Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-12-26
DECLINE OF DUELING.
A Remarkable Duel With q Dose of POis-
oned Pills.
Settlement OF Bitter Riva Try in Way that
Must Leave One Of the Principals Alive
But the Fair Woman Repealed Him.


Must Leave One of the Principals Alive
But the Fair Woman Repealed Him.
The advantages OF living in the lat
ter half of the nineteenth century are
many and various; but none is more to
be priced than the fact that the face of
society is now as sternly set against
dueling as it looked VITA favor upon
the barbarous custom in days which
arc within the memory of many living
men. We can hardly realize now that
fifty years ago a Major in the British
army was killed in a duel which arose
in dispute about what was trumps at
game of cards; but such was the case.
There is no record OF private duel
having been fought in this country be-
fore the time OF James l. Duels be-
came usual in the reign OF that mon
arch, and grew in favor during the
years in which the two Charles occu-
pied the throne. They were most
common in England i'm the dissolute
days of Charles IL 1t was then Gus
tomary for seconds to fight as we'll as
their principals, and, as they were al
ways chosen for their adroitness, their
eombats were usually the more fatal.
Duels were prevalent in France for
fully century before they became in
troduced on this side of the channel
Hallam attributes their rise to the bar
barous custom OF wearing a sword as
part of the private dress OF q gentlea
man OF fashion, which was introduced
at the end of the fifteenth century.
A duel which occasioned a great sem
sation at the time OF its occurrence was
one between Henri Delagrave and AL
phOnse Riviere the cause being, the
success of the former ia wooing a
young lady to whom they were both at
tached. Kiviere insulted his success
ful rival by slapping him on the cheek
in a gaming saloon, and it was agreed
that duel should take place, in which
the life of one should be ended. The
details were left to their seconds to ar
range ; and, until they faced one an
other upon the field, neither OF the
young men knew in what form they
were to brave death. On the follow
ing morning four men met in a quiet
wood. They were Riviere, with Mon
sieur Savalle, his second. and Della
grave, who was accompanied by doc
tor named Rocquet The latter inform
cd the rivals that Monsieur Savalle and
himself had arrived at the decision
that, in order to secure the certainty
of fatal result to one of their princi-
plls, it would be best to leave out of
the question swords or pistols, and to
trust to the more sure action of dead
ly poison. As he spoke he drew from
his pocket a little box, in which lay
in size and shape.
I'm one of these" he said II have
placed a sufficient quantity of prussic
acid to cause the almost instantaneous
death of any one who swallows it. NJ.
Savalle and l will decide by the toss
of coin which of you is to have
first choice, and you shall alternately
draw and swallow pill until the poi
son shows its effects" While speaking
the last word the doctor spun into the
air glittering gold piece, and, as it
fell, Savalle cried, Tails. 1t fell
with the head upmost, and Savalle
said: THE first choice yours, Mr..
Dalagrave." The two whose fate was
contained in those ocent-loolIing
black balls had shown no sign OF trepi-
dation while the doctor explained the
awful preparations that he had made
for the death Of one of them; and Della
graves face was perfectly impassive
as he selected and washed down with
glass OF claret one of the globules.
"And now Monsieur Riviere." said the
doctor. Riviere extended his hand and
took a pill, which he swallowed with
as little appearance of concern as his
opponent. A minute passed, two
three. and still the duelists stood
motionless at is your choice
again, Monsieur Delagrave," said the
doctor; "but this time you must
swallow the pill at the same instant
that M. Riviere swallows the one you
leave for him." Delagrave paused for
"a moment, looking in silence at the
two balls that lay before him. The
closest scrutiny showed not the slight
est difference between them; one was
harmless, but in the other rested the
pail OF eternity-the silence and peace
OF that sleep which knows no awaken
ing in this world. With start, he
drew his eyes from the box, and. put
ting his finger and thumb into it.
drew forth one OF the remaining pills.
Riviere took the solitary one remain
ing, and both men simultaneously
gulped down their fate. A few seconds
passed without any perceptible move
ment on the part OF either OF them.
and then Riviere threw up his hands,
and, without a sound, fell fiat upon
the grass. He turned half round. gave
one convulsive shudder, and, as his
rival bent over him, breathed his last.
The fair cause of this awful tragedy
was so Mortified at it that she refused
to see Delagrave again; and the
memory Of those few minutes weighed
so heavily upon him that he followed
Riviere TO the grave in few months
time.