The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-07-18
ON APOlNT OF HONOR
YOUNG GERMAN OFFICER I
KILLED.
Tried Te Kiss Fiahcee Of Fellow Of
ncer And Died In The Duel,
That Followed.

-
Berlin, July Ito be called upon
| to give his life for an attempt TO steal
| q kiss from q brother officers fiancse
may be consistent with what IL termed
the code Of honor" In the German
Army, but In other circles IL cannot
be regarded I'm anything but the ligh,
OF a brutal murder. 1t was at the
worst a foolish act OF indiscretion. the
outcome OF q little exuberant joliifi.
cation at a military ball. which gave
rise to the duel In which Lieutenant
Zwitzers. of the 1e5th Infantry Regi-
ment, stationed at Blankenburg. In the
Harz, was killed. His slayer was Lieu
| tenant Granier, OF the elst Infantry
Regiment which 10 garrisoned III
Thorn The scene OF the affair was
the woods that surround the romantic
castle ruin OF Regenstein. 10 the north
Of Blhnkenburg. Lieutenant Granier
was the challenger. and the conditions
OF the duel. which were the severest
possible and practically certain to end
In the death OF one or the other CON-
| batants, were:-
1. Ten PAGES distance.
o. Allowance of thirty seconds to
take aim with pistols.
g. Alternative shooting until one OF
the two should be unable TO continue
| the combat.
TO n1NG kHo AlEot bhot,
One OF the strange features OF the
| duel was that the oombatants aid not.
according to the usual conditions,
| fire simultaneously, or as nearS
simultaneously as possible, but one
after the other. J. Preparations of q
most elaborate nature had been made
| for fight Although dueling is u
legal in Germany. this meeting be-
| tween two officers wearing the Kais-
r~fn x.ttAh
| sistarce of the State. Two surgeons
were present. and the duelling ground
was kept by two attachments OF
troops At the adjoining railway sta
ton a LOCOMOTIVES and an ambulance
car, both belonging to the Russian
State Railways. stood in readiness TO
| convey the combatant who might be
| wounded to the nearest hospital at
Halberstadt.
Lieutenant Granier. as the injured
party and challenger. opened the duel.
He had half minute In which to shoot
down q man standing motionless only
ten PAGES from him., Apparently he
aimed with extreme care at his adver-
sary's head. but the bullet failed to hit
its mark, though only very narrowly.
II was now Lieutenant Zwftzer's turn.
He presented and pulled the trigger.
but the pistol missed fire. According
to the. rules OF the game, however. this
counted as a shot. so the duellists took
fresh weapons from the hands OF their
seconds and began again. This time
Lieutenant = Granier aimed better.
Lie utenant. Zwitzers was hit in the
right chest. and at once fell In heap
on the ground. The bullet had passed
through a lung. and lodged In one OF
carried to the attendant train and con-
veyed to Halberstadt, where he expired
a day and q half later in the arms OF
his hearbroken wife, . young woman
who Is shortly expecting to become a
mother for the second time.
According to version based on In
formation which comes from connec-
lions Of the deceased 1t was nothing
more serious than an attempted kiss.
On the Emperor's birthday. Lieutenant
Zwitzers attended ball givan by bis
regiment in celebration of the occasion
Az he happened TO have been promoted
from sub-lieutenant on the same day.
he had a double cause for induiging
in q Publication. He appears to have
drunk rather more than was consistent
with O severe regard for social punc-
tilio, ana when the party broke up was
| in q condition OF somewhat boisterons
| hilartty. ?.
| Among the guests was q young LADY
affianced to Lieutenant Granter. and
| the duty of seeing her home relI te
Lieutenant Zwitzsrs. On the was
under the influence Of the liqnor which
| he had swallowed. he so far forgot the
obligations incumbent on an officer. .
gentleman, and an escort a. 70 eftempt
to kiss his companion. She vigorously
and successfully repealed his APP
proaches. He then became conscious
Of the gravity Of his fault. and apollo
Eized to the Giady. who agreed TO for
give II. They arranged on her
parents doorstep that nothing was to
be said to anyone about the incident,
and there the matter was left
At Whitsuntide. however. seventeen
weeks later. Lieutenant Granier came
to Blankenburg' on leave. ana his
fiancee, for some reason or other.
thought 1t best to tell him what had
happened. The result was challenge
and the duel described. Previously
the matter had come before one OF
those curious bodies known as courts
of honor, and the conditions OK the
encounter were sanctioned by this
| tribunal. Lieutenant Zwitsers was
asked by this court II the young
woman had done anything to leaa up
to his inaiscretion. IT being added that
she denied having given him the least