Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-16
PARTISAN DUELs.
A Frenchman Saws They Are Misunderstood
by Americans.

- fencnfnan saws tneN ARE MisundersfOOd
by Americans.
From the New York Herald
Mr.. Edouard Combe of the Paris Presse has
been in New York since last June. He came to
this country to prepare a publication contrast
ing the republic of the United States with that
of France. Incidentally he will try to learn
whether the great frauds which have caused
the Panama scandal would have been possible
in this country.
Mr.. Combe saws he is shocked at the refer
ences made by the American press to the duel
ing practice in France. Being familiar with
the French code and having been, as he claims.
principal in eleven duels he thinks he is pre-
pared to speak with authority in the matter.
Mr.. Combe was particularly exercised over
the published accounts of the recent duel be-
tween VI. Clemenceau and NJ Deroulede He
saws that much injustice has been done these
gentlemen as well to the practice of dueing
in France generally.
After speaking of the prevalence Of dneling
in France and of the social ostracism a man en-
counters If he refuses to fight when challenged,
Mr.. Combe .ays:
"Duel;ng in France is not amenable to the
law If fairly conducted. and duels to take place
may be announced IN the newspapers the day
beforehand. A little over wear ago a bll
against dueling was introduced in the chamber
VI uCPu'itN. anu Jul Vi J-- utpuNlts
when the bill came up only eight favored it,
The American newspapers are informed
only OF duels between great politicians, and for
tins reason the American public does not per-
fectly understand the French dueing code
Americans cannot get a clear idea OF French
dueiIng by Judging them from American
standpoint. To comprehend the frequency of
duels in France it is necessary to understand
the French character and points of honor
"Duels with pistols are very rare in France
because the Erenchman ALWAYS prefers fouls
A duel with foils is always fought until blood
L. drawn from one of the contestants and the
duel with pistols is very often without result
Clemenceau and Derouiede did not fight with
foils, partly Tor the reason that both are so
Sailed with these that IL would have been al
most impossible for either to wound the other.
"Clemenceau and Deroulede also skilled
in the of pistols. and although each can
place twenty-five bullets successfully in target
the size of a silver dollar at twenty-five PAGES
they did not succeed in wounding each other in
the recent duel. he reason is very simple.
Each principal has two seconds. From the
four seconds one IL selected who shall command
the duel. The principals mast obev him the
same as a soldier does an officer under the rem
atty of being dishonored. This man loads the
pistols in the presence of the other seconds
The pistols entirely new and have never
been practiced with. A larger charge of pow
der is put in the pistols than on ordinary occa-
sions.
The result is that there is so great a recoil
that the adyersaries who shoot with the ordi-
nary rules of aiming the horizon tai line have
their hands thrown up and the bullet goes WIDE
of Its mark
"Clemenceau and Deroulede had to stop at
the command OF the chief second before a re-
suit had been reached.
1.-The reports in the American papers that
Clemenceau and Deroulede gave locks of their
hair to their friends and embraced them before
going to fight untrQa These nae hay a
o.tentmes shown their courage and sang frod
and are highly esteemed, notwithstanding their
extreme views. To have shown such weakness
- TO exhibit these signs Of emotion is contrary
to the natures Of the men. 1t is also untrue
that they saluted each other after the duel al
though such Is the custom. Clemenceau aud
Deroulede refused 20 carry out the established
custom in this respect.
Mr. Combe also told me that the editors-in-
chief of the different Paris Journals all compel
the young men who write tor their papers over
their own names to practice every morning for
two hours at some school of fencing. in order
that they may be ready to accept any challenge
that may he sent them on account of anything
they write.
Mr.. Combe supplements this remarkable
statement with another to the effect that there
must be at least twelve duels fought every day
in Paris or its environs, most of which the pub
lie never hear of. The favorite resorts for such
encounters, he says. are Neuilly. Fontenav sur
Bots and Vincennes. Mr.. Combe decidedly
objects to the American caricatrrist's dispo-i-
ton to cast ridicule on the French custom Of
dueling.