Evening star., 1898-04-07
sADER DuELs.
Some Historic Connicts Between
Noted Men.

Some Historic Conflicts Between
Noted Men.
From the Pail Mall Gseette,
The saber duel has never been very IA
miliar on the record, and Of late years its
absence therefrom has been even more
conspicuous than 1t was. The reason for
this is. no doubt, that the caber is not every
duelists weapon. and that, when 1t hap
pens to suit both tombatants, the results,
as the Italian chamber has duly recog
nized by permitting the trial of Deputy
Macola for poor Cavallotti's death, are apt
to be of a decidedly serious character. The
weapon has been seen oftenest on the field
OF honor, perhaps. during the disturbed
period in France which. followed the res
toration, when there were any number of
Napoleon's unconverted old officers prowl-
ing about In milltarily buttoned frocks.
eating their hearts out on half pay, and
alV avs spelling for fight. Balzac's Phil
II pc Bridau was such one That ex-colo-
nePs duel with the local ''bretteur," Max
ence Gllet. will readily suggest itself as a
typical encounter Of the kind. 1t was
!ougnt with sabers, both men meaning
business. The description of this combat
Is In the masters best manner, and COM
piete. besides, in every technical detail.
You can follow it with the keenest appre-
ciatlon from the moment the pair engage
at the formidable hanging guard to its
conclusion. not many minutes later. when
the colonel, wounded in the face by Gilet's
charSe, replies by that mastery "mouli-
net or wrist stroke. which splits his ad
versary's forehead and shears half his face
away. In this d-el it will be noticed the
thrust does not seem to have been barred.
as 1t sometimes is. 1t was the thrust-the
point anyhoW-wh.ch killed Cavallotti, and
in a. way. too, which constitutes record.
"A thrust in the mouth which Sits the
tongue and sewers the wlndpipe, and ends
all in five minutes, is not to be found in
n ha l1rra
paire saber duel. fought in the November
or 1888. the point again proved fatal, Dure-
paire b. run right through the liver.
seven Years later his slayer had the life
thrus. out of him by Caumartin. in Brus-
sells. In these cases, evidently, the point
lad not been ruled out.
In the Castenschiold- -Rahden duel at CO.
pcnhagen In July. 1890, thrusting was for
Dldden The 5aber seems to have been
chosen because both parties were cavalry
men. Castenschiold was lieutenant in the
Danish Dragons. The Baron de Rahden had
been IN the Russian service. The differ
ence arose at Buschs circus, where the
baron's wife was engaged as an equestrian
performer. There was a keen contest Of
but brief duration. The baron was cut
across the forehead. The flow of blood
half blinded him, and the seconds inter-
vened.
The Millot-Baruti dueI fought in Belfort
between two French subalterns might
have had more serious consequences. Lieut..
Miilot got a slash across the arm, which
severed all the great blood vessels. He was
very nearly dead before the bleeding could
be stopped. and it took two mortal hours
to stitch him up.
In Hungary the saber duel has been by
no means unpopular in it's time. The last
was fought only few years hack between
two officers of the Honved army, also of
the cavalry arm. The point stroke was
barred, but Lieut.. Lazer, it is stated, had
his sword arm neatly Topped off.
1t is not difficult to understand why the
seber duel has not been popular. 1t is less
easy to understand why it should have
been the weapon chosen for the settlement
of the CavallottiMacola difference. The
me Getting was mostly to please the gallery.
Cavallotti had been "uut' thirty-three
times before, and Macola sixteen. They
had made their proofs, and there seems to
have been little, If any. i'll feeling. Once on
the ground. howeveF. they would naturally
warm up. And then the snber is apt not
to pardon. II g,