The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-04-27
WHERE cREoLEs FOUGHT DuELs

l A Dilapidated Park in New Orleans
 That Was Field of Honor. One of the most celebrated spots in all Louisiana, to which President Me
 Kinley is to be taken upon the occasion
 of his visit to New Orleans on May l
 and 2, is the old City Park, where, "un-
 der the oaks" have been fought some of the most famous duels in the history
 of the state. The place is known as
 Lower City Park, is situated far out on Esplande avenue and beyond the his toric Bayou St. John. It comprises many acres of ground and Is one of the most picturesque spots in Louisiana.
 Running through the park and beneath the shadow of numbers of immense live oaks is a little stream. the banks of
 which are carpeted with greensward. It was to this place that the hot-blood- ed creoles of the old days used to re- pair
 The most favored spot of all is just beneath three of the largest oaks which stand in line, some twenty feet or more
 back from the bayou's sdge. These
 oaks are known as Les Trois Soeurs" or Three Sisters, and their immense
 gnarled arms. spread out in all direc- tions, are hung with heavy festoons of gray Spanish moss, an all-toofunereal emblem for the hundreds of sanguinary encounters with the rapier, or creole colechermarde, or with broadsword or sabre. The duelling pistol was frequent ly used but did not come into general use until the Americans obtained Q firm foothold in the state.
 Then the dueling became more fatal
 but all the efforts of the religious DOT tion of the community to stop dueling proved a failure and aroused the most bitter prejudice. An article was insert- ed in the constitution of the state in 1S4S disfranchising duellists The cre- oles complained bitterly at this, which they claimed was an attempt to drive men of courage from the state, and so vigorous was the opposition raised-for nearly all the leading men found them- selves disfranchised by this provision that the anti-duelling article was re- pealed and duellsts were restored to fa- vor again.
 The code duello was universally rec ognized in New Orleans before the war, and even to this day duels occu", al- though they are growing rarer every year. The man who would not fight was regarded as not entitled to the treatment due gentleman and was so- cially tabooed and liable to the grosseat insults There was no excuse for refus- ing to fight No matter how high the position, 1t was incumbent upon one gentleman to accept any challenge sent by g, other. Thus the frs American governor, w. C. c. Claiborne, who held sway in the old Cabildo, where Presl- dent Mckinley will be received by the present Governor Heard, left the guber- material manson to fight Daniel Clarke, the state representative in congress, an encounter which resulted in the se- were wounding of Clarke.
 This duel took place at the mouth of the Bayou Marechal. Later, under the oaks, the courageous young brother-in- law of and secretary to Governor Clai- borne-Micajah Lewis-fell in mortal combat January 14 1904, a short time after Louisiana had become territory of the United States.
 It is a. strange commentary, but a fact, that among the members of the bar of Louisiana duels occur most ire quently even to this day. punctili- ous high minded set of men, each year sees it's quota of encounters with swords or pistols, and, were duels fought for ali of the challenges sent almost each month would find members of the best | families of Louisiana facing one anoth- l CT upon the greensward of the old City | Psrk, under the duelling oaks or out I in some remote spot upon the banks of | Lake Pontchartrain, where interference | from officers or interruption from spec tators is usually an unknown contin l gency. However, sensible arbitrat ton | has come more in vogue and the hot l blood is kept within bounds by the | though honorable, mediation of | seconds. There Is at present a law l against duelling, but never once hat it | been invoked. It is practically a dead letter upon the statute books of Louisi- ana.-Baltimore Sun.