The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-08-27
A Unique VindiCatiOn.

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OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
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When Evan Bancroft n young Vir-
ginian. went to study at the Univer.
sity of Heidelberg he promised Lis
mother that he would never fight a
duel. But bancroft did not consider It
necessary to refrain from joining the
fighting corps and engaging in harm
less encounters. Indeed, there was
plenty of fighting material in him in
herited from his progcnitors, and this
was why his mother had exacted the
promise. Her father had been killed
in duel, one of her brothers through
reckless exposure in the civil war,
while another had been shot attempt
ing to defend a prisoner from a mob.
These shafts of death, striking so near
her. caused her TO brood and induced n
fear that her only son should fall
through similar cause.
/ Bancroft at Heidelberg proved so
handy with all sorts OF weapons as to
/ distance all competitors save one.
! young Englishman named Horcut
| The two held the record for being the
! bcd swordsmen at the university. and
! there was desire among the students
that they should fight for the cham
| pionship. Bancroft made no objcc-
! lion TO friendly encounter, the vital
parts Of each disputant being covered
according to the corps rules But in
/ truth he did not relish even friendly
fight with the Englishman, who was
| an avowcd hater of Americans.
! When the terms of the fight for the
championship came TO be arranged
IIorcut insisted on certain innovations
rendering the affair dangerous. It was
suspected by few that he considered
| Bancroft the better swordsman and,
| Judging him TO be timid, wished to
] force him TO decline the combat. This
| would give Horcut the championship
| without lighting for it or risking to
lose It. He would then return to Eng
land TO enjoy his honors.
| Whether or no this was his object,
| il was accomplished. Bancroft de-
clined to fight except under the rules
for friendly contests. HOrcut accused
him of cowardice, and there was now
nothing for him TO do but challenge
the Britishcr to an unprotected"
fight or be cut by the members of his
corps. He declined to fight either for
the championship or to vindicate his
courage, but he wrote his mother the
facts and begged her TO release him.
She declined to do So, Besides. friends
Mt home assured him that she was in
a critical physical condition and IL
anything happened to him it would
kill her.
Bancroft neither cared to give his
true reason for not fighting nor be.
lievcd that it would be accepted. II
would have been accepted and he
would have been respected for It If he
could have satisfied the students OF
its truth In. no country in the world
are parents more beloved and respect
ed than in Germany. But to convince
a couple of thousand Of young men
that he was not hiding behind his
mothers skirts was out of the ques
tion.
So Bancroft finished his university
career a cut man, though he was burn
ing to meet his adversary. When he
went home to Virginia, finding that
the story had preceded him and pref
udiced some people against him, he
went TO the farther west and engaged
i'm sheep raising. Soon after this bis
mother died.
Several years passed. One day Ban
croft was treading his way on patti
barely a foot wide around the side Of O
precipice. While doing so he saw d
party of tourists coming. Persons
Imeeting ON the path must pass care
fully, the one taking the outside, the
other the inside Bancroft was OK
pecting to take the outside when sud
denly he recognized in the leading
man In the line of tourists his old
enemy at the university. He was alsC
recognized.
"Wait there" said Horcut, pointing
20 place where the path wldened q
little. 81 pass inside" He spoke
with his old domineering tone. Ban
croft stepped TO the spot indicated
saying as he did SO:
~ pass inside"
"You pass outside. / say" growleG
IIorcut, remembering that Bancroft
was coward.
"Are you armed?" asked Bancroft
quietly.
| "NO."
Bancroft took Il revolver from hi'
hip aud flung 1t over the precipice /
| struck 800 feet below.
"What do you propose% asked Hor
cut, blanching.
"To settle feud of long standing
We are about the same build. Let ont
of us throw the other over. If / an
victorious | will pass inside the res
Of your party"
| Horcut stood aghast. "My God, man
that would be certain death for both o
u.s."
ut would prove us both brave men.
But
1--WE are keeping your friends wait
ing"
The friends were as terrified as tn,
/ a