Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-08

women Of the fashionable Partisan fau-
bourgs and crossed swords with some of
the best fighters of his time.
You would be surprised" he added ito
know how many New York society women
take lessons in fencing. could name
them by the score. Every one of them
who INDUCES in the exercise and practices
1t methodically Is a stronger woman for 1t.
/ know nothing better for sick nerves 1t
teaches them to be brave, too. I have
pupils who could defend themselves well
against the prize man OF German uni
versity corps, or the fighting member Of
the editorial stan of a Paris newspaper.
Fencing for women has come to stay"
The conversation naturally led up to duel
ing. and encounters between women.
which have not been so rare as one might
think In this world where the members of
the gentler sex have long been protected
from the necessity OF fighting their own
battles.
You. Of course" continued the maitre
d'armes. have seen the famous picture of
E Bayard-or a copy-representing duel
between two women. But did you know
that the idea for this picture was suggested
by a duel between an American woman
and French woman? Such was the case.
1T was in 1886. Miss Shelley, an Ameri-
can girl, met Nine. Astie de Valsayre, the
advocate of women's rights in France.
The young American-patriotic as most of
them are-declared that the women doctors
of France were far less skilled than the
American women who had taken up the
another, until the American at last called
the French woman an idiot This was too
much for the Gallo blood of Mime. de Val
sayre. who. 1t may be remembered. wore
mems clothes in the streets of Paris. de-
spite the protests of the police A challenge
followed. AS the American knew nothing
of the use of foils. her antagonist gave her
two weeks for practice, The contest took
place near Waterloo. Despite the ominous
Eame-omincus for the French woman
the American girl was defeated. and car
ried her hand In sling for some time.
The incident created a great sensation at
the time, AMI the painting by Bayard was
the result. The picture has probably done
more than the preaching of masters to en-
courage the practice Of fencing among
women.
but duels among women have not been
rare in the past. Under Louis XIII two
women of the highest aristocracy, the Mar
Quise de Merles and the Countess de Polig
nae. had a duel with pistols in the Bots de
Boulogne. The cause was the gallant Duke
de Richelieu.
1.-The notorious Nine dAubigny. better
known as Mile. de Maupin. was challenged
by three cavaliers, who took her to be
man She put all three hors de combat
"A diplomatic duel was that in which the
Countess Lodiska Trautmannsdorff, a born
Pole. was engaged. 1t was tragic affair.
indeed. A rival of her husband published
an article which attempted to make the lat
ter ridiculous. The count-is was soon
after their marriage. In 1SEdiscovered
soon afterward that a certain Baron Rapp
was the author of the article. and called
him oul on the f,ld of honor. A friend Of
the baron, with the counts permission.
represented the former In the contest, and
killed Count Trautmannsdorff. The counts
second then called Baron Rapp himself to
account. and in such a manner that the
exasperated baron drew his sword and
stabbed the second What was his morti-
fica.ion and chagrin, however, when he dis
covered that the brave second was the
Countess Trautn1annsdorh, wife of the
dead principali The countess died from the
effects of the wound, and the baron ended
his own life from shame"