Washington sentinel., 1901-03-30
T.I, 49,, SENTINEL
The Survival OF the DueItp Europr.

the press OF thiS country on the re-
cent Castellane-h odaYs duel. says
the Baltimore San, merely Illus
trates how much opinion IS affected
by the point of view. American
newspaper writers of today jauntily
assume two things as if they were
beyond all dispute; first, that duel
ing is barbarous and akin to com
mon murder; second, that the so
called code of honor is essentially
ridiculous, and as practised on the
Continent of Europe at the pres.
ent time is positively farcIcal. 1t
must be said. however, in fairness
70 the French, German and other
dueling nations Of Europe, that
the code and practice Of dueling
are not necessarily inconsistent
with a civilized state Of society
though the nations that speak
English have abandoned them
And it ought to moderate alike the
censure and the ridicule which the
British and American press unite
in pouring upon present day duel
i,ts to remember that their own
ancestors, until quite late in the
nineteenth century, were enthusi-
astic patrons OF the field OF honor
There are doubtless a few men
living who can recollect the SEN
sa.ion that was made by the Duke
tfWellington's duel with the Earl
Of Winchelsea in 1890. The hero
Of Waterloo was then Prime Min
lister, and the encounter was all
about "a pettish letter" respecting
the Catholic Emancipation bill.
When the last century was Young
il was not an uncommon thing tor
40 duels to take place a dav in the
British Isles. In 1909 Major Camp
bell mortallY wounded Captain
Boyed in a messroom duel in Eng-
land. He was tried at Armagh
and sentenced to death. His wIie
was very active on his behalf and
did her best to gam the royal
clemency, but George III. was in
flexible, says Charles Mackay, lin
consequence oil the report Of the
Irish Viceroy that an example was
necessary"
Between that date and the Duke
Of Wellington Premiership the
great war had intervened and it
had made a considerable differ
ence. When British troops were
in occupation OF France in 1914
duels with rapiers were consta ntly
provoked by French officers tor
the most trifling things. English
officers were ignorant oil the art,
but they used to rush at their ad.
versaries and often succeeded in
cutting them down. The French
seconds protested against this
breach OF the rules, but the Eng
lish seconds carried pistols and
threatened to shoot anybody who
intertered. Systematic French
-,,l,,,,ellists went about vowing they
would tass- ,Fhe life OF the first
EngIish oficer>they met, and IN
several cases carried out their
threats by practically one-slded
duels. But Irish officers we're al
wavs read and expert at single
roT,bat The Iron Duke, himself
~ r.ishman, had a good memory
g. these thin gs, and so when Lord
Londonderry entreated him 90
keep the Tenth Regiment in Dub
lin, though he knew duels would
result, the Duke said: Il think il
not impossible they may have to
fight duel or two, but that I con-
sIder Of no consequence" IfIrish |
officers in King Georges service
were rather fond Of duels, they |
were equally ready to face an
enemy IN battle. Some of the
French duelists were not, and
hence Napoleon's saying: The
better duelist, the worse soldier"
Napoleon had an aversion to duel.
ing, as shown in his reply to Gus
tavus w., from whom he received
a challenge: 81 will order a fenc-
ing master to attend me as a pleni-
potentiaTy."
The duel is the survival OF the |
trial by ordeal. Rowland Yorke |
is supposed to have brought It 10 |
England in 1887. but earlier than |
that il was not an uncommon thing |
70 see a glove hung over the altar
in church as a challenge 20 anyone |
who should take it down. There
were I7a duels in England during /
the reign OF George III. and there |
we're several trials OF peers Tor /
murder by the House OF Lords
growing out OF them. The last
duel in England between British
subjects was fought at Southsea
IN IS45, when Lieutenant Hawkey,
who had resented the a tentIons Of
Lieutenant Seton, oi the Eleventh
Hussars, to his wife, killed him in
combat.
The records OF French dueling
probably afford more sensational
affairs than those Of any other peo.
gle. On the field Of honor, as else.
where, your true Frenchman is
nothing il not dramatic. Thus, tor
example, IN the reign OF Louis
XIV. the actress Maupin insulted
a lady at a ball and vas ordered
out Of the room. She said she
would go II the gentlemen who
esllOused the lady's cause would
mset her outside. Alter a hard
combat she killed them all and
~ ietlY returned to the ballroom.
I'll ere is a record in 1873 Of duel
pet ween Fournier and Dupont,
1h ch lasted I9 years, They
lg sed, BY treaty, to meet when
W.. they yyere uifhiu 100 unilaq ~ |