The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-20
THE CODE O,
The Times When Honor DENIAL
Fashionable Dueliuc Weapons

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appear TO have been governed by customs
which were preserved mainly by ira.
dition, though the innumorable written
accounts Of ducls were OF course useful
IN establishing and preserving thoso
customs
1t was perhaps characteristic OF the
Irish mind that the first code" strictly
so called. should have been established In
Ireland. Certainly the manner of is
establishment was eminently Irish. NJ.
] merous gentlemen of social standing and
Of experience in dueliug, which was then
almost a national pastime IN Ireland.
were elected as delegates from TIppefarv
Galway Mayo. Sligo and Roscommon.
and met in solemn convention
The meeting was held at the Clonmel
summer aSsizes of the year mentioned.
and after due elaboration they wrote
out and promulgated a set of rules gov.
erning 1.-THE practice Of dueling and
points of honor" These were duly
signed by Crow Ryan, as president. and
by James Keog and Andy Bodkin. as
secretaries of the convention. and were
sent out with an ~. b." attached. which
read IAN matters and doubts not here
in mentioned viii be- explained and
cleared up by application TO the commit
tee. who meet alternately at Clonmel and
Galway at the quarter sessions for the
purpose
The only other code have found is the
one published by Governor Wilson sixty.
eight years later. 1t has been called.
sometimes, the Kentucky code but il
is hard to say why. since it was writ.n
by South Carolinian and published IN
Charleston. and dueling was certainly no
more in vogue in Kentucky than in any
other state.
The progress of refinement between
the two dates mentioned Is easily % h.
noted by a comparison Of some few
points In rule Is of the earlier code it
is laid down that: mo dumb shooting
or firing in the air is admissible in any
case. The challenger ought NOT TO have
challenged without receiving oifense. and
| the challenged ought. If he gave oflenst,
to have made an apology before he came
/ on the ground; therefore children's play
must be dishonorable on one side OF the
other, and is strictly prohibited. by
the American practice, ON the other
hand il is held that a deliberate firing in
the air terminates duel, since the party
50 firing has satisfied the demands II
honor by exposing his life TO the attack
of his foe.
The Irish code declares that no verbal
apology can bc received FOR blow. and
says. "AlI imputations of cheating 40
play races, ETC., are % boz considered
equivalent To a blow. hut may be- recon
cilcd after one shot on admitting their
falsohooi and begging pardon publicly.
In general il may be- said that ,he
American code justIiies the clam Of the
codiiier that his desire was 10 prevent
duels that may be avoided without In-
fractions If the law Of honor. while the
aim Of the lrishmen seems 10 have been
10 make it as easy as possible for a man
determined to fight 10 get at his adyer-
sary S gore.
One interesting point relative % the
refinement of dueling was the gradual
elimination of the clumsier weapons.
Every reader on the subject knows that
weapons of almost every description have
been used. from theQuartcr staff OF early
days 10 the seven shooter.
There came 20 b., after time, %
strong prejudice against such choice OF
weapons, and of late, as au Anonymous
writer of ten years ago pointed out. only
three weapons have been recognized as
Legitimate weapons for dueiiug pur-
poses. These are the pistol, the rapier or
small sword. and the saber or broad
sword.
This writer says: Proficiency la
fencing can be- urged as a fatal objection
to the use Of apier or saber when one
principal AYERS his ignorance in the AT
OF handling either. But against the
pistol "a q weapon no protest can be- en-
tertained, provided itS make and fash
ion accord with the requirements Of
the code. The rapler, for centuries
portion 81 habitual costume,
and stll conserved as a feature IN
state and court dress, has long since been
dropped from the list Of American duel
ing weapons, having been used of late
wears only by Creoes of Louisiana and
BY foreigners sojourning in this country.
Although not essentially Objectionable 10
the code, as most certainly are rifles,
towing pieces, reyolyers, bowie knives
and similar destructive implements, to
suggest employment of the small sword
fer present dueling purposes would b.
regarded as an attempted evasion Of the
carte. OF craven endeavor 10
take advantage Of an unskillful an
lagon.,, In almost similar light
would be- viewed a choice Of the saber,
which. while the rapier was consid-
cred 40 a destructive weapon for civ
ilians, has been reserved wholly
, for the use Of gentlemen attached 10 the
military and naval arms Of service,
cutless being at times substituted for the
regulation cavalry sword % accommo-
I date heroes of the marine branch. The Ia
vorite and most legitimate dueling weapon
/ Of the present century Is the pistol and
the one indirectly recommended 10y the
code. The Tpperary code sSnctions the
employment Of holster pistols IN duel.
but since the days Of Turpin and King
Il IL. too FrHNN Nu