The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1909-12-10
THE WORD OF A COWARD.

! When Evan Bancroft, young Vir-
gilman. went to study at the Univer-
sity OF Heidelberg he promised his
! motfer that he would never fight a
duel. But Bancroft did not consider
1t necessary to refrain from Joining
the fighting corps and engaging in
harmless encounters. Indeed, there
was plenty OF fighting material in
him inherited from his prOgenitors
and this was why his mother had eX-
acted 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 attempting to defend a
prisoner from a mob. These shafts
Of death. striking SO near her. caused
her to brood and induced a fear that
ker only son should fall through
similar cause.
Bancl oft at Heidelberg proved so
handy with all sorts OF weapons as
10 distance all competitors save one,
youl Englishman named Horcut.
The two held the record for being the
best s|ordsmen at the university,
and Il re was a desire among the
students that they should fight for
the championship.
Whom the terms Of the fight for the
champ .onship came TO be arranged
l,orcIi in listed on certaiI. innoya-
tions rendering the affair dangerous.
Il wcs suspected - &, few that he
considered Bancroft the better swords
man and, judging him to be timid,
wished to force him 10 decline the
c0mb:t. This would give Horcut the
chan. Dnship without fighting for 1t
or ria. nS to lose 1t. He would then
return TO England to enjoy his hon
ors.
Whether or no this was his object,
it was accomplished. Bancroft de-
clined TO fight except under the rules
for friendly contests. Horcut accus-
ed him of cowardice. and there was
now nothing for him 10 do but chal-
lenge the Britisher TO an ''unprotect-
ed fight or be cut by the members
Of his corps. He declined TO fight
either for the championship or to
yindicate his courage. but he wrote
his mother the facts and begged her
to release him. She declined TO do
so. Besides, friends al home assur-
ed him that she was In a critical ply
sical condition. and II anything hap
pened 10 him It would kill her.
Bancroft neither cared to give his
true reason for not fighting nor be-
lieved that II would be accepted IL
would have been accepted and ne
would have been respected for 1t II ne
could have satisfied the students OF
its truth. In no country In the world
are parents more beloved ana respect
ed than In Germany. But TO convince
a couple Of thousand of young men
that lie was not hiding behind his
mothers skirts was out or the ques-
tion.
SO Bancroft finished his university
career cut man. though he was
burning TO meet his adversary. When
he went home to Virginia, finding
that the story had preceded him and
Drcjudiced some people against him,
he went to the farther west and en-
Ga yed in sheep raising. Soon after
this his mother died.
Several years passed. One day Ban
croft was treadng his way on path
barely a foot wide around the side OF
proclpice. While doing so he saw
1 party OF tourists coming Persons
meeting on the path must pass care
IL. the one taking the outside, the
other the inside Bancroft was eX-
pecting to take the outside when sud
denly he recognized in the leading
mLn in the line OF tourists his old
enemy at the university. He was also
recogpize0-