The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-18
WOMAN DUEL PROMOTER.
aged Affairs of Honor.
From the New York Press.

From the New York Press.
One of the most fashionable resorts
in Vienna has been closed by the po-
lice, and the closing of it has made as
much sensation in that city as the
raids of Judge Jerome apparently have
in New York. 1t was no gambling
place which the police of the Austrian
capital shut up, but an up-to-date
dueing parlor, first class in all it's APP
pcintments and run for the convenience
Of the nobility and gentry of the city
and the empire. There were really sew
eral parlors in the establishment. and
in any one of them a man could pink
or shoot gentleman with whom. he
had quarreled, in the most elegant
manner and surrounded by all the lux
urles-surgeons furnished if desired
and surgical instruments always on
hand. These dueling parlors were kept
Dy woman of heroic mold, one Frau
Pletsch, who derived good income
from them and always witnessed the
gentle and joyous passage at arms. In
court she admitted that she had been
witness to more than 200 duels in her
rooms. She is as well versed as any
one IN Vienna in the intricacies of 1.-The
code, and her expert opinion was Of
Ten sought by the young bloods of the
clty When questions regarding the
ethlcs OF dueling We're under discus
SION. She was master of the foils and
the pistol herself, but, as far as known
never fought a real duel.
when she saw a really superior off,
yer, however, she would ask him, after
ne nau concluded his more serious bust
ness, TO do her the honor of crossing
swords with her in friendly way. For
d NUMBER of years Frau Pietsch has
ueeh we'll known in certain circles of
the capital, and when a man bowed to
dhother man with an especial show of
uelerehce and begged the favor of a
meeting with him at the house of their
mutual friend, Frau Pietsch, every one
, VINO was really in the social swim
Knew what it meant. The good frau's
mousse stood in a secluded court, and
che fashionable hour for visiting it was
o'clock in the morning. When in the
early morning hours two carriages
Toulu drive up to the frau's hospitable
NUTS and the principals, the seconds
anu the surgeons alight, they would be
sieeted with stately courtesy by the
Wollah OF the house. and ushered into
any one of the richly furnished parlors
when happened TO be disengaged at
we Time, and the little affair on which
v uIe party had come was arranged with
tedIlless and dispatch. After "honor
siau peeh satisfied the survivors were
Neu with refreshments, paid for their
eNtertalnment and went away. 1t was
d fascinating way of making a living
40. .or FRAU Pietsch, for she Gust adored"
e,e uuel. What to her were the tame
oHIusements of the theater or the
opera? She could see a duel in her
9 9I mousse nearly every day-a real
uueI with real blood, fought by noble
men or gorgeous army officers. The
tlau was getting rich and enjoying life
hugely at the same time when her hus-
1aHu' quiet man of a most peaceable
tI,Sposltlon, who tainted at the sight of
uiood' broke away from his wife's do
union and sued her for a divorce, thus
T@poslng the nature of her business.
tleFr Pletsch declared that life was I'M
Se'Iaple with gentlemen fighting in the
PaLlor every night.
re was peaceable man and wanted
peaceable life. He told his wife she
-IuSt give up her dueling business or
e'Fe up him, and she decided that she
"ouIa DO the latter with the greatest
Iedsure in the world. So Herr Pietsch
sGeu her for a divorce on the ground
VI her obnoxious business, and won his
use Then Frau Pietsch was arrested
on" enc, sentenced to long term of imprison-
seht. When the police raided the
,.au house they broke into a parlor
"nere duel with swords had Just TAX
-" pace. One of the duelists had re-
lived a wound which was being sew
81 81, up by the surgeon, while Frau
t letsch stood by enjoying the sight of
o,ie operation. The police had been
q1,"are for some time of the nature of
au Pietsch's business, but had not
,uSturped her, although she had been
armed to be careful. She found it such
Holtable business, however, and her
tents were of such high social stand
lug mat she never dreamed that the
TI"thorlties would dare to arrest her.
, mut her husband was a small official
unler the government, and when he
I've such publicity to his wife's duel
Ing parlors through his suit for divorce
e police We're obliged to act. In no
IVY IN the world could an establish
INT like that run by Frau Pietsch be
ouuucted so proiltably as in Vienna,
t or the Austrian capital is the very