Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-07-01

your mind naturally turns to the nice
polite, harmless little affairs of the
French aristocrat or the swashbuckling
scraps" of the German students, the
only two notable examples of this fool
ish and intensely unmodern practice
now extant. Of course we all know that
up to about hundred years ago this
custom was in vogue to some extent
In both England and America. But
doesn't it seem strange to you to think
of duels in Ireland, where the weapons
were anything but fists or a shelaligh?
It did to me- The following article by
Seumas MacManus that appeared in
the Sunday Magazine last week shows
that at one time the practice of duel
ing was almost universal there and
gives the occurrence that brought
about Its downfall.
When Dick Toler of Beechwood,
County Tipperary, was on his death
bed, he asked for his two sons. To the
elder he said: Richard, you were al
ways a numskull, and could not hit
"a turf-stack, so must provide for you:
Il leave you my estate. AS for you,
Jack" he said to the second, "you
were always credit to your father:
there Is my case of pistols on the ia
ible; I'll leave them to you. Provide
lfor yourself"
/ That the father was not mistaken in
This estim ate Of Jack was soon apparent
to the world. for, although the young
yellow was almost utterly devoid of le-
(gal knowledge, or any intellectual at
tainment, Jack Toler first shot himself
Iup, to the bar, from the bar up to the
lhovoh S6a INT ho
house Of lords
/ Even when he was on the bench,
Judge Norbury would challenge and
flight with barrister who dared to dis
agree from one of his rulings. He shot
Fighting" Fitzgerald and two others
with their pistols muzzle to muzzle.
He proved himself cruel judge, espe-
Fcially to any Irishman who was proved
|guilty of the terrible crime of loving
This country too WELL Any such who
came before him on trial for his life
rarely escaped and Norbury earned for
himself the title o. 1.-THE Hanging
Judge"
Norbury being one day at dinner
whereat also was Curran, the famous
Irish lawyer, orator and wit, refused
some boiled tongue that was rendered
to him by his host, remarking that he
never could bear boiled tongue, but If
It had been hung he might have tried
1t.
"My lord" spoke up Curran, "if you
only consent to try it, it will, most as
suredly, be hung"
Curran, by the way, fought many
duels in his day. Having, in the Irish
house of commons, accused Fitzgibbon
the Encouragement of sleeping on the
bench while statutes of ferocious
cruelty were being enacted, he was
challenged by Fitzgibbons, the arrange.
ments being that both parties should
fire when they chose, Fitzgibbon, who
was bitterly anti-Irish, as only an Irish
traitor can be, Indignantly hated Cur
ran because he was q patriotic Irish
man. When they met, and the word
had been given, Curran, in an offhand
way, presented his pistol and fired Not
SO, however, Fitzgibbon With a look
of concentrated hate in his face he
took aim for at least half a minute be.
fore he drew trigger, but he missed.
Curran coolly remarked: ut is not
your fault, Mr. Attorney; you were de-
liberate enough
Fitzgibbon, when later on he was
raised to the bench and became
Lord Glare, had his revenge upon Cur
ran, giving his decisions against him
in wholesale fashion, so that the loss
of Curran's income for few years was
estimated at thirty thousand pounds.
One day when Curran was pleading be-
fore Lord Glare in most important
case, the latter brought Newfound-
land dog up on the bench and played
and talked with it during Curran's ap,
peal. Curran suddenly stopped short
in the midst Of his grafton.
go on, go on, Mr.. Curran!" said
/ Lord Glare, momentarily raising his
head from beside the head of the
fondled dog.
"Oh, l beg thousand pardons, my
lord!" said Curran. "I thought your
lordshfp was In consultation"
These were the days of the beaus,
and consequently it would have been
considered bad taste, if man going
out to be killed did not titivate himself
as though he went to wedding. A
friend of Curran, dropping in on him
one day, found him in the hands of his
hair-dresser.
We'll, fitting out for a spree, Cur.
RAM" inquired the friend.
Eyes" said Curran languidly, "I'm
preparing for the provost's ball"
This was so for that evening he was
going out to fight Hutchinson, the pro
vost Of Trinity college.
Curran was in stature small and
slight There was contemporary OF
his at the time named Egan, who was
a ponderous fellow, and had about him
a good deal of the bravo, though for all
this he had soft heart and used to
break down and blubber like child
when compelled to pass hard sentence
upon prisoner. Because of some lit
tie difference, Curran, who was then
master of the rolls, challenged Bully
Egan, as he was known, to meet him
at Donnybrook. They met; and after
Curran, in perfunctory manner, had
discharged his pistol, he said:
"My honor is satisfied" and was
about to walk away.
go SLOW" said Bully" Egan. 81
want to have shot at your honor be-