Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-10-07
SOME CURIOUS .DUELs.
combats In Which Fate Decided the
Issues.


Combats In Which Fate Decided the
Issues.
From time immemorial duels have
been fought IN every land under the
sun. Premeditated combats have TAX
en- place between two persons for the
purpose of deciding some private diff
ference or quarrel and have been
fought with deadly weapons and with
a purpose to take life.
There has been a just cause In many
instances for a fight to the death; II
was the only way to settle a feud
which, If continued, might result In
the deaths of many innocent persons.
Customs, temperament, ignorance,
brutal instincts, conceit, vain glory,
hypocrisy, have been the prime causes
Of affairs Of honor"
The challenger has generally been
one who was confident that he could
worst his adversary with pistol or
sword, but there have been many in
stances where men, goaded to despera-
ton by persecution or slander, nave
challenged the ones who made life un-
bearable, even when they felt that the
chances were against them, but, like
the man who meditates suicide, they
felt it was the easiest way to end their
troubles. However, In most cases,
duelists are either selfish or wantonly
thoughtless.
In France and Germany dueling en-
joys a certain amount Of popularity,
although the laws forbid 1t, and, until
half century ago, fight with swords
or pistols between prominent men In
this country who wished to settle a
contention was by no means uncom-
mon, and description Of several OF
these incidents occupies many pages
Of American history. They invariably
resulted fatally for one and sometimes
for both Of the combatants, so that
dueling became exceedingly unpopular
with Americans.
The continued popularity Of dueling
in France, however, is due to the fact
that honor Is satisfied without the
infiiction Of serious damage-the
French duelist Is morally protected
from extinction. The bellicose Ger
man student is mechanically protected
He goes to fight (?) with great demon
strations Of hostility, but he usually
goes home again with no stain Of blood
either on him or his conscience.
Duels have been fought not only
with all kinds of weapons but In var
ious other ways, some Of them under
the most dramatic circumstances and
with the most tragic results. The
methods employed have been most or
iginal; some have been flendish, with
the outcome utterly hopeless for either
duelist.
Davy Crockett, frontiersman, Indian
fighter and congressman, was once
challenged to mortal combat by a IA
nous duelist at Washington. Crock
ett's bravery was unquestionable, but
the odds were against him with sword
or pistol, for the skill Of the challen-
ger with either weapon was world re-
nowned. However, Crockett accepted,
and, being the challenged party had
the right to name his choice Of wea-
pons.
He had gone into the wilderness on
numerous occasions and with his
Drawn and a sharp axe had cleared
hundreds Of acres Of timber land. His
prowess with the broadaxe was famil-
lar to everybody, and when he chose
broadaxes as dueling weapons his
challenger hastily apologized to him.
Then what might have been famous
duel was averted. Crockett regarded
his would be antagonist as a coward
and he proved it.
The hero of the broadaxe a few
years later fought to the death with
little band Of brave men in the Alamo,
Of whom it was written: Marathon
had her messenger Of defeat; the AL
amo had none" The moral Of this in
cident is obvious.
A duel with knives under the sea by
two submarine divers has been graph
ically pictured on canvas and upon the
stage. To cut the rubber air pipe or to
puncture the rubber suit meant death
and in a conflict Of this kind little
hope could be held out to either. The
scene of this strange duel Is said to
be on the west coast Of England.
A few years ago two Swedes went
out upon a railroad track in cut In
the mountains of Pennsylvania and
fought until an express train killed
them. Both saw the approaching train
and taunted each other to continue
fighting where they were. They battled
to the death.
Daniel O'Connell's son was chal-
lenged by an English student to fight.
He went to his father, the great eman-
cipator, and asked what he should do.
The father advised him to accept, to
choose pistols, the conditions Of the
fight to be that, facing each other, and
toeing a mark, they should place the
muzzles Of the pistols in each others
mouth and upon the word from a ref
cree they should fire simultaneously.
When young O'Connelrs conditions
were made known the bullying Briton
declined to fight.
Two expert swimmers whose reputa-
tions are international engaged in a