The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-27
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer
It has just transpired that about the mid
die OF last month, while holiday thoughts
were monopoiizing the attention Of the
majority Of our people two young gentle
men not unknown in Cincinnati. but resi-
dents Of other cities. seriously contem-
plated a resort to "the codes for the
settlement of an unfortunate misunder-
standing. One came to this city to consult
friends as 10 certain preHminaries. and 4
course OF action was partially aeTee ed upon.
when gentleman who has had some ex-
Derience in such matters abroad was
called upon for counsel. He promptly
discouraged the entire scheme and much
surprised his callers by the remark;
You are seeking the poor imitation of
barbaric custom. which civilization
should long ago have stamped out. No
mans honor can be satisfied through the
shedding Of blood. and as for ests .blishing
his courage the claim Of the cuello is
false. Graves of Kentucky, after killing
Cilley in a duel. said to a friend 1t re-
quires a much higher order Of co arage to
refuse a challenge than to accept it Only
under an ignorant Interpretation OF honor
and courage can the duello thrive"
But" was the reply. 1.-THE other party
has been given to understand that salts
faction will be demanded, Glowing a re-
fusal on his part to apologize and now IL
must be challenge or a disgiaceful back
down on the part of our friend. Which
would you advised imagine, at the worst.
it would be very much like French duel"
so much the worse. then. The French
are the most accomplished cyclists of
modern times, and they have n.ever been
backward in the practice Of this outrag-
eous savagery. Speaking Of the French
duel in derision is dangerous, Or it is
liable to mislead those who have not in
formed themselves regarding it. A rem
contre under the code in the rel gn of the
old Gallo kings was different fair from
some reported in modern days from La
Belle France; but a duel with pistols,
carbines or short swords is a serious mat
ter anywhere, and when the Frenchman
fights he usually means busines IS. lie is
the true descendant of that professional
duelist who was in the habit of promising
to his disarmed adversaries their lives II
they would forswear their hopes of saliva
ton. This done, he would promptly cut
their Threats, so that, as he said he
might have the pleasure Of killing them
body and soul"
How supremacy horribler'
Certainly, but it is only little incident
Of the horrible subject you have called to
my notice. It's history all tn -ough is brist-
ling with such things. 1t was the Che
Waller d'AndrieuX who treated his victims
in this barbarous way. All his life was de-
voted to killing men and running women.
At the age of 30 he had killed seventy-two
men. Preparing for another duel, Che
valer,' said his adversary, you will be.the
tenth man 1 shall have killed
And you my sevent3-third.' replied
the Chevalier, whom the result proved to
be in the right, lie fought IA duels, and
never failed to kin his mai1.'''
"He must have been an exception to the
ordinary duelist."
YES, but in that age there were 4hose
who boasted of more than 300 killings
In early France tile duel was an item in
the trial by ORDEAL and was regarded as
a direct appeal to heaven. Divested of its
religious character, it became the judicial
combat and the wal ;er of battle till, losing
the sanction of the law, it arrived at its
modern condition as: simply an affair of
honor in the gener ii paGlance, but it is
murder in a thin dis guise."
'Wi1 you give US s. bme additional points
regarding it?''
Willingly, if by sue means Lean turn.
your minds from ~r1s prujert OF this call.
A great blow was Civ en- the judicial COM
bat in France about SS5 by lie unfortun-
ate result of duel fol ght In the presence
of Charles vi, and an his court The
Judgment of God. as it. was impiously
called, proved unfortur ate to a man, who
accused of a capital c 5me protested his
innocence. and was tn sreupon compelled
to take his part in a dlleE ordered by the
parliament. Having be en conquered, he
was hanged upon a gall>ws which formed
part of the preparation of the battlefield
but some time afterwarG' another man de-
clared himself guilty of the crime which
had led to the duel There after parlia-
ments systematically refused to lend their
sanction to these appeals
But notwithstanding such authority
withheld, royalty continued to preside at
hostile meetings, which really were only
permitted upon formal demand to the
king. The scepter throw into the arena
was the signal for disconJinuing the com
bat and the most Infatuated champion
did not afterward dare for his life to
strike a blow. One OF the earliest memora-
BILE duels occurred in the. sixteenth CEN
fury between De la Chataigneraye and De
Guy Chatbot, better known as Jarnac.
The alteration which led to his duel took
! place in the reign Of Francis l. but it was
Henry H. who at last gave the sanction
TO a duel refused by his predecessor. lara
nae sent to his adversary a most formid-
able challenge, calling on him to provide
more than 80 kinds of arms, for use on
/ horseback as well as ON foot, and even
| named some half score or more of horses
of various breeds and differently capari-
! soned.
"Jarnac wants to fight me mind and
/ purse was the observa tion Of La Cha
! taigneraye, who. never theIess, by re-
/ course to friends and the king, his good
master, managed to furnish his. contin-
I gent to the excessive ponp which decor
ated the 'emptying' of this old quarrel
! La Chataigneraye, who as a notorious
! swashbuckler. had prepared TO celebrate
right royalty his expected victory, but he
/ reckoned without his host The famous
/ blow of Jarnac' brought him, hamstrung,
to the ground, and, mad with rage, ne died
refusing to admit his defeat. Henry II
/ was so moved at the result OF this combat
that on the corpse of the slain man he
/ swore never TO sanction any more duels
J There had been such sharp work already
/ that a writer in the beginning of the sew
/ enteenth century stated the number Of
/ gentlemen killed in duels since the first
/ edict against them at six thousand.
NJ Colombey estimates the number. sac
! riticed to this foolish custom previous to
| the edict at more then 200, 000
II will give you a few instances of the
/ barbarity of an age when the duello was