The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-20
GEN. DE NEGRIER,s DUEL.
Chattering Theater Party Almost
Causes an Oficer's Dee.n.

From the Nelg York World.
PARIS, April 2S.-A few days ago an In
cident which seemed of little Importance
occurred during performance at the The
atre Francois. Two ladies and a small, dark
gentleman were seated IN box. The ladies
talked with animation, just as if they had
been in their own drawing room. OF course
the people who had come to the theater for
the sake OF listening to the play, but not to
the conversation of ladies, found it unbear-
able. A gentleman and his wife who sat
near the box in which the chattering was
going on were particularly annoyed. There
came moment when the nuisance grew 80
aggravating that the gentleman made q
gesture OF impatieuce aud told his wife in a
tone loud enough TO be heard: when peo-
pie want to talk they might as well stay at
home and not bore the public in the thea
ter The gentleman in the box bent for
ward and asked the other gentleman to come
out with him and give him u few words of
explanation. Both got up, went out to-
gether In the passage aud exchanged their
cards. On the card belonging to the gen.
tleman in the box was printed the follow
ing name: Gen. de Negrier;n on the
other card, "Gaston Legrandn The day
after both opponents met in "A garden at
Neuilly, just outside of Paris. This gar
den surrounded the residence of Ii. CASTOR
Legrand.
Gen. de Negrier's seconds were Gen.
Rothwiller and retired officer. NJ. CASTOR
Legrand's were NJ. de Chabrol, a councillor
of state, and DIR. Deviilers. The weapon
chosen by the general the being the offended
party was the sword. The adversarieS
were worthy of each other. Gen. de Negrier
is very energetic and very 1.-the in body; he
practices all sorts of exercises for six or
eight hours each day, fencing especially,
while NJ. CASTOR Legraud has the name of a
frst-rate swordsman in the world of
fencing.
No sooner had the second appointed as the
ruler of the duel spoken the traditional
words, "Allez, messieursn than the general
began the combat with as much fury and
spirit as if he had been engaged in match
at the fencing school with mask, plastron
and blunted sword. Legrands retort was
worthy of the mastery attack Under such
conditions the combat could not be long.
At one time Gen. de Negrier, who aimed at
no less than striking his opponent full in the
body, thought he had hit upon the right
point; he lunged. Legrand parried and
thrust. while his sword touched the general
full in the chest; at the same moment Gen.
de Negrier struck back with 'remlss" and
pierced his sdversary's cheek. Legrand's
sword had met one of the generals ribs and
had been bent in the blow. Had it devil
ated the width of ceutimeter the general
would have been run through and through
and France would have lost one Of her best
generals.
Gen. de Negrier is the youngest French
general in command of an army corps. IL
him has been intrusted the command Of the
finest corps in the French army, the Sixth
which is placed on the frontier and which
would receive the first shock in case OF O
Franco German war. Gen. de Negrier is G
small, dry, vigorous, indefatigable man
who scarcely sleeps and who works day and
night. He keeps his men in constant prac.
tice and ia worshiped by them. II you
breathe the name "Negrier" in a Frenct
regiment every heart will thrill with patri-
otto enthusiasm. That name would be
enough to carry along a whole army
wherever he would lead it. Gen. de Gallif-
fet, who has command of our "corps
d'armee"-120, 600 men, among whom is de
Negrier's corps, said once, with Ill
restrained Joy and emotion, when speaking
of that generals troops: "Ahl what a fine
corps darmeel How wonderfully trained
it isn The day is approaching when de
Negrier will be commander -in-chief Of the
French army.
Gen. de Negrier's recent duel is not hii
first one. He began early. When he was
admitted to the military school Of st. Cyr
at the age of II, he had his first quarrel, anC
fought against one of his schoolfellows
whom he mortally wounded. After tina
unhappy affair he was sent as private
soldier in foot regiment. A year later ht
was called back TO st. Cyr, but the whole
year had been lost. In 1870 de Negrier, theI
a major in the Chasseurs a pied, was al
Metz when Bazaine decided TO surrender
the town and deliver up his army to the en-
envy as prisoners of war. De Negrier, who
was determined not to surrender, dressed
himself in his uniform on the very morning
of the capitulation, mounted his horse, got
out of the town and went straight on till he
came to the Prussian outposts, where he
met two Uhlans, who stopped him. They
asked whether he had a safe~conduct. He
pretended to look for it, and what he found
was no paper but his revolver. He shot one
Of the Uhlans dead, put the other to flight
and resumed his way straight on. He
reached Belgium, aud shortly after ward he
was back in France and fought bravely in
the army of the Loire.
AS general De Negrier has won renown
chiefly in the Tonquin campaign, which he
conducted with wonderful spirit. He is
still spoken of on the Chinese frontier, where
the Annamites called him Gen. "Maoulen. y
i. e., HE who goes quick" On the day of
the great battle at Bae Nlnb he was to meet
and cooperate with the army of Gen
Briere de rIse He arrived eight hours
sooner than had been intended, but he
was not the man to wait, so he stormed the
forts, drove back the Chinese and put the m
to rout. All was over when Briere de
FIsle came up.