Evening journal., 1909-04-28
A Veterans ArmOr
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sy LAURENCE FOSTER CHURCH.
downright. 1909. by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
Here is a story / rescued from some
old family papers that had not been
oyerhauled in half a century. 1 have
reconstructed It from its original letter
form, preserving the first person in
which It was written:
came to New Orleans in 1S45 from
France. / was sitting one evening,
soon after nv arrival, in a cafe when
an elderly man, about fifty-five think,
stepped up to me and with a broad
southern accent said, "You are M.
Desmounes of Paris, believe, sub"
Il am and at your service, monsieur"
81 am a stranger IN the city, sub.
am a planter from the interior Of the
state. 1 desire the services Of some
one familiar with the code duello and
have been told that you have oficiated
on several occasions at meetings among
gentlemen. II it would not be too much
to ask, sub, would like you to act TO
me in an affair of hona', sub"
He was a typical Louisiana planter
of the period. but withal having sol
dierly bearing-tall, erect and with
grizzly gray hair.
Il shall be happy to serve you, mon
sieur. But l should like TO know
something about the case" .
Certainly. sub. My opponent de-
clared publicly that General Jackson
at the battle Of New Oleans used cot
ton bales TO breastwo'ks. told him
that he was mistaken. He persisted.
I gave him the lie. He challenged me-"
] was surprised. had not then
learned of the various methods among
gentlemen in vogue in the city Of pick
ing a quarrel which was based on an
other cause.
Were you right7" asked.
Certainly suhl / was present at
the battle. suh."
"And who is your opponentT
"Camille Trudeau, sub"
Camille Trudeaul Is he here? Why,
my dear sir, he has been out twenty
times and always killed or winged his
man."
$50 I have heard, sub"
After a failure to induce Captain St.
Leger-the name he gave me-to find
a way out Of the difficulty, consented
to act for him. His opponents second
informed me that his principal, who
was twenty-five years younger than
st. Leger, would not kill the captain
If he could possibly help 1t. st. Leger,
as the challenged party. selected pis-
tolls and a ground under the levee a
few miles north Of the city. We pro-
ceeded thither at daybreak the next
morning. / noticed that the captain
! stepped from his carriage gingerly and
? walked on to the ground with a slight
! limp. There also seemed to be some
thing the matter with his left arm.
We placed the contestants thirty
PAGES apart. The captain told me that
he was a poor shot and named the die
tance himself. They fired at the drop
of a hat Trudeau was unharmed.
st. Leger received a ball in the leg
that nearly knocked him over. But he
maintained his balance and awaited
the signal for another round. Trudeau
looked surprised. He had aimed at
the captains leg just below the knee
and knew that he had placed his bull
let there. Such a stroke should be
sufficient to put any man out Of the
fight. We endeavored to induce the
old man to withdraw, but he would
not hear of it.
Just before the next signal saw
Trudeau looking at his opponents
right arm, as IL he intended to shatter
it. was not surprised that he
J changed his intention, for he could not
carry it out without killing his man.
When the shots rang out Trudeau was
still unharmed. st. Leger's left arm
swayed and then hung limp. He stood
as steady as ever.
Trudeau turned pale. Was he to
continue to put holes in his adver-
sary's members without any percepti-
BILE injury? / confess was puzzled.
Trudeau appeared to be ratified The
, captains shots had been drawing
closer to him, and this doubtless had
: an effect upon his nerve.
st. Leger insisted on another round.
When their hands were raised for
the next shot 1 thought 1 noticed
slight tremor at the muzzle Of Tru-
deau's pistol. The captains face was
a study. 1t showed plainly that this
! time he was determined to kill his op.
] ponent and showed, further. great con-
hdence in his ability to do so. l be-
, lieve Trudeau considered that his own
life depended on taking his opponents.
But his nerve had gone, and he looked
, anxious. The captain stood straight
as a ramrod on his wounded leg. which
he had not permitted the surgeon to
examine and on which no blood was
, visible. / looked TO see 1t oozing from
under his pantaloons where they were
, strapped over his boot, but looked in
vain.
; At the next fire Trudeau's bullet
knocked st. Leger's pistol out of his
hand, glanced and buried itself in a
tree. Trudeau fell with a hole in the
center Of his forehead. The others
present, except myself, ran TO Trudeau.
/ started for st. Leger, but was sur
!. prlsed to see him walk to the carriage
with no more impediment than his
usual limp. He told me to get in, and
we drove away.
"Your leg, captain, and your armr I