The herald., 1898-10-02
CUBAN AFFAIRS OF HONOR
Several Dusls to Be Fought In the City
Of Havana


Of Havana
Dueling is one of the institutions Of
Cuba. Probably with the evacuation Of
the island by the Spanish forces 1t will
go as the bull fight and the lottery will
also go. There were, however, several
affairs Of honor which 1t was promised
should be settled by a resort to the code
as soon as the cessation of hostilities
permitted the prohibition laid down by
General Blanco on duelling to be raised.
The Captain General would have no re-
sort to arms among quarreling army off,
GERS and civil officials during the block
ade.
Dr. Congosto, the Cuban Secretary
General, who was formerly Spanish Con-
sui at Philadelphia, has several post
poned events on his hands. He had
many disagreements with Consult Gen
eral Lee, and among the ignorant Span
iards of Havana it was the common be-
lief that the Secretary-Gene would
hold General Lee personally responsible
for the troubles which were thickendng
around the Blanco administration. Con-
gosto had also many bitter quarrels with
the American newspaper correspon-
dents. He frequently told! them that only
the duties of his official post kept him
from calling them out. His fiercest
quarrel was with one of the editors Of
the most violent Spanish newspaper pub
lished in Havana. The two men came
to blows, and formal challenges were re-
ported to have been exchanged. At the
time when SIMPSONS fleet was guard
ing Havana harbor and the peaceful
blockade was likely to give way any
day to a bombardment its presence
caused less excitement than the impend-
ing duel between the Secretary-General
and the journalist. Blancos veto on the
duel ended the excitement, but the
sequence is now due. There is in the
Cuban capital q German of some no.
tortety as a fighter, who, IL he carries out
a declared purpose, will never let Con-
gosto leave Cuba without giving him
genteman's satisfaction for insults
which could not be resented at the tune
they were received.
The Havana editors have usually
shown Willingness to back their opinions
by resorting to the code, though 1T islnot
invoked with the same frequency as
among French editors. A few weeks be-
fore the American Consuls were with
drawn from the island the autonomist
government was honeycombed with in
trigues and torn by dissentions. An out
come of this situation was prospective
duel between Ferdinand de Castro. the
present civil Governor Of the province,
and the editor of one of the autonomist
newspapers. The town was full of
rumor one night that the meeting had
taken place and that one of the princi-
pals had been wounded. This was un-
true. but the reality was that stern
orders and energetic action on the part
of Blanco had prevented the meeting.
Several of the Havana editors and re-
porters have records as duelists. One
of them has his office ornamented with
weapons of all kinds, some Of them
trophies. To the indignant subscriber
who wants retraction is given chance
among them.
The Union Club Of Havana. which.
without being fast, is not slow, has I
room which is devoted to arms, and
tales of practice and of prowess there
sometimes foreshadow the settlement of
difficulty. Fencing is leading diver
sion, and facilities for pistol practice are
not lacking. In the rooms of a building
overlooking the Prado and the Central