The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-07-13
DUELING IN FRANCE.
THE CUSTOM HAS DEVELOPED MA
TioNAL FIGHTING BLADE.

-
Epee de Combat, and with II,
Were the Combstants So Inclined.
Serious Injuries Could he Indicted.
Persons other than French are wont |
to maintain In spite of the occasional
pin pricks that the French duelists in |
fict on one another that French duel |
ing Is French farce. But Frenchmen |
and sometimes Other persons In SYM
pathy 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 It the old fashion
ed Anglo Saxon resort to a pair Of
nves" is brutality not to be thought Of
by the scraping smirker Of the boule-
Yards.
The French habit Of settling disputes
by resort to ddels with swords has de-
veloped q national dueling weapon, the
epee de combat, long and strong
blade with three triangular grooves
tapering to a keen point. with edges
that never are used save for defense.
The hand is protected with a broad,
round guard shaped like the gong upon
an alarm clock. The handle is straight,
| with no other .incumbrance, and bal
anced by heavy pommel which pro-
| jects beyond the root Of the thumb
| when the weapon Is held ready for q
| thrust.
It is q modern development Of the
rapier with which Cyrano de Bergerac
fought the bullies Of Paris. 1t shows
traces Of its descent through the ele-
CANT court sword which was coming
into being when D'Artagnan became a
field marshal in the Duo de Brage-
lonne." But its hilt makes it impossi-
BILE for ordinary wear in its present
shape. and the epee de combat is the
weapon Of the French duelist and Of
him alone.
In 1888 General Boulanger and NJ.
Floquet found 1t necessary to settle
their differences at the swords point.
The critics had not much difficulty 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 a pistol and "brav' general in
the full ardor of his life whose sword
was the symbol Of his profession. Yet
they were utterly mistaken.
II NJ. Floquet was no swordsman, he
was full of quiet pluck and common
sense, and he practiced one stroke only
the night before the fght. A dozen
times. though not too many to make
his old limbs stiff the next day, he
might have been seen in a well known
, sales d'armes Strengthening his arm
eud raising his wrist until he could
only Just see the point Of his sword
above and beyond the ball Of hi.
! thumb. The next day Boulanger made
furious attack, with many stamps
and Aourishes. The little presiden
stiffened his back, threw out his point
: and the unlucky general impaled hi
neck upon the blade. Boulanger recov
! cred, to die by his own hand afte
Y "Boulangism" had been discredited.
Harry Alis" Of the Debats suffered
much more quickly from the effects o
:. the epee. His real name was Hippolyt
Percher, and in fighting a captain o
= infantry on the lie de Ia Grande Jalt
II
:, the French Kongo he was hit In tn
e right armpit and bled to death.
r The duel fought by Catulle Mende
y In May Of 1899 was almost as serious
e and It was caused while Bernhard
was playing Hamlet by some fatu
= Gus quarrel over the physical develop
ment Of the prince Of Denmark. N
:, Vanor, Mendes' opponent, was a I'm
swordsman and, sportsmanlike enoug
to recognize the double advantages b
enjoyed. contented himself with parry
ing correctly. Catulle Mendes threN
g himself on his adversary's point an
g was severely wounded in the stomac
p on almost the same ground wher
1t Percher had been killed several year
before.
'e| 1t often Is urged outside of Franc
- that French dueling consists in merel
y pricking your man in the hand or for'
- arm, as the least disablement is held
,e satisfy the honor Of the combatant
e, But the hand and arm Of an adversar
re are those parts of him which are nea
g est to you and which you can reac
u with the least exposure Of your ow
person.
n. The wound that is produced by tran
~ fixing a hand, which may be protecte
% only by the ordinary kid glove Of socii
custom, is not only totally disabling
v. but also extremely painful. Soldier
r who have been shot In the palm inv
riably collapse for a time with Il
acute agony produced by the ruptul
Of SO many delicate nerve centers.
Ia thrust in the forearm is equally effec
m i've. for 1t disables all the muscles ar
IN ligaments Tat enable man to ho
n and manipulate his sword.
or But though a fine duelist Is alwa,