The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-08-28
SOME STRANGE DUELS.
Poisoned Pills, Dynamite and Ava
lanches Used as Weapons.

France. Two young men, who had
fallen in love with the same girl, ar
ranged 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 danger
Gus spot that could be found. The
idea was that when one was killed
bv an avalanche, the other should 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 woman.
For three mornings they tempted
nature, but nothing serious happen
ed. On the fourth day Guetta was
knocked down by falling avalanche,
but not much hurt. Then it was that
their food supply gave out, and they
returned home to get some more.
By this time the police had come to
hear of their strange duel and threat
ed them both with Imprisonment. So
the undaunted rivals settled their
differences in another and less ad-
venturous 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
walls decided to fight duel with
dynamite. They arranged that each
should sit on barrel of dynamite to
which a fuse was attached. Which
ever fuse burned down first would,
of course, have decided which was
the winner. AS luck would have it,
however, both fuses went out some
time before the dynamite was reach
ed, and the rivals were 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 Mexi-
co. The opponents were an Indian
settler and a rich cattle-owner. The
weapons chosen were butchers
knives, and it was settled that each
contestant was to hold out his hand
in turn to have one of his fingers cut
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-owner's finger
at single blow.
The Indians first injury was the
loss of thumb, and he likewise re-
| NAMED as impassive as marble. This
| horrible drama went on until each
combatant had lost four digits. Then
the cattleman's second became so
frightened at the ghastly sight that
he shot the Indian 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 serious
ly quarreled and told him that they
! had set their minds on a duel. He
replied that if they would leave all
! the arrangements to him he would
provide them with novelty.
They submitted to be guided by
him and on the day fixed for the
encounter they made their appear
ance at the place agreed upon. The
doctor was there before them, and,
to their surprise, he had no weapons
of any kind. Instead he showed
them a pill box containing four pills
and informed them that while three
of the pills were quite harmless, the
fourth contained poison which
would instantly kill anyone who
swallowed it.
The rivals agreed that each should
take 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
moment or two later one of the COM
batants fell back in his last agony.
After the Coon.