The sun., 1901-03-21
THE SURVIVAL OF THE DUEL
In EUROPE.
l'rom INC Baltimore Sun.

1 ~
Much of the current comment in the (,
,ress by this country ON the recent Cas- !.
cllane- Rodays duel merely Illustrates 4
low much opinion is affected by the point Il
If view. American newspaper writers oi "
today jauntily assume two Things us
they were beyond all dispute: first, that b
iueling is barbarous and AKIN to common
second, that the so-called code
Of honor is essentially ridiculous, ana as
practiced on the Continent of Europe al !
the present time is positively iafcical.
1t must be said, however, in fairness to
the French, German and other dueiihe
nations of Europe, that the code ana
practice of dueling are not necessarily III
consistent with the civilized state of so
cety, though the nations that speak ENG
fish have abandoned them. And it ought
to moderate alike the censure ana the
,idicule which the British and Ameri.
can press unite in pouring upon present
day duelists to remember that their own
ancestors, until quite late in the -nine'
teenth century, were enthusiastic patrons
of the field of honor:
There are doubtless few men living
who can recollect the sensation that was
made by the Duke of Wellington's duel
| WITH the Fldrl Ol w III 1o-"' |
| The hero of Waterloo was then frime |
Minister, and the encounter was all
about "a pettish letter" respecting the
Catholic Emancipation bill. When the
last century was young it was not an
uncommon thing for 20 duels to take
place in day in the British Isles. In
1909 Major Campbell mortally wounded
Captain Boyd in mess room duel in
| II t,;, aft krpna.rh nd
sentenced to death. His wife was very
active on his behalf and did her best to
gain the royal clemency, but George Ill
was nhexible, says Charles Mackay.
in consequence of the report of the
Irish Viceroy that an example was nee
essary."
Between that date and the Duke of
Wellington's Premiership the great war
had interyened and it had made a
considerable difference. When British
) troops were in occupation of France i'll
1914, duels with rapiers were constantly
provoked by French officers for the
most triiling things. English officers
> were ignorant of the art, but they used
5 TO rush ut their advcrsarics and often
5 succeeded in cutting them down. The
French seconds protested against this
!
. onds carried pistols and threatened to
il shoot anybody who interfered. Systema-
Il tic French duelists went about vowins
they would take the life of the first
S English officer they met, and in several
t, cases cal ried out their threats by practi-
i cally one-sidcd dilels. But Irish officers
l. were always ready and expert at single
l. combat The Iron Duke, himself III
Irishman, had II good memory for those
If things. and so when Lord Londonderr!
:, entreated him 10 keep the Tenth Rcgi
1t mcnt in Dublin. though he knew duels
" would result. the Duke said: Il think il
not impossible they may have to fight ;
iuel or two, but that | consider of II,
Y lfqnseaueRee, zlf IIish eilicers jn Hin;
e. duels, they We're equally ready to face ai
n enemy iii battle. Some of the Frencl
e. duelists were not, and hence Napoleon
I'd saying: "The better duelist, TIE wors
ie soldier" Napoleon had an aversion l.
II. dueling, as shown by his reply to Gus
ne tavus ~, from whom he received II chal
is lenge; II will order fencing master II
~ attend me as Il pleniputcntiarv"
40 The duel is the survival OF the tia b.
ne ordeal Rowland Yoike is supposed L
II have brought il to England III 15S,, i,l.
ne earlier than that it was not an unuen
rs mon thing to see glove hang over til
US altar i'll church as a challenge to anNo'.
ut who should take it down. There wer
MS l72 duels inS England during the rcig
er Of George III, and there were severs
To trials Of peers for murder by the Ilous
re of Lords growing out of them. III
NJ last duel i'll England between BIRTHS
ly subjects was fought ut Southsca i
~ lSiJ, when Lieutenant Hawl;ey, who ha
ng resented the attentions OF Lieutenan
NJ Seton, OF the Eleventh Hussars, to Iii
do wife, killed him in combat.
he The records OF French dueling prol
ably afford more sensational affairs tha
an those Of any other people. On the ieI
his of honor, rs elsewhere, your true Frencl
en- man is nothing if not dramatic. Thus
iy for example, i'll the reign of Louis NJ
'ly the actress Maupin insulted lady at
III bail and was ordered ont Of the room
g. She said she would go if the gentlcma
,c- who espouscd the ladys cause wou
Ic- meet her outside. After hard comba
she killed them all and quietly returne
We to the ball room. There is Il record i
nj 1913 of duel between Fournier and Du
re pont that lasted 10 years! They agreed
IN by treaty, to meet whenever they wer
It's within 100 miles of each other, ana as
re result had some desperate sword CON
er bats. One day Dupont said I'VE mus
d. end this quarrel He wanted to g.
en- married and proposed a finish fight wit
he pistols. Fournier, who was II crack shot
n said dupont was mad. They arrange
ng to meet in a wood, have two shots eacl
and fire from behind trees. Dupont dreN
on his enemy's two shots by stratagem an
of then spared his life. In 1908 NJ. d
nj Grandpre and M. de Pisquc, who ha
nj qlarreled about an opera dancer, agree
to fight Il duel in balloons from a tel
ce near the Tuileries, armed with blundel
en- busses. The balloons kept about s
d. yards apart, and when they We're so
Isl feet high, OH signal being given, NJ. d
ID. Pisquc fired. He missed aim, where
ly upon Grandpre fired into Pisque's bal
he loon and he and his seconds were dashc
@ to pieces on housetop.
\ As a matter of history dueing foul
X ished down to about go years ago a
nd much in Ireland as in France When
as student who had entered for Trinity Col
al lege, Dublin, asked the provost wha
as books he had better bring to college, tn
latter replied: 'Neyer mind the hooks
in bring case of pistos.'' The student
lis We're in the habit of settling their affair
ed of honor either just before or just afte
at morning prayers. All the distinguished
ds lrishmen of. thelearlier part of the nine
hy tennth century We're duelists. Danc
O'Connell waszon the field of honor nor
than once, and O'Gorman Mahon, fa
IN thn Il,,ifi -