The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-18

The Baron Takes Shot at the General, Who
Discharges His Pistol in the Air.


The Baron Takes Shot at the General, who
Discharges His Pistol in the Air.
PARIS, July 1.-THE duel between General
Boulanger, Minister of War; and Baron de
Lareinty, arising from the remarks of the Baron
in the Senate on Thursday, relative to the ex-
pulsion of the Duke d'Aumale was fought at 8
o'clock this morning. The weapons pis-
tols The place of meeting was in forest, near
Meudon, five miles west of Paris. When the
command to fire was given the Baron shot at
General Boulancer. The latter coolly awaited
the result of the shot, without firing himself.
Finding himself untouched by his opponents
bullet, General Boulanger raised his own pistol
and fred in the air. The combatants then left
the field General Boulanger returned to Paris
and went straight to his Office at the War De-
partmert large crowd had assembled to
learn the result of the duel, and they gave Gen.
Boulanger an ovation when he appeared. The
members of the Cabinet and scores of the Depu-
ties and Senators have visited General Boulan-
ger at the War Department to personally con-
graduate him upon the bravery of his action in
the duel.
The official report of the duel says that Baron
Lareinty desired that it be fought with swords,
but that General Boulanger had the right of
choice, and named pistols. Both combatants
fired when the signal was given, and both were
untouched. 1t was found that Boulanger's ps-
toll had missed fire. The seconds declared that
honor was satisfied, and the combatants shook
hands The report does not confirm the state
ment that Boulanger fired in the air.
The Temps's account says that after the en-
counter Lareinty, holding out his hand to
Boulauger, said II have never doubted your
loyalty nor your chivalrous courage" and that
Boulanger replied: 81 never thought that you
accused me of personal cowardice. but I was
anxious to face your fire."
Gen. Boulanger's reorganization OF the French
military system is meeting with great success.
"Place me at the head of the army" he once
said. land France will subjueate the world !"
Very recently he ordered forty thousand infant
~ to be armed with repeating rifles, much to the
anger of Germany. He has been the chief
mover in tho campaign against the Princes
During the recent debates he urged extending
the expulsion to all the princes, and especially
to the DUO de Chartres, whom he accused Of at
tempting to institute an Orleanist propaganda in
the army" General Boulanger is an intensely
democratic Minister of War, bitterly enraged
against anything that smacks of royalty, and
doing what he does, however, he is chiefly the
instrument of M. Clemenceau, whose cousin he
is. and by whose influence he was hoisted into
his present position
In carrying out the new army service system
General Boulanger is infexibly onerous. He has
framed new army recruiting bill which will
bring the vast majority of Frenchmen under
arms to the extent almost of a permanent levee
en- masse of the adult population. He has vastly
improved the dressing and general appearance of
the army. Up to the end Of the empire the
French soldier was the most splenddly dressed
and most showily equipped in Europe. From
1870, however, every successive Minister
of War did his utmost to make him look as mean
and as shabby as possible General Bou-
LANCER has made it his duty to improve the dress
of the soldier, believing that pride in appear
ance of the individual has much to do with the
general efficiency of the army as a whole. There
are many people in France. however, who hold
the opinion that General Boulanger is aspiring
to play political role in the Republican party.
Jules Simon recently, in an article On the expul-
sion of the princes, said: ''You are close on a
Clemenceau Ministry. Clemenceau is the
threshold of Office. The terrible pretender bids
you rid him of two peaceable pretenders. They
were not in your way, but they are in his"