The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-04-26

used almost daily to settle the
" fencing championship of the
western continent. Just now it seems
that Louis R. Senac, by virtue of be-
ing the son of maitre d'armes from
France who is said to have taken the
championship from the famous Col.
Monastery in 1876, and $500 chal-
lenge to the fencers of the United
States and South America, is being
permitted to carry the title.
Senac has stirred the fencers as
they have never been agitated in this
country. 1t may be that the long
expected revival of fencing as pub
lie sport may follow these charges,
counter charges, claims and denials
members of the italian school of fen
cling. j. E. Sullivan, director of
sports of the Pan-American exposi-
ton, is quick to detect growth in
interest in a certain sport, and he
may be able to arrange one of the
best fencing tournaments ever at
tempted for the United States as q
feature for the Buffalo exposition.
1t was my good fortune recently
to receive visit from Prof. Generoso
Pavese, the celebrated Italian duel
list, maitre d'armes, and possessor of
enough gold and silver medals in
dicating his prowess with the foil
and the broadsword to weight down
a small boat. He is the man who in
1895 in New York defended the chal-
lenge belt against all corners and per-
formed SO well that he claimed the
championship. That he has never re-
linquished this honor no one in the
italian school doubts. AS further
test of his prowess, Pavese, in March,
1897, set the fencing work by the ears
by his remarkable work in the Grand
Central palace by defeating 20 op-
ponents in six hours with but ten
minutes rest. That certainly was a
test of both skill and endurance.
Yet Senac will not admit that he
ever heard of Pavese. In a letter
typewriter, too-that Senac sent to
me the New York fencer boldly de-
clares shat he wishes to test the al
legged prowess of fencers in the Unit
ed States. He says that his father,
having been for many years the un-
disputed champion of the western
continent, and having relinquished
his honors to his son, he has put up
$500 for a meeting with any fencer
who can put up like amount, the
winner to be American champion.
Some sporting critics to whom
Senac also sent letters gave their con-
tents wide publicity, and such a
storm began to brew that young
Senac has since failed to either es-
tablish his claims to the champion
ship or to defend them for $500. The
denial by Senac of his knowledge of
Pavese has injured the Frenchman's
chances to have a clear title to chiv-
alrousness. Nearly every fencer who
has since accepted his challenge has
been compelled to offer as a substi-
tute for the $500 purse his desire to
fight for the ''honor and glory" alone.
Evidently Senac does not care to
meet Pavese on these terms, although
he has publicly declared that he will
meet Sig. A. S. Dateno, hot-blooded
Sicilian, who says that money does
not make apples grow on lemon trees
any more than it makes champions
in fencing, in his studio and with only
officials present. If Dateno is so anx-
ious to contest for nothing, it would
seem to followers of fencing that
Senac has given him an excellent OPP
portunity. It is also in Senac's favor
that he denies he was a maitre
d'armes in France. He says he was
born in the United States, of French