The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-22
FIELD OF MANY DUELs.
Visit Co a French Place Set Apart for
Settling ''Affairs of Honor"
From tho Chicago Herald.

From tho Chicago Herald.
! Paris, Sept. 20.-YOur correspondent
paid visit the other day, accompanied
| by friend, to a famous restaurant in the
! island of La Grande Jaate, opposite
| COurbevoie, where almost all the duels
that take place near Paris are fought.
| The waiter asked us what we would
order, and as we hesitated moment, he
added, perhaps you gentlemen have
| come to arrange about q duell" The
writer winked at his companion and
| answered yes. Please fetch the proprie-
tor" The waiter rushed down stairs and
began shouting at the top of his voice,
| m Martinetl M Martinet" We fol-
lowed and were looking over the estab-
lishment, which comprised a ballroom.
several dining-rOoms and the inevitable
cabinets de sOciete, and a mum Der of rustic
bowers, when jovial-looking individual,
just about50 with long, fair mustache
sprinkled with gray and trained down
ward, joined US.
t'Ahi' he exclaimed at once, " it's for a
duel. Well there is the ground behind
the swing; twenty meters of splendid
ground, quite smooth and hard Beauti-
full trees and shrubs; plenty of shade
quite quiet and private, you see. Over
there on the quay, bordering the narrow
branch of the Seine, is where the carri-
ages stop. M. Dehayuin and M. Jacques
Lebaudy fought there only the other day.
M. Lebaudy received three centineters
of steel in the middle of the chest Would
you like more open ground} Here you
have it. What beautiful air. How free
ly one breathes here. How inviting this
fine sand is. Last month we had an IN
usual affair on this very spot. A duel be-
tween ladies and smart ones, too, l can
tell you. 1t seems they were actresses.
One belongs to the Varieties, but l do not
know where the other plays. Love was
the cause of the dispute and they fought
like tigresses. Upon my word you would
have thought they were mad. The sec
onds were elderly gentlemen, both deco
rated and evidently rich. The girls were
naked to the waist and wore full riding
breeches. One of them had her breast
pierced three times before she would
give in. She will have to keep her bed
for at least month"
But" the correspondent INQUIRED,
''you are not present at the duels2'
ooh, " he answered reproachfully, most
absolute solitude reignsshere on those oc-
casions. All the doors are bolted and
the walters are shut up in the cafe. re-
main near at hand, behind one of the
bushes for example, to give assistance if
needed. My clients need bring nothing
everything except the doctor and his in
struments, of course Two salad bowls
full of carboliC acid and water to wash
the wounds, bandages, lint, cottonwood,
in fact, all that is required for the first
dressing In q word, you are Just as COM
Portable as if you were at home. But you
have not seen all. The ground have
just pointed out to you would not do on a
rainy day. In bad weather these affairs
or cd in no oh
beautiful smooth, even flooring as you
win see. Just like sale
d'armes. 1t was there that
the Mores-Meyer duel was fought. M.
Clemenceau, who is one Of my best Gus
toners, will never fight anywhere else.
He was here a few weeks ago to settle an
affair with a deputy, but the commissary
entered by one door, my customer went
out by the other and did the business in
Rothschild's park, where M. Clemenceau
had all the time he required to put two
or three inches of steel into his adver-
sary's ribs. When NJ. Clemenceau is not
here others are. l generally have from
twelve to sixteen duels week"
KILLING MADE EASY AND COMFORTABLE.
"And what is the fee2"
ooh a mere nothing; 80. service COM
plete. If it were not for the refresh
ments, it would not repay one the trouble.
| When the affair does not terminate
badly, the gentlemen often lunch here"
Then it is still customary to shake
hands and lunch together when the duel
| is over2'
"Oh no; that is not considered correct
now One of the principals lunches with
his two seconds and his doctor in one ar
Dor, and the other with his friends in
another, fifty metres apart. But the de-
| jeuner that is the most curious and profit
able is that which is given a day or two
afterward. A duel naturally makes lions
of the principals. who are talked about
by their friends, and when it has not had
an unhappy issue, one orithe other of them,
sometimes both, but at different times re-
turn here with party of ladies and
gentlemen and fights his battle DER
again-in words. The ground is inspected
and everything infinitely explained. The
hero is applauded by the men and ad-
mired by the ladies, who give utterance
to suppressed shrieks and eXclaim: $50
you wounded him, mon cher, did you?
Well, it was very chic anyhow" Then
they cuddle and kiss him, and you can
easily imagine what o setout there is
after that. Thereupon the proprietor
burst into fit Of laughter. When his
hharity had somewhat subsidized he ex-
claimed: "And now, gentlemen, if you
will name your day and hour everything
shall be at your disposal"
Blew the Water Out of the River