Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-07-03
DTEIING SCANDAL
An Austrian Baron Guilty of DishosRorable
Conduct on the Field of Honor.

Conduct the Field of Homo.
One of the best known racing stables on
the continent is thatsof baron Won Stern,
whose name is familiar to every sporting
man in Europe Last week. says Vienna
letter to the New York Tribune, he was
present at the great spring meeting at
bers of the waning horses being hoisted,
blows on his hat and head from person
recognized in his aggressor young Count
ly retaliated by lunging at him with his
stick. A hand-to-hand conflict then en-
sued, IN the course OF which both parties
received considerable damage before they
could be separated by the bystanoers-
Next morning duel with cavalry sabers
took place, which resulted in the young
count being dangerously wounded, and
that, too, in such an unfair manner that
his adversary, baron Won Stern, has lost
all claims to consideration as a man of
honor. For, being hard pressed by the
count, and having already sustained sew
eral slight scratches, he suddenly seized
hold of his opponent s sword with his left
hand and having him thus completely at
his mercy, the oo1nt being entirely de-
fenseless, inflicted two terrible cuts on his
appraised arm and ON his side before the
Mortified seconds could interfere. A pro-
ces verbal was at once drawn up, in which
the baron's own seconds joined in bitterly
condemning his breach of the laws of the
duello, an infraction of which is regarded
as being more serious than that of the or
binary code of honor.
The Indignation which prevails against
the baron both at Buda-Pesth and IN this
city is intensified by the circumstances
which led to his being assaulted by Count
Kutschenbach on the race course. 1t ap-
pears that the latter's eldest brother, Alex
ander. who is captain of hussars, had
been in the habit of playing cards with
the baron, and had lost heavily to him at
ecarte during a game about three weeks
ago at the Jockey club in this city. Under
ordinary circumstances debts of this ma
ture have to be paid within the twenty
four hours. The captain, however, not
having the sum due at his disposal tele-
graphed and wrote to his mother asking
her to help him out of his difficulty. The
good old lady replied both by telegraph
and by letter, stating that the money
would be forthcoming In eight days, the
time required for effecting the mortgage
of certain lands and securities. On receipt
of this news Alexander at once wrote to
the baron explaining the delay in the set
Element of the debt, and inclosing his
mothers letter as an additional assurance
of his good faith in the matter. Baron
Stern readily consented to give the time
required, but with a lack of delicacy
which cannot sufficiently be condemned
showed the old countess letter to num-
Der of his friends, making fun of the
motherly advice which she deemed it to be
her duty to send her son on the subject of
gambling Alexander's younger brother,
Robert, happened to hear of the manner in
which the baron was sneering about his
mother, and seized the first Opportunity to
chastise him for his disrespect when he
met him on the race course The card
debt had already been settled at the time
when the duel was fought. Since the lat
ter the baron has been forced by the popu-
lar outcry against him to resign his mem
bership of the Jockey club and of several
other sporting associations, and to with
draw from the turf. He has, in fact, be-
come a social outcast, and it is probable
that Austria will see but little of him in
the future