The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-19

who had been in Germany long enough |
to scent insult, looked grave. One who |
did not understand nonsense when play |
for even small sums of money was I'm |
progress, went up to- Messner, seized |
him by the arm, and giving him a |
shake, exclaimed:
"If there's anything crooked here |
you're the only man in 1t. Now pay |
up those chips, and If you don't like
the game get out of it,"
Messner didn't understand the words
probably, but he understood the shake
and scowl that accompanied them, and
at once drew out card. The Amerl-
can, who meant business, took 1t and
gave back one of his own. He then
remarked that he didn't know about
fighting with "welcher," but this fling
was lost upon even the most erudite of
the linguists among the Germans, for
"welch' Is not in the American-Ger-
man dictionary.
At the corps meeting that night
Meissner selected his second and pre-
pared to challenge the American who
had insulted him. one of the two
American brothers, who belonged to
the same corps, happened in and tried
he must have blood. The challenge
was sent and accepted. Pistols were
named as the weapins. The American
| brothers were in despair. a pistol duel
would raise big scandal; besides,
| somebody might get shot, as the Amer
| lean insisted on the condition that
shooting must continue until one of the
| principals should be too badly wound
| ed to continue the duel. What could
| they do? After hours of anxious re-
| Election they formed a plan of action.
| They went to MeisSner together and
| told him that his antagonist had once
been a cowboy: had been one of the
| best pistol shots in the west for his
age. and had already killed three men
| in duels. The point of their interCcs-
| sion lay i'm the warning to Meissner
| thai he must beware of wearing a coat
with buttons. All three of his victims
| the American had hit between the first
and second buttons of their coat. To
confuse him and prevent sure death,
Meissner must go without buttons on
his coat; he must pin it.
a RECIPE FOR PEACE.
That was something to think about
To stand up against "A dead shot from
a miserable squahble over roulette; it
was difficult proposition for Meiss-
ner after receiving this new light. He
consulted his second. His second con-
ferred with the Americans second. The
| American, who was not anxious to
| fight, told his second to make any de-
cent arrangement he could. Finally it
was agreed that if Meissner would
withdraw his bad language the Amer
lean would withdraw the shakes, chips
to be left unCashed, and roulette wheel
to be left in fragments in the corner
into which it had been kicked after
| the fray So Meissner called on the
American to say he took back his bad
! language about the honesty of the
| game, and the American replied that,
in that case he regretted having shak-
en- Mcissner, and peace regned again
Au der Aulage in Heidelberg.
In many respects this is a typical
: Heidelberg case. The town is SO small
that everybody knows everybody else
! of consequence, and public opinion on
5 duellng or anything else is a compel
ling force for most foreigners. A few
resist it, but the majority yield to 1t
f | and the average American, if forced
into a corner, will accept a challenge
t In accepting it, however he always
e stands out for pistols as the only wea
Y pOnS with whose use he is familiar
e His choice at once raises an obstacl,
e to the duel, for pistols are used b.
Germans to avenge only deadly in
4 suits, such. for instance, as fall to tn,
e lot of the injured husband or betrayed
, | lover. For the ordinary offences pis
t tolls are anonymously dangerous, ant
= most Germans are disinclined to u.s.
/, them. Hence frequently such a settle
d ment as ended the roulette squabble.
n The advocate of peace, for nations a
e well as for individuals. may find lit
tie lesson in the circumstances of tn
Americans in Heidelberg. Known as
man who is ready for trouble, read,
k to fight in one way or another an,
u likely to choose the deadliest weapon
4 if forced into a corner, he enjoys fulle
e immunity from injury than the strang
q er of any other nationality. Moreover
It when trouble does come, he does no
= find his antagonist quite so pressing
n for bloodshed as that antagonist woul
It he with a Frenchman or Austrian. !
e is a plain case of peace furthered b.
e preparedness for war.