Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1913-07-25
The Most FreakIsh Of All.

Undoubtedly the most freakish of all dues was
one fought in 1903 in Paris The principals were
rivals, between whom the woman in the case
refused to choose The weapons selected were
blunderbusses, the ground was the air-for the
shots were to be exchanged from balloons in
process of ascension The seconds exhibited an
astounding amount of sporting spirit by
panying the principals aloft.
AT the first fire the envelope of one balloon
was penetrated and the gas exploded In the
fall to earth both principal and second were
killed. Thus simply was the woman relieved Of
choosing
Two other rivals were Henri Delagrave and
Alphonse Riviere. who confded the arrangements
for an affair of honor to their seconds AS the
duel was to be outrance, one of the seconds,
who was physician conceived the idea of leav-
Ing the issue to fate. in the shape of a poisoned
pellet
To this end, he made up four black pills One
of these contained prussc acid When the meet
Ing occurred, Delagrave won the toss of the coin
by which his adversary was forced to take
pellet first Rivere selected one of the black
balls and swallowed It, A. brief interval proved
that he had not taken poison. Deagrave then
took his turn, and he also escaped. Again it was
the choice of Riviere, who stared for long time
at the twin pellets in which lay hidden his life
or his death. Finally he seized pellet hastily
swallowed IT. Within few moments he was
dead
Another instance when the determination OF
the affair was left to chance was in the case OF
an Englishman challenged by Frenchman The
Engllshman was without skill either for fence or
shooting. while his adversary was renowned for
both. The Englishman had wish to be muir
dered, and set his Ingenuity to devise q means
of equality In the encounter. AS result of his
pondering he stipulated that the duel should be
with pistols but that only one of the two weapons
should be loaded with ball. and that first choice
of them should be left to toss. The weapons
bn hat CHI from
stations only two PAGES apart This, of course,
meant almost certain death for the holder OF
the pistol with the blank charge. The skilled
duelist won the toss and had first choice. He
spent considerable time in examination OF the
twin weapons balancing them first one and then
the other, In his hand in effort to distinguish
between the weights. he knew that the fully
loaded one must be the heavier. But chance is
stronger than any skill. At the fire the French.
man fell dead, while the Englishman suffered
only some scorching from the blank charge.
About the middle of the fourteenth century
there occurred In Paris a duel unique in all his.
tory: formal combat between man and a dog.
under the authorization OF the king Aubryde
Montdidier was murdered. and his body buried
In wood outside the capital His dog found
the grave and remained guarding 1t until driven
away by starvation. Afterward the faithful beast
led searchers to the spot: and thus made known
the crime
Soon afterward this same dog few at the
throat of the Chevalier Macaire. The suspicion
thus directed against the Chevaler finally culmi.
mated in the kings edict that the guilt or limo
cence or the accused should be put to proof by
trial of combat between the man and the dog
a huge houl.i
The affair was carried 10 a conclusion In due
form In the arena the dog when loosed Instantly
sprang for the throat of HIS enemy and sunk
his fangs there in death grip. All the mans
enorts to save himself were futile. When at