The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-12-28
THE AMERICAN DUEL.
Name Given to a Horrible Custom in
 Germanv

2 Name Given to a Horrible Custom in
 Germany.
 Nothing could be more inconsistent with Germany's claim to a foremost place in modern civilization than the. fact that her social life has been dis figured by the most revolting instances of the brutal custom of duelling which nave mortified humanity in recent 5imes, says The King. Only a short time since particularly shocking in stance occurred. when young off, cer. on the eve of his marriage, was dragged from his wedding festivities to fight comrade, to whom, under the influence of drink, he had quite un- willingly offered some trivial fiout. His comrade was perfectly ready to accept his offered apology, but cer-. tain bloody minded superiors, with the countenance of the colonel of the regi- ment, formed themselves into court of honor and decided that the young. men must fight. They did so, and the unhappy bridegroom fell mortally wounded. And this cruel and atrocious crime Is chargeable against the. social T .AAt9IAAnAAO4Ao Ol O COulibAJ ing the South African war, claimed the right to exercise censorship over. others in the interests of humanity, The punishment inflicted by the Kaiser upon the authors of this atrocity was swift, but wholly inadequate where nothing short of the capital penalty was demanded.
 "Of all the devices which mans lower mature has conceived for the extinc- ton of his fellow man, the most grew some, deadly and difficult to repress is that known as the American duel. In Germany. especially, this has been.i and still is, responsible for many niys-i terious deaths for which every ordi- nary cause is wanting. Nothing more is needed than for two men, who have decided that one of them must die in settlement of their dispute, to meet in the presence of seconds for the spin of a coin, a cast with dice, or some other fosFa of lottery.
 y,Ihe loser at this horrible assigna- ton is there and then placed under an. obligation to destroy himself within a stipulated period, and 1t becomes the, E &uutyt tOI HIS SeCOuuS lOtefoSS tAlciC IllSy compact is fulfilled. For strong, ac-y tive man still in love with life to be suddenly confronted with this awful necessity for -effacement is to add surpassing horror to the final doom of human nature.
 Some little while since friend of the writer was seated in a big opera house i'll a German town. His gaze was attracted to neighboring box, in which an officer was seated alone, He was handsome young fellow, with all most boyish face. But in spite of the general gayety of the scene an express sion of such utter hopeIessness and de- pression of soul was visible on his fea- lures that the compassion and interest ef the observer were deeply stirred.
 By chance he dicovered next day an explanation of what had interested him It had been the boys last night on earth, which he had spent at the opera alone. Afterward he had re turned to his quarters, and there, with a pistol, had, as in honor bound, put q termination to the existence, which was still pleasant and dear to him. The ordinary suicide may be weary of life or mentally deranged, but in such cases as the above there is a reversal of such conditions which terribly in-