Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-01-01
FATAL DUELS.
Spots Where the Deadly Code Has
Been Observed i'm Russia.
Pail Mall Gazette.


With the exception of the oft des-
cribed "schlagern duels among uni
versity students, which are still wink
ed at, encounters between civilians
are punished throughout with con-
siderable severity, the ordeal of single
combat being privilege practically
reserved for the army. Ia the event
of two officers falling out, court of
honor (Ehrengericht, generally com
posed of five superior officers, and
presided over by the colonel of their
regiment or the general commanding
the district, carefully investigate the
whole affair and decides whether an
apology shall be rendered and accept
ed, or whether an encounter is neces-
sary. The decision of the court is
final, and any officer refusing TO COM
ply, would be compelled to retire
from the service, while any duel un-
authorized by the court would in
fallibly lead to the cashiering of the
offenders Pistols are almost invari-
ably used, at distance of IL PAGES,
and German officers beng as rule
very good shots, fatal consequences
are not infrequent. By a strange
anomaly the verdict of the Ehrenger-
icht does not entirely cover the res
possibility of the combatants. Tn the
event of fatal issue the survivor is
liable to suffer term of open arrest
In & fortress varying from two to six
months. A German officer thus finds
himself placed in dilemma of re-
fusing to fight and being compelled
to retire, or of fighting and running
the risk of being placed under arrest
for doing so,
In no country are duels more fire.
quent or more murderous than in
Russia, the Russians being, especially
when in their cups, as quarrelsome
among themselves as they are pro
verbally courteous to foreigners.
The mode of combat universally
adopted is that termed the duel la
barriere, the opponents being put up
at Is. PAGES with liberty to advance
five PAGES each at a given signal, and
to fire at will. Should one of them
fire and miss, his adversary is entitled
to complete his five PAGES before re
turning the shot. Many cases have
been known in which duelist, al
though mortally wounded, has yet
retained sufficient strength to take
steady aim and fire with fatal effect.
The great Russian poet, Poushkin,
was killed in a duel a La barriere after
severely wounding his antagonist.
In the Baltic provinces a system
prevails, which, at first sight, appears
even more murderous. The adver
saries are placed only three PAGES
apart the pistols are held with the
muzzle pointing upwards, and are
brought down and discharged at a
given signal. 1t may appear almost
impossible for two men to miss each
other at so short distance; but thi;
is not the case. Each of the oppo
nents is so desperately anxious te
gain the least fraction of a second on
his adversary that, on the signal be
ing given, the weapons are often
brought down with so hurried and
violent jerk that the bullets bury
themselves in the ground At duel
fought last year at Riga between an
officer and a student in this fashion
three shots were exchanged without
any result, while at the fourth dis
charge the student had the great toe
of his right foot cut clean off by his
opponents bullet.