The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-10
French uneifag.
RelrraVfa

When il ceased 10 bs the fashion t } wear
swords IN the last century, pistols were soon
substituted for personal encounters This
made dueling far less amusing aud more
dau geroue, and pr0portionally less popnlar.
The 6uel in England received practically ITS
comp de grace with the new Articles of War
Of 1874, which dlscre6ited the pract.Ca in
the army by offering gentlemen facilities foT
pubic explanation, apology or arbitration
iD the presence of their commanding o.
iicer. But previous 10 this the duel o.
satisfaction had assumed the most prepos-
ferrous forms. Parties sgreed 10 draw lots
for pistols and 10 fight the one With p
loaded, the other Tiih an un oaded weapon
This affair OF honor { y WAS 81 WAYS 4 [ short
Gittsrces and "poinr blank" and the loser
was usually killed Another plan was 70 20
into dark room together and commence
firing. Thsre is a beautiful and pathetic
story told Of two men, the one kind"
man and the other a ''timid' man, who
found themse Ives unhapDiy bound TO night
and chose the dark room duel The kind maU
had 10 Efe first and, not wishing % hurt hurt
bis adversary, cropped bis way TO the chimney
piece. and, placing the muzzle OF his pistol
straight up the chimney. pulled the trigger,
when, TO his COnsterL ion, with q fright'0i
yell down came his adversary, the 'timid
man, who had selected that fatal hiding
place. An0ther grot' sque form was the
OF bread. the other swallowing one made o;
poison. When matters had reached this
point public opinion net unnaturally toos
a turn for the better, and resolved 70 stand
by the old obsolete law against dueling
while Ell acting new by laws for the army
which, of course. reacted powerfully. with
sort OF professional authority, upon the prec
tice OF bellicose civilians
The duel was originally mare trial OF
might, BIKE our prize fight; 10 was 80 used by
armies and nations, as in the case Of David
and Goliath or as when Charles V chal
leDged Charlemsgne to single combat. Bat
In medieval tim s it sot 10 be also used as
test of right the feeling Of judicial trlsl
By ordeal entering into the struggle
between two persons each claim ,Dg
right on his eide. The judicial trial BY
oIdsal was abandoned Ia the reign of Ella
beth, but the practice OF private duel
ing bas survived in spite Of the adyarse
legislation, and is exceedingly popular IL
France down to the present day. The law
of civilized nations has however, al ways
heed dead against IT, In 1899 the P4rlia
ment Of Paris went SO far as ID declare every
oDeilist reble TO his majesty; nevertheless
ia the first eighteen years of Henri Qlartre's
reign no fewer t0an 600 gentlemen ar
sa' d TO have persisted III dUels, and Hear
himself remarked, when Crevin challenged
Don Philip, Of Savoy, III had not bssn
MIX 1 NUNtG nave brfl FtLE stGDUI. OAT
Ambassador Lord Herbert a. toe court
OF Louis XIII, wrote homa that be hardly
ever met French gentleman Of repute
wfo had not either killed his man or
meant TO do So and this in spite OF
lave so severe that lEs two greatest duelists
of The sge. the Count dc 90uttevLls aud the
Marquis oe BeuTon, were both behsaded,
being taken in fsgrants delicto. Louis XIV
published another severe edict Ia 1919, aud
had the courage TO enforce it. The practice
was checked for a time, but it received uew
impulse after the Close Of the Napoleonic
wars
The dullDess OF Louis Philippe's reign and
the GissC lnteBess OF Louis Napol cons both
fos!ered ouelipg. The present 'opportunist"
republic bids fair TO out5id both. You can
hardly take up 3 French Newspaper without
reading an account OF vsrious duels. Like
the suicides N Paris, aud the rail WY assaults
II EDglsnd, dGelS fOrm q regular and much
appreciated iTem Of French daily ne Ss Is is
ditficDll 20 think Of NJ. de GiTardin's sho Dting
deed poor Armand Care the most brilliant
young Journalist in France -without i'm
patience and disgust, or to read Of NJ. Roche
forts exploit the other day without a smile.
The shaking hands ia the most cordial way
with NJ RocbeioTt, the compliments on his
workmanship, v nat tims ,he blood flowed
from an ugly wound, inflicted by hi IN "a he
wss hopping his own neck, sre all 81 many
little French points (of honor2) which we
are sure bis challenger, Captain FJurnisr
was delighted to see noticed Ia the papers.
No doubt every billiard room and cafe in
Paris gloated over the details and the heroes
Roohefort and Fournier, wers duly feted
and diDed together es soon as their respect
i've wounds were sofficiently healed. Mean
While John Bull reads the ia and grunts
out loud, THE whole thing is brutal farce
and the principals are no better than .
couple OF asses"