'll behavior, which he
treated with contempt. Piqued at this.
she resolved that he should give her sat
isfaction, and sem him a challenge
which she signed lie Chevalier de St.
Belmont" The officera at once accepted
the challenge and repaired to the place
appointed. Nine. de Belmont met him
dressed in male attire. They immedi-
ately drew their swords, and in a short
time the heroine disarmed him. when she
said, with a gracious smile: .You
thought, sir, that you were fighting the
Chevalier de St. Belmont; but you were
Mistaken am Nine. de st. Belmont.
| return your sword, sir, and politely
beg you to pay proper respect to the re-
quest of a lady in future" The heroic
woman then took her departure, leav-
ing the vanquished officer covered with
shame and confusion.
The most singular combat, SAYS an
English writer, by which arms were
ever gained, was one which happened
in the family of Hotot. The family of
Dudley in Northamptonshire, bears for
a crest a woman's head, with a helmet;
her hair disheveled and her throat-latch
loose. The occasion of this crest was
singular. In the year 1890, Hotot,
having dispute with one Ringsdale
about the title of a piece Of land, they
agreed to meet on the disputed ground
and decide it by combat. On the day
appointed Hotot was laid up with the
govt; rather than he should suffer in
his honor, o. lose his land, his daugh-
ter Agnes armed herself cap-a-pie.
mounted her fathers steed. and went to
meet Ringsdale at the place appointed.
After a stubborn fight she dismounted
her adversary, and when he was on the
ground she loosened her throat-latch,
lifted up her helmet, and let down her
hair upon her shoulders. Agnes after
ward married into the Dudley family;
and in honor of her heroic action her de-
s%cendants have always used the above
described crest, with the motto: Ga0a
spes salutus.-AHa California.