The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-12-27

SOME DUELs.

Pearson's Weekly: An extraordinary
duel was fought the other day near
Mont Blanc, in France. Two young
men had fallen in love with the same
girl, arranged to fight a duel with
nature as decider of the result,
Selecting a part of that mountain :
GUS district many thousand feet up,
where avalanches are known to fall at
frequent intervals, the lovers agreed
to take it in turns to stand for a given
time In the most dangerous spot that
could be found. The idea was that
when one was killed by ar avalanche
the other would be free to propose TO
the girl whom they both loved,
This Is not the only instance on
record of a duel by avalanche, A few
years ago two Italians, named Guetta
and Sorato, decided to test fate in this
manner, and also for the love of a
Oma
Fol- three mornings they tempted
nature, but, nothing serious happened.
On the fourth day Guetta was knocked
down by a, falling avalanche, but not
much hurt. Then it was that their
food supply gave out, and they re-
turned home to get some more. BY
this time the police had come to hear
Of their strange duel and threatened
them both with imprisonment. So the
undaunted rivals settled their differ
ences in another and less adventurous
way. They drew lots for their lady
love. Sorato won, and after Guetta
had left the village he was married to
the girl Of his choice.
some years ago two determined ri
a decided to fight a duel with dyna-
mite. They arranged that each should
sit on a barrel of dynamite to which a.
fuse was attached. Whichever fuse
burned down first would, of course,
have decided which was the winner
As luck would have 1t, however, both
fuses went out onle time. before the
dynamite was reached, and the rivals
We're so astonished at this unexpected
happening that they made up their
quarrel then and there.
A particularly terrible kind OF duel
was fought on one occasion in Mexico.
The opponents were an Indian settler
and a rich cattle owner. The weapons
chosen were butcher knives, and it
was settled that each combatant was
to hold out his hand in turn to have
n of his fingers Gu off, The first
to show the least sign of suffering
pain was to have a bullet put through
his heart by the other.
The Indian had the first cut, and
amputated the cattle-o owners first fin
ger at a single blow.
AO IikuIdu . IESL INJURY was the loss
Of a thumb, and he likewise remained
as impressive as marble. This horrible
drama went on until each combatant
had lost four .digits. Then the cattle
mans second became so frightened at
the CHASTITY sight that he shot the In
dian dead, and ended the fight.
Another extraordinary method of
settling a dispute was that hit upon
by a doctor in America some years
ago. Two of his friends had seriously
quarreled and told him that they had
set their minds ON a duel. He replied
that if they would leave all the ar
rangements to him he would provide
them with a novelty.
They submitted to be guided by him,
and on the day fixed for the encounter
they made their appearance at the
place agreed upon. The doctor was
there before them, and, to their sur
prise, he had no weapons of any kind.
Instead, he showed them a pill box
containing b pills, and informed
them that while three of the pills were
quite harmless, the fourth contained
a poison which would instantly kill
anyone who swallowed it.
The rivals agreed that each should
take q pill in turn until one or the
other drew the fatal pellet. The first
two draws had no result, and then
each duelist had another chance. The
doctor made them swallow the re-
naming pills simultaneously, and. a
moment or two later one Of the com
batants fell back in his last agony.