Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-08-11
PECULIAR METHODS
or SETTLING DISPUTES
Fantastic Contests That Have
Tried Mems Nerve and
Courage.
FRENCH ARE MOST VAR
They Generally Devise Some Scheme
TO Avoid All Possibility of Meet
ing with Any Personal
Injury.

Tit-Bits: Two heavy weights suspend
ed from a beam by slender cords were
the weapons chosen by two Parisians
named Durier and Volson to terminate
their rivalry for the hand of a pretty
actress. Beneath a weight each took
his stand, there to remain until the
breaking of one or the other of the
cords should decide mis- fate. For more
than four hours they remained motion
less, when the cord attached to Durier's
weight snapped, and the ponderous
mass of metal, falling upon the man be-
neath, struck him to the ground. For
tunately, however, IL just missed his
head, and he escaped with no worse
damage than a severe shock and a
broken collar bone.
Somewhat prolonged was the duel
waged a few years back at a well
known Yorkshire seaside resort TO de-
eide which of two young men should
surrender his claim to the hand of a
local publican's daughter. h rivals
both prided themselves upon their nata-
tory prowess, so 1t vas agreed that he
who should first miss his mornings
swim in the open should withdraw his
pretension to the lady's hand. For nine
months and more each took his matuS
tinal swim, but at length there came a
lay of sucn furious storm that one
turned faint-hearted N refused to
dare the tempestuous pillows. The 9TH
er, however, at considerable risk,
dashed into the roaming sea and, al
though he was badly cut and bruised,
emerged a triumphant wooer.
Anothe aqueous duel occurred two
years since, the location being the Lake
Of Geneva, and the contestants a Swiss
named Zellner and Lenoir, a French
man, agreed that he who could remain
the longest beneath the surface of the
water should without interruption or him
drance from the other be permitted TO pay
his addresses to the daughter of a wealthy
tradesman. The rivals Owed simultan-
eously, and more than two minutes elapsed
ere Zehner's head appeared above the sur
face. There was nc sign. however. of his
rival, after whom, when yet another two
minutes had sped. q couple of onlookers
dived and succeeded in recovering his
senseless body. Restoratives were sue
cessfully applied, and on Leuoir's recov-
ering consciousness he was acclaimed the
victor.
At the time of Succi's forty-day fast at
the Westminster aquarium, some years
ago. a couple of young Mancunians agreed
by emulating his example, to decide which
of them should first propose for the hand
Of a girl who had hitherto regarded them
with a seemingly impartial affection. Four
days was sufficient ordeal for one, who,
refusing any longer to abstain from food,
left. the field clear to his rival, whose pro-
posal, however, met with scant consider
alton from the lady, who declared that she
would not intrust her future to the keep
ing of such a fool as he had proved him
self, Needless to say his rivals reception
was equally glacial,
During a very severe winter in the for
ties a couple of Germans, natives of Ores
den, resolved, for love of a woman, to
fight a duel to the death. Without pro-
vision of any kind and clad only in the
lightest of clothes, they went out into
the country, there to remain without
shelter until one of the other Of them
should succumb to the cold. Three days
after their departure a wretched object
crawled back into the town: ten miles
distant his rival, frozen to death, lay be-
meath the falling snow.