The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-20

Gastinois, was one morning discovered
by his countess dead in bed at her side
Gontran, a relation of the count, accused
the countess of having murdered her hus-
band, TO whom, he asserted, she had long
been unfaithful, and challenged her TO
produce a champion to do, battle in her
behalf, that he might establish her guilt
by killing him. All the friends and rela-
lives of the countess believed in her inuo-
cence; but Gontran was so stout and
bold, and a renowned warrior, that no
ore dared to meet him.
THE unhappy countess began to de-
spair. when a champion suddenly ap-
peared In the person of Ingelgerius, count
of Anjou, a boy of 16 years of age, who
had been held by the countess at the
baptismal font. and received her husbands
name. He tenderly loved his godmother,
and offered 10 do battle in her cause
against any and every opponent. The
king endeavored to persuade the generous
boy from his enterprise, urging the great
strength, tried skill and invincible cour-
age of the challenger; but the boy per-
sisted in his resolution, TO the great sor-
row of all the court. who said il was
a cruel thing to permit so brave and beau
tiful child to rush to such butchery and
death.
when the lists were prepared, the
countess duly acknowledged her cham
pion, and the combatants commenced the
onset. Gontran rode so hercely at his
antagonist and hit him on the shield
with such impetuosity that he lost his
own balance aud rolled 10 the ground.
The young count, as Gontran fell, passed
his lance through his body, and then dis
mounting cut off his head, which he pre-
scented to the king, who received it most
gracously, and was very joyful, as much
so as If one had made him present Of a
city. The innocence OF the countess was
then proclaimed with great rejoicings;
and she kissed her godson, and wept over
his neck with joy, in the presence of all
the assembly.
when the Earl of Essex was accused
by Robert de Montfort before King Henry
II. in 1852 of having traitorously suffered
| the royal standard of England to fall
from his hands in a skirmish with the
Welch at Coleshill five years previously,
the latter offered to prove the truth Of
| his charge by single combat. The Earl
| of Essex accepted the challenge. and the
| lists were prepared near Reading. An i'm
mense .concourse of people assembled to
witness the battle. Essex at first fought
| stoutly but losing his temper and self
| command, he gave an advantage to his
| opponent which soon decided the struggle.
| He was endorsed and so severely wound
| ed that all present thought he was dead.
AT the solicitation of his relatives the
monks of the Abbey of Reading were al
lowed to remove the body for interment,
| and Montfort was declared the victor Es
sex, however, was not dead, but stunned
| only, and, under the care Of the monks,
| recovered in a few weeks from his bod
| lily injuries. The wounds of his mind
were not so easily healed. Though a loyal
and brave subject, the whole realm be-
| lieved him a traitor and a coward, be-
cause he had been vanqushed. He could
not brook to return to the world de-
rrived Of the good opinion of his fellows.
| He, therefore. became monk, and passed
| the remainder Of his days within the walls
| of the abbey.
"Du Chastelet in his history Of Ber-
| tran du Guesclin, relates a singular duel
that was proposed in Spain. A Christian
| gentleman of Seville sent challegne
to Moorish cavalier offering to prove
against him with whatever weapons lie
might choose, that the religion of Jesus
| Christ was holy and divine, and that Of
Mahomet impiods and damnable. But
the Spanish prelates did not choose that
Christianity should be compromised with
III their jurisdiction by the result of any
such combat. The Moorish cavalier might,
perchance. prove to be the stronger, and
they commanded the knight under pain
of communication, to withdraw the
challenge. .
THE same author relates that, under
Ohio l., a question arose among juris-
cOnsults, viz, whether grandchildren, who
lad lost their fathers, should share equal
" with their uncles in the property OF
their grandfather, at the death of the
latter. The difficulty Of this question was
found so insurmountable that none of
the lawyers of the day could solve it, 1t
was at last decreed that it should be de-
ci1ed by single combat Two champions
were accordingly chosen. one for and the
other against the claims of the little
ones After long struggle the champion
=
and * was, therefore. decided that the
right Of the grandchildren was established
and that they should enjoy the same pOr-
ton of their grandfather's possession that
their father would have done had nc
been alive.
Upon pretexts just as strange, and Of
ten more frivolous than these, duels con-
tinued to be fought in most of the coun-
tries of Europe during the whole of the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
memorable instance of the slightness of
the pretext on which a man could be
forced to fight a duel to the death occur
red in the memoirs of the brave constable
of France, Du Guesclin The advantage
he had obtained in skirnish. before
Rennes, against William Brembre, an
English captain, so preyed upon the spirits
of William Troussel the chosen friend and
companion of the latter, that nothing
would satisfy him but mortal combat with
the constable. The Duke of Lancaster. to
whom Troussel applied for permission TO
fight the great Frenchman, forbid the
battle, as not warranted by the circum-
stances. Troussel, nevertheless, burned
with fierce desire to cross his weapon
with Du Guesclin, and sought every occa-
sion to pick quarrel with him. Having
so good a will for 1t. Of course he found
a way
"A relative Of his had been taken priso-
ner by the constable, In whose hands he
remained until he was able to pay his ran
som. Troussel resolved to make quar-
rel out Of this, and dispatched a naessen-
ger to Du Guesclin. demanding the release
of his prisoner, and Offering a bond, at a
distant date, for the payment OF the ran
som. Du Guesclin, who had received init
nation OF the hostile purposes OF the Eng
lishman, sent back word that he would
not accept his bond, neither would ne re-