The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-07
THE SOLDIERS ALLEGED HONOR,
Two Recent Duels Illustrate the Char acter of This Attribute.

Two Recent Duels Illustrate the Char acter of This Attribute.
 | The cruel absurdities Of what is
 called discipline and honor in the Ger
 man and Austrian army were never | more revoltingly shown than in two
 duels which have recently been widely discussed in the continental press | One evening, in one of the small interi-
 or towns in Germany, Lieutenant Hil- | debrand and Lieutenant Rasmussen met their friend Lieutenant Blaskowit2 going home in Q state of intoxication. He had been celebrating the approach ing end of his bachelorhood, and had drank too much. They carried him to a
 spot near his residence and left him there. Returning later, however, they found Blaskowitz crouching against a wall, asleep, and tried to arouse him and get him upon his feet Blasko- Witz, being ignorant of the identity of the two men who were endeavoring to assist him, struck right and left in
 his semi-somnoent state and hit Lieu
 tenant Hldebrand. The latter consid-
 cred himself insulted by the blow, and |
 or, which decided that a duel was una
 voidable, whereupon Lieutenant Hide
 brand challenged Lieutenant Rlasko-
 WitZ. The latter, however, unconscious
 of what had occurred while he was in-
 toXicated, went to Eylau the next day
 to attend party held at the house of
 the young lady whom he was to marry
 on the following day. A telegram re-
 called Blaskowitz from the party to
 meet Hildebrand. Blaskowitz, not
 knowing what had caused Hildebrand
 to challenge him, wanted to settle the
 matter with an apology, but the high
 est officers of the brigade and division sanctioned the finding of the court of
 honor that duel was necessary. Ac- cordingly, they met at Interburg, East Prussia, and the young lieutenant was killed, leaving his bride-elect and an aged clerical father to mourn. Ger man newspapers of all shades of opin- ion express amazement at the action of the court of honor. Even the conser- vative papers regard the action of the court as being incomprehensihle. It is expected that the case will come be- fore the Reichstag. The papers used the strongest language against permit ting duels like the above, holding that the superior officers were responsible,
 The other duel, in Vienna. was the re- suit of the attentions of Benna von Soyka, a lieutenant of hussars in the Austrian army, who carried on a liason with Mime. Loewenfeld, a handsome woman of thirty-five, the wife of the junior partner in large manufactur- ing firm, and mother of a boy of thir- teen years For two years the lieuten- ant met her clandestinely at his rooms and saw her openly in her husbands home A short time ago the husband was informed of his wife's doings, sur prised her in the lieutenants rooms, and insulted the officer. The wife de- clared she would not return to her home, but would go to her parents and wait for separation, when she would marry her lover The officer wrote a letter to the outraged husband, whom he felt he could not challenge, saying that his regiment had been transferred to a garrison In Hungary, but that he would wait for his orders until the Sth of the month. The husband understood the hint, and sent his seconds. The two met in the military riding school where all duels are fought in Vienna. The husband had the right to fire first, but being quite inexperienced in firearms he refused to do so. The offi- cer's first shot missed fire. The pistols were changed. Loewenfeld fired and missed his adversary; then the officer firtd, and the pistol again missed fire After this Loewenfeld just raised his tenant Won Soyka lay dead, shot through the heart. Loewenfeld was in utter despair, but his own and his ad- seconds assured him he had acted in the most gentlemanly manner throughout the whole duel, all the de- tails of which were correct according to he strictest code of honor. "Ten years would probably be the east punishment that would be inf1ict ,d on the civilian duelist," comments he Vienna correspondent of the Lon lon Telegram. "He has, however, left he country to escape the ignominy of he trial and Imprisonment. Had his opponent killed him the consequences would not have been serious. Subject o military Jurisdiction only, the offl- er would have escaped with very slight | because by accepting the challenge, he had only done what, &C., | ,ording to military notions, he must do. | Had he refused to fight the outraged | he would have been dis 'harged, would have been considered a coward by all his compeers, and would | lave been avoided in all social circles"
 'I am told" said the friend, that the |
 
 manager you have left was paying you