Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-08-09
DUELING IN FRANCE.
THE CUSTOM HAS DEVELOPED A Ma
TIoNAL FIGHTING BLADE.

Epee de COMBAT, anu WIN II,
Were the Combntants So IpcIined,
Serious Injuries Could BE Ininicted.
Persons other than French are wont
to maintain In spite of the occasional
pin pricks that the French duelists In
flict on one another that French duel
ing is French farce. But Frenchmen
and sometimes other persons In SYM
patty with them insist upon being TAX
en- seriously. They insist that dueling
with swords, which is the real thing in
French duels, is not child's play and
that compared with 1t the old fashion
ed Anglo Saxon resort to a pair of
fives" Is brutality not to be thought of
by the scraping smirker of the boule-
wards.
The French habit of settling disputes
by resort to duels with swords has de-
veloped national dueling weapon, the
epee de combat, long and strong
blade with three triangular grooves
tapering to keen point, with edges
that never are used save for defense.
The hand is protected with broad,
round guard shaped like the gong upon
an alarm clock. The handle is straight,
with no other lncumbrance, ana pal
anced by heavy pommei which pro-
Jects beyond the root OF the thumD
when the weapon Is held ready Tor
thrust.
1t Is modern development OF the
rapier with which Cyrano de Bergerac
foupht the bullies of Paris If ShowS
traces or Its descent through the eie-
CANT court sword which was coming
into being when DArtagnan became
held marshai IN the Duo ue brage-
Tonne" But its hit makes II impossi-
Die Tor ordinary wear In It's present
shape, ana the epee de COMBAT Is the
weapon OF the french dueiist ana OF
him alone.
In 1883 General Boulanger ana Nj.
tloquet found 1t necessary to settle
their dinerences at the swords point
The critics had not much difticulty In
picking the winner between a civilian
president OF the chamber OF deputies
well advanced In years who had limit
ed his practice to sparrow shooting
with pistol ana "brav' generaf' In
the fuil ardor OF MS lie whose SWORD
was the symbol or his profession. YET
they were utterly mistaken.
III Nj. Floquet was no swordsman, he
was run OF quiet pluck ana common
sense, ana he practiced one stroke only
times. though not TOO many TO make
his old limbs SUN the next day, he
might nave been seen In a well known
sales uarnes Strengthening MS arm
ana raising his wrist until he could
only just see the point OF MS SWORD
above and beyond the ball OF his
thumb. The next day Boulanger made
FURIOUS attack, win many stamps
ana nourishes. Inc little president
stifIened his back, threw out his point,
and the unlucky general impaled his
neck upon the piade' Bouianger recov-
ered' 10 dle py ms own mana after
bouiahgism had been dlscredited.
Harry AIS OF the Debats suffered
lnuch more quickly from the enects OF
the epee. his real name was Hippolyte
fercher' ana III nghtihg captain OF
infantry on the lie de la Grande Jalte
ABOUT certain scandals connected with
'he frehch hohgo ne was nit IN the
right armpit ana pied TO death.
Inc duel fought by Catuiie Mendes
III May OF 1873 was almost as serious,
ana IL was caused While Bernhardt
was playing Hamlet by some fatu-
Gus quarrei over the physlcal develop
neht OF the prince OF denmark. Nj.
'ahor' Mendes opponent was hne
swordshah ana sportsmaniike enough
10 recognize the double advantages he
enjoyed cohtented himself with parry
ing correctly Catuiie Mehdes Threw
hiihseir on MS adversarys point ana
was severely wounded In the stomach
on almost the same ground where
Iercher hau oeeh kiiieu several years
pelore.
IL oIteh IL urged OUTSIDE OF france
that brehch dueiihg consists IN merely
prichlhg your man III the hahd or Tore
arm, as the ieast disapiemeht is heid 10
sausiy the hohor OF the combatants.
BUT the mana ana arm OF an adversary
are those parts OF MIN which are near
est 10 you ana which you can reach
WIN tue ieast exposure OF your own
person
nAihS nanu, winch may DE protected
only by the ordinary Kid glove OF social