New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-31
THE WATcHFUL BELGIAN POLICE.
NJ. RocHEFoRT AND NJ. ISAAC PREVENTED FROM
FIGHTING A DUEL.

~. M.
FIGHTING DUEL.
Gable dispatches reported recently that duel was
TO take place between Henri Rochefort and d. Isaac.
the French subprefeot who had ordered the shooting
at Fourmes, Of men and women making manifesto
iIon On MAY l. 1t was cabled aferward that the
Belgian police had rendered the fighting OF the duel
impossible The particulars Of The whole affair
present comical character. in contrast win the
bloody circumstances which had brought about the
challenge. Rochefort, who In exile In England
wrote to the subprefect a letter saying
ain the name of the Frenchmsn in London. am
requested to declare that you are assassin and
coward, Just your father bankrupt. aud thef
1t is with the lveest satisfaction that acquit my
self Of that MISSION
VI. Isaac. who had not yet been recalled from his
post by the French Government as o punishment for
his conduct at Fourmes, smarted under Rocheforts
insult, and sent two friends Of his to challenge the
pampbeteer. Rochefort, who had already fought ten
duels In his life, Immediately accepted the challenge,
and said that his seconds would be- Ayraud Degeorge
and Call. both editors his Paris paper "LIntran-
slgeant." He was also careful In warning NJ lsaacs
friends not to dlvuge anything about the duel because
they would be liable TO be arrested In England for
having merely provoked somebody TO duel; and es-
pecally because the encounter would be rendered i'm
possible II IL known before hand. The pamphleteer
being exile from France could not there 10 fight
in Belgium where he is known to everybody, police
would prevent the fighting. Holland was the only
available country and IL necessary not TO wake up
the Dutch authorities. notwithstanding all these
admonltions, and though the seconds of NJ. Isaac
could not have been suspected Of an ndiscretion 1t
happened that on the day of their interview with
Rochefort and previous to their return from France,
two Ministerial papers of Paris published notice stat
ing all the facts relative to their Grand.
The four seconds met the next day Mt Ostend In
Belgium and arranged everything for the duel which
was TO take place on the frontier Of Holland between
the villages of Heyst and Breskens Rochefort started
from London by the Ostend boat at the proper time
Two Begians gendarmes watching for him. and
they boarded the same railroad train which he TOOK
for Holland. At the Blackenberg station two more
gendarmes Joined their comrades, and at Heyst the
whole squad of gendarmes In the place was mo6ized
having at their head the oommissary of police In full
uniform. So soon as Rochefort had stepped from
the train the commissary said to him:
ave know the object of your visit here, and our
orders are to prevent the duel.S
"But we do not intend to fight in Belgian ter
ritory,n answered Rochefort; eve going to Hol
land"
ave will not lose sight of you. Well accompany
you to the frontier. The Dutch gendarmes are fore
warned; they hold the roads, for the police there
have received the same instructions did here"
From that moment Rochefort. his seconds and
DR.. Auburn, who accompanied them, could not move
without being followed by the gendarmes at short
distance The commissary walked behind them him
self, followed by eight gendarmes and their officer
The wouldbe duellists went 10 the sand cliffs, the
gendarmes walked there also ROchefort returned 10
the village they returned likewise. The Inhabitants,
the fishermen and some workmen-attracted by the
spectacle of that strange wandering group-followed,
keeping in the of the gendarmes. Nothing was
heard in that quiet neghborhoOd but the chatter Of
wooden shoes and the trampng Of the boots Of the
gendarmes Finally Rochefor and his friends entered
the "Csfe Of the City Hail." in Eglse-st They were
hardly seated at table when the commssary and the
cendarmes entered also. The pamphleteer walked up
and down through the hall; the gendarmes rose also
and made strategic movements to prevent him from
going out 1t appeared impossible to get rid of the
bothering escort and NJ. Rochefort invited the
the gendarmes and their officer take a
drink. They accepted the invitation and emptied
some glasses of beer with placid conference.-the
commissary expressing meanwhile his regrets at hav-
ing to fulfil his duty toward amiable and so famous
a guest Somebody caused him to observe that NJ.
Isaac was quietly the cliff and not watched at
all: and that his treatment was not far, since the
notice bused itself exclusively about Rochefort.
ave know him." answered the police officer, Eve
know this one; and the other cannot nght duei
alone" 49, 49, -, ,. o,S .ho soo
ends decided To return to Bruges They entered a
carriage with Rochefort, and the commssay Win ms
gendarmes Immediately took another cOacn anu ros
lowed that of the plmphleteer, thus causing great
aStonis6ment in the village, through which passed the
whole caravan. At Bruges ROchefort alghed az the
Hotel du Commera his escort dd tne Se. tt i1 dtv
Soon after NJ Isaacs seconds arrived and signed with
those of Rochefort process verbal staung Una, the
duel could not be fought. Rochefot then TOOK inc
train for T5end still accompanied by the gendarmes
who kept sight of him until the boat Tor LOnuon ao
on the horizon.