The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-11-23
WOMEN AS DUELISTS.
The Field of Honor Not r1onopOiized
by Men,
-. Louis Republic

-. LOUIS kepuDIc-
OF course there have been duels between
women ever since Leah and Rachel pulled
each others hair for jealousy of Jacob.
But duels on the field of honor between
women, or between woman and a man.
are rare.
About the first according TO The code be-
tween women took place In the time of
Louis XIV. The ''great and honorable la
dies" we are told, fought each other with
pistols in the Bots de Boulogne for love Gf
the handsome eyes OF the Due de Rchelieu.
They were the MaTGuiSe de Nesles and the
Comtessc de Polignsc.
Fire first" said the Countess.
The MarchioIess fired aud missed.
Rage made her hand shake" exclaimed
Nine. de Polignac. She fired.
Nine. dc Nesles fell, swoonng. Her ad-
versary's bullet had struck the tip of her
ear.
Tallemand des Reaux relates the story of
two sisters. One, Nine. de Chasleau-Gay,
having taken offense against one of her
friends. challenged him. and ON the field
wounded him.
The other. more original. Nine. La Douze.
wished to punish her own husband, and
having dragged him to the dueling place,
gave him. by way of conviction, three sword
strokes that would have done credit to a
fencing-maSter.
About the year 100 there lived in Paris
young woman, very beautiful, as witty as
beautiful and saucer than either. She had,
the writers OF the time say, the prettiest eyes
in the world and the waviest hair. She
sometimes called herself Nine. d'Aubgny,
sometimes Mile. de Maupin.
Falling in love with provost she followed
him TO Marseilles, where she did all sorts of
foolish things. Then, returning 10 Paris. she
entered the opera. where she met with ex-
tTa0rdinary success and continued her ex-
plolts.
One night. wearing mems clothes. she
went to a masked ball at the Palais Royal.
She made herself disaGreeable to lady of
the court and three gentlemen who were
with the lady challenged her.
She confronted them one after another
and successfully placed her three aiyer-
saries hors de combat.
A few days afterward she had duel with
fourth man, whom she seriously wounded.
In November. 1874, Baron dc Trautman-
dorf, diplomat, was on the eve of marry
ing young widow, the Countess Lodowska
de r., a Pole by birth.
An unknown rival OF the Baron saw fit to
rldicule him in piece Of verse signed
"Baron de Ropp." The diplomat challenged
the poet. On the ground friend OF the
poet took his place with the consent of
Trautmandorf, who was killed In the en-
counter.
Trautmandorf's second bitterly re-
preached De Ropp for his conduct. In an
hour they had met on the field, sword in
hand. R0pp wounded his antagonist; but
what was HE surprise and sorrow when he
recognized in TrautmandoTfs second the
Countess Lodowska.
The Countess died OF her wound; De
Ropp committed suicide.
As late as 1895 Miss Shelley. an American,
fought duel with Nine. Astis dc Valsayrs
at Waterloo. The young Yankee contended
that American female doctors-she was
one-knew more than the French. The
fiery Frenchwoman denied It, Miss Shelley
retorted. The word idiot" was used
Nine. Astie de Valsay re demanded repara-
tion by arms. but as Miss Shelley was a s
ignorant of the sword as she was skilled
with the scalpel, the French doctor gener-
ously gave her fifteen days respite 10 get
her hand in.
The American did not back out. She was
pinked in the arm, honor was satisfied and
the combatants were recoDciled on The
ground.