Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-29
DUELING IN FRANCE
Matters Are So Arrt -ged That No
One is Badly Hurt.
BULLETS NOT INTENDED TO HIT
Even When Swords Are Used
Blood is Rarely Split.
my LITTLE FRA L ID :


Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
| PARIS, December 14.-There duels
| every week in Paris. Sword, saber and
| pistol are at work amid a point-of-honor
| population of army officers. journalists.
| politicians and young men. How comes IL,
| then. that they so seldom get hurt?
When Lieut.. FURY Herard had his arm
| almost hacked off by Lieut.. Aurio al Me
| lun last week there rose a cry of horror
| from all France. In modern French dueis
it is unusual to get hurt. because of certain
humane frauds practiced in the interests
Of life and integrity of members.
IF l had been there to arrange it the
| meeting would have passed harm.ess.y.
mourned Daniel Cioutier of the lntransi-
| geant testifying as duel expert at the
| trial of a recent tragic accident" and he
| proceeded to give the judges a few eN-
| amples of benevolent trickery. On this oc'
| cason there rose a cry of laughter in all
| France. But the cause was soon forgotten.
| and the good peop.e continue to hug al
| illusion.
The usual Exchange of balls without re-
suit of pistol dues does not have It's eX-
pianation-as has been SO often insinuated
| by the French themselves-in the employ
| ment of false bullets. Cork bullets be.ons
| to the infancy of the art. Trick bullets,
| composed of an alloy of mercury and lead,
| are not unknown to the armuriers of Paris.
! In weight and general appearance they arc
| almost perfect counterteits, except for Il
slightly silver shade and greasy touch
| Though heavy and solid looking, they DO
| not resist the first blow of the ramrod,
| which puverizes them. 1t ought to be
| stated in this connection that in France
| pistol duels are never with reVo.Vers, OF
| pistols requiring cartridges. Cartridges, be
| ing made up beforehand, with their charges,
| &c. concealed, do not present the necessary
| guarantees. Pistol dues are fought with
| oid-fashioned duelng pistols, percussion
| caps and Misunderstanding. with measured
| charges and compared balls. Indeed. 1t Is
| not unusual for the seconds to agree or
| some celebrated armurier, like Gastlne-
Rennette, who shall furnish sealed box
| of weapons, to be opened only on the HELD
yof honor In 1t are to be found two pistois,
sealed and certified. a number of charges OF
powder. sealed and certified, and the same
number of bulletS-Sealed and certned
Trickery would seem impossible.
Fixing 1t.
In spite of these precautions the benevo-
lent fraud goes There are usually four
seconds, two for each combatant. AS 1t is
easier for two good men to come to an I'M
Outstanding than four, the pair that has
agreed to prevent bloodshed manages to
take charge of the loading, while their con-
freres are listening to the last nervous rec
concentrations of the principals. The most
frequent trick is to have a pocketful of real
bullets Of a little smaller calber than the
pistols employed. child could effect the
substitution. Such bullets, at their best,
cannot be sped with force sufficient TO
penetrate the clothing of the victims should
they reach them, because too much of the
gas generated by the exploding powder
will have escaped around the loose-fitting
ball. But, the custom to hold the pis-
toll with its muzzle pointing to the ground
until the command to "Fire!' is given has
become all but universal, these balls of
too small caliber regularly fall to the
ground and are lost in the grass a few sec
onds after the pistols are placed in the
hands Of the combatants. The two seconds
who load the pistols, of course. may pre-
vent this by ramming wads on top Of the
balls. But why risk bloodshed?
l myself assisted at duel In which
blood thirsty principal held himself on the
alert against a suspicious benevolence on
the part of all four seconds The two prin
cipals were Russians, old friends, and one
man Of such rank that his killing might
over trife, and the four seconds also old
friends, had determined that none Of the
party should be lacking at the breakfast
of reconciliation" already ordered at the
Chateau de Madrid, In the Bots nearby.
The suspicious one saw to 1t that the balls
were all right. Trick pistols could not have
deceived him. He watched the measuring
Of the powder, SO that the trick OF a too
was only one thing to do. Both men were
known to be good shots, so the seconds
risked it, After the powder charges had
been poured into each pistol the second who
held the balls started off If he had for
gotten something. The suspicious principal
started to follow him This was the load
ing seconds opportunity. Into each pistol
they hastily poured almost the whole of a
second charge and the trick was done
Both men were good shots, yet the moment
after the command to Fire" was given
both balls whistled harmlessly high over
their heads. This fraud of the double
charge''-which was common in the duels
of the First Empire-is a certain recipe
for making the ball deviate remarkably In
fresh from the previous days practice with
the regulation charge, 1t never fails. To
risk IT with any other than a good shot
however. is to double the danger, because
Of the greater penetration given to the
ball and because Of It's tendency to correct
the novice's aim
Post-Duel Breakfasts.
1 recently heard a Paris doctor noted for
his willingness to go out''-as doctor, not
as principal-explain why he always looked
forward to jolly breakfast Of reconcilia-
ton after the mornings exercise" 1t
was the breakfast that drew him, he adj
mitted. And then the country Is so freshly
beautiful in the early morning! 1 am sentl-
mental" was his expression. His expe-
rience is that two Of the seconds can al
ways come to an understanding, while he
seemed to think the "chargette," or too
feeble charge Of powder. their most COM
mon resource. 1t Is about third of the
normal charge of about three and three
quarter grains of black powder. The ball,
even though of proper caliber. has scarcely
more penetration than that other popua,
fraud, the ball Of too small caliber. There
is also u remarkable deviation downward. |
This physician told me that he had seen
more than one duel relieved of practical
Inp ar han, y,iC al ho1 ha1,
powder and the right calber of balls This |
miracle was accomplished by hardening the |
trigger beforehand. Certainly. a practiced !