The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-24
BIsMARcK's MARRIOTT ESCAPE
His Affair OF Honor with n Dcad shot whs
Was dreaded By HIs stare. -

His Affair OF Honor with n Dead shot whe
Was Dreaded by His stare. ....
In q little pamphlet regarding the visit Of the
Wiesbadeners In Frledrichsruh there has an
penred Bismarck anecdote. which showshow
near Germany once was to losing In his youth
her great unifer. The same anecdote nlso illus
trates how duels are still made In Germany. b.,
Bismarck first visited wiesbaden two o.
three years after taking his university degree.
He went one evening to the big dance hall In
the Rurhdn and. during a pause between
dances. sat on sofa talking with friend and
locking at the persons who walked by. Ho had
q sharp eye and defiant air. even in his best
tempered moods. and several men returned his
looks with ill-natured stares. Eventually Q
young doctor, Gustav LANCE of IIedelb berg.
walked up to the sofa and. fixing his eyes on
Bismarck. inquired:
"Why do you stare at mel"
Now LANCE was very handsome young man
and Bismarck was In happy mood, Then I've
facts dictated Bismarck's answer:
because like your appearance"
But do not like yours" was Lange's rcpiy.
An animated dialogue followed, Bismarck at
first seeking to appease Lance's wrath and
Lange trying his best to make trouble. The
upshot was that cards were exchanged In order
that LANCE might wipe out, with blood the
deadly affront OF being stared Mt by Otto Won
Bismarck: The seconds arranged that the
meeting should take place in the Grand Duchy
OF Hesse. not far from Biobrich.
Lango was n dead shot with the pistol, and
pistols were the weapons to be used In the duel.
The young physician could hit the two-mark
piece. fipped IN the air, nine times out of ten.
IL looked bad for Bismarck. His seconds un.
doubtedly felt that he was about the same as .
dead man from the moment lie stepped into the
field. and they labored hard to find a pcaceabls
solution OF the quarrel. The English Captain.
was especially eager to prevent bloodshed. and
he proposed to LanRe. at the place OF
meeting. that the principals talk the quarrel
over before risking their lives for such q
trivial cause. Lsnge said eventually that he
would do his best to settle the affair without q
The EnglishmRn hurried to Bismarck with tho
Doctors Offer OF the olive branch. but Bismarck
would not have II. While the Engisnman
slowly paced OF the distance. stretching his
legs to make II ~ long as possible. the other
second argued with Bismarck. LANCE leaned
.econds were expecting the principals TO take
their places Bismarck yielded. To the surprise
OF his seconds he did not wait for my preIimi-
nary conversation. He walked across the field.
stretched out his hand. and remarked:
We'll. we will try to live in peace then"
LANCE shook hands and the quarrel was AZ
an end. On his way homo from the field Lange
remarked to his seconds:
1T Is better that Il ended: 1t would have been
too bnd to blow daylight through him"
Almost nifty years later Lange crle brated in
Heidelberg the jubilee anniversary OF his
graduation. After he and his friends had re-
Viewed the stirring events o, the last half CEN
tury and the slow Welding Of divided Germany
into one great empire under Bis,nsrck's master
hand, the doctor remarked quantity:
1T Is better that IL ended: IL would have been
too bad to blow daylight through him.