Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-01-27
BRUTAL "AMERICAN" DUELS
Murderous Meetings in Germany
Which Are Designated in
That Style

! Nothing could be more inconsis tent
! with Germany's claim to foremost
| place in modern civilization than the
fact that her social life has been disfig-
ured by the most revolving instances of
| the brutal custom of duelling which
| have Mortified humanity in recent
times" says the London King. Only a
| short time since particularly shocking
| instance occurred. when young officer.
i on the eve of his marriage, was dragged
from his wedding festivities to fight a
comrade. to whom, under the influence
| OF drink, he had quite unwittingly Of
Tered some trivial f1out. His cOmrade
was perfectly ready toraccept his offered
| apology, but certain bloody-minded su-
periors, with the countenance of the COL
| onel of the regiment, formed themselves
| into court of honor and decided that
| the young men must fight. They did
| so, and the unhappy bridegroom fell
| MORALLY wounded. And this cruel and
| atrOcious crime is chargeable against
| the social institutions CT country
which, during the South African war,
| claimed the right to exercise censor
ship over others in the interests of
humanity The punishment inflicted
by the kaiser upon the authors of this
atrocity was swift, but wholly made
quate where nothing short of the capital
penalty was demanded.
''Of all the devices which mans lower
nature has conceived for the extinction
of his fellow man, the most grewsome.
deadly and difficult to repress is that
known as the American duel. In Ger
many, especially. this has been, and still
is, responsible for many mysterious
deaths for which every ordinary cause
is wanting. Nothing more is needed
one of them must die in settlement of
their dispute, to meet in the presence
of seconds for the spin of a coin, cast
with dice, or some other form of lot
terry.
''The loser at this horrible designation
is there and then placed under an obli-
cation to destroy himself within stip-
ulated period, and it becomes the duty
of his seconds to see that the compact
is fulfilled. For a strong active men
still in love with life to be suddenly
confronted with this awful necessity for
-effacement is to add surprising
horror to the final doom of human ma
ture.
Some little while since friend of the
writer was seated in big opera house
in a German town. His gaze was at
tracted to a neighboring box, in which
an officer was seated alone. He was a
handsome young fellow, with almost a
bOyish face. But in spite of the general
gayety of the scene an expression of
such utter hopelessness and depression
of soul was visible on his features that
the compassion and interest of the OBJ
server was deeply stirred.
by chance he discovered next day an
explanation of what had interested him.
1t had been the boys last night on earth,
which he had spent at the opera alone.
Afterward he had returned to his quar-
tiers, and there, with pistol, had, as in
honor bound, put 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 ter
ribly intensifies the horror of such an
exit from the world.
can even more horrible instance of
the above system came under my notice
q few years ago, and Germany is again
the scene. A man whom the turn Of
card had consigned to self-slaughter
within a period of - months wavered
in his resolution. He had fallen in love,
spired him with a new and stronger de-
sire for life. He even married and sent
an appealing letter to his adversary,
begging that he would mercifully release
him from the fatal obligation under
which he was placed. The reply was a
chilling reminder of his honor and of
his bond. Still he could not bring him
self to part with all that had become
so dear to him, but unfailingly and at
regular intervals arrived the ill-omened
demand for the life which was not his
own. The persistence of his bloody
minded adversary at last succeeded in
preying upon his mind, and one night
the unhappy man wrote farewell letter
to his wife. and sent bullet through
his head
while such hideous customs dis
figure the social life of our German
friends they will do we'll to adopt a less
critical attitude toward others. And if
the kaiser devoted himself to the eradi-
cation of this stigma from the present
generation of his countrymen he would
do far more to deserve the gratitude of
posterity than by any triumphs in the
political arena or the achievement OF
vast naval ambitions"
HOW HE GOT THERE