Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-04-04
POISONED PILLS THE WEAPONS.
A Remarkable Duel Between Two French
men Who Were Rivals in Love.


men Who Were Rivals In Love.
A Partisan duel. which occasioned
great sensation at the time of its occur.
renee. was one between Henri Delagrave
and Alphonso Riviere, the cause being
The success of the former in wooing
young lady to whom they were both at
tached. Riviere insulted his successful
rival by slapping him on the check, and
1t was agreed that a duel should take
place in which the life of one should be
ended.
The details were left to their seconds
to arrange, and until they faced each
other upon the field neither of the young
men knew in what form they were to
brave death. On the following morning
four men met in "A quiet wood. They
were Riviere. with Monsieur Savalle, his
second, Delagrave, who was accom-
panied by a doctor named Rocquet.
The latter informed the rivals that Mon
sieur Savale and himself had arrived at
the decision that, in order to secure a
fatal result to one of the principals, it
would be best to leave out of the eues-
ton swords and pistols, and to trust to
the more sure action of a deadly poison.
As lac spoke he drew from his pocket a
little box in which lay four black pei
lets. all exactly identical in shape and
size.
In one of these" he said, Il have
placelM sufficient quantity of prussic
acid To cause the almost instantaneous
death of him who swallows it. Monsieur
Slvalln and will decide 10y the toss of a
choice, and you shall alternately draw
and swallow a pill until the poison
shows the effects
While speaking the last words the doc
tor spun into the air a glittering gold
piece, and as it fell Savale cried "Tails.'
1t fell with the head uppermost, and
Savale said:
THE first choice is yours, Monsieur
Delagrave.
The two whose fate was contained in
those innocent looking black balls had
shown no signs of trepidation, while the
doctor explained the awful preparations
that he had made for the death of one of
them; and Delagrave's face was perfect
ly impressive as he selected and washed
down with a 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.
y minute passed, two, three, and still
the duelists stood motionless
1T is your choice again, Monsieur Del
agrave.' said the doctor, "but this time
you must swallow the pill at the same
instant as Monsieur Riviere swallows the
one you leave for him."
Delagrave paused for a moment, look
ing in silence at the two balls that lay
before him. The closest scrutiny showed
not the slightest difference between
them: one was harmless, but in the other
rested the pail of eternity-the silence
and peace of that sleep that knows nc
awakening III this world.
With a start he drew his eyes from the
box. and putting his finger and thumb
into it, drew forth one of the remaining
pills. Riviere took the solitary one re-
manning, and both men simultaneously
gulped down their fate.
A few seconds passed without any per.
ceptible movement on the part of either
of them, and then Riviere threw up hi.
hands, and, without a sound. fell flat
upon the grass He turned half round
gave one conyulsive shudder, and, as hi:
rival bent over him, 6reathed his last
The fair cause of this awful tragedy wa,
so Mortified over 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 tn,
grave in few months time. Glasgow
Star.