The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-11-23
FEM1NINE DUELISTs.
Instances Showing That Women
Have Observed the Code.
Reparation by Arms Resortad TO BY La
dies Of Nobility-Blood Shed by Fair
Ftghters In Defense
OF Honor.

| II OeAo08o
OF Honor.
OF course there have been duels be
tween women ever since Leah and
Rachel pulled each others hair for
jealousy of Jacob. But duels on the
field of honor between women, or be-
tween woman and q man, are rare.
About the first. says the New Yorl,
World. according to the code, between
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 Of the handsome eyes of Due
de Richelieu. Thcy were Marquise de
Nesles and Comtesse de Polignac
Fire first" said the countess.
The marchioness fired and missed.
Rage made her hand shake" ex-
claimed Nine. de Polignac. She fred.
Nine. de Nesles fell, swooning. Her
adversary's bullet had struck the tip Of
her ear.
They tell at Paris" writes a con-
tenporaneous historian, ''of two ladies
of the court who fought duel with
pistols The king said, laughing, that
there was no more excuse for them
than for the men,"
Tallemand des Reaux relates the
story of two sisters One, Nine. dc
Chasteau-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 tho duelling
place gave him. by way Of conviction,
three sword strokes that would have
done credit to the fencing master.
About the year 100 there lived In
Paris a young woman, very beautiful.
as witty as beautiful and saucier than
either. She had, tho writer's of tho
time say, the prettiest eyes in the world
and the wavie5t hair. She sometimes
called herself Mme. fAubigny, some
times Mile. de Mauple. Falling In love
with q provost she followed him to
Marsei1les where she did all sorts Of
foolish things Then returning to Paris
sho entered the opera. where she met
with extraordinary success and con-
tinued her exploits
Ono night. woaring mems clothes, she
went to a masked ball 1t the PALMS
Royal Sho made herself disagreeable
to a lady Of the court. and three gentle
men who wc.c with the lady challenged
her. She confronted them ono after an
other and excessively placed her three
adversaries hors dc combat. A few days
she had a duel with fourth
man. whom she seriously wounded
In November, 1884, Baron de Traut-
. diplomat, was on the eve Of
marrying . young widow, Countess
Lodo7~ska de R, Pole by birth.
An unknown rival of the baron saw fit
to ridicule him in piece Of verse signed
Baron de Ropp." The diplomat chal-
lenged the poet. On the ground friend
Of the poet took his place, with the con-
sent of Trautmandorf. who was killed
in the encounter. Trautmandorf's Sec
ond bitterly, reproached De Ropp for
his conduct. In an hour they met on
the field, sword in hand. De Ropp
his antagonist, but what was
his surprise and sorrow when he rec
ognized in Trautmandorf's second
Countess Ladowska. The countess died
Of her wound; De Ropp committed sui
eide.
As late as 1886 Miss Shelley, an
fought duel with Nine
Astie de Valsayre, at Waterloo. The
young Yankee contended that Ameri-
.an female doctors-she was one-knew
more than the French. The fiery
denied it. Miss Shelley
the word Idiot" was uttered.
Mime. Astie de Valsayre demanded
by arms, but as Miss Shelley
was as ignorant of the sword as she
was skilled with the scalpel, the French
doctor generously gave her fifteen days
respite to get her hand in. The Ameri-
IAN did not back out. She was pinked
in the arm. honor was satisfied and the
were reconciled on the