Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-07-22
A CHOICE OF
WEAPONS
BY r. A. mitchell


receive the British at the battle OF New
Orleans he depended upon the marks
manship of his army rather than Its
discipline. Nearly every man of the
Americans was good shot At that
time Kentucky was a newly settled re-
gion, and all Kentuckians were hunt
ers, Tor their principal meat was game.
The consequence was when the British
marched up I'm s0idierly alignment
against these riflemen they were pick
ed on I'm such numbers that they suf-
fered terrible defeat. tsae
Zeke Brown was one of these Ken
lucky hunters who helped to win the
battle of New Orleans. Not long after
peace was declared between the United
States and England Zeke was left
fortune by a relative in New York and
concluded to go abroad to see some
thing of the world. Americans were
in those days more popular in France
than in England, and he went to Paris.
Zeke liked Paris so well that he re-
solved to stay there indefinitely. But,
having too much of the American spir-
it to remain idle, he concluded to set
up a small banking house to satisfy the
requirements of his countrymen visit
ing the city.
Now, at that time there were news
papers in Paris that did not Scruple to
obtain an income in an ilegitimate
way-in other words. by blackmail
They would attack some one or his
business and wait either for hush mon
ey or an advertisement The Journal
of the Nineteenth Century was newly
established paper and was straining ev
cry nerve to get start. This journal
published a warning against certain
American banking house. intimating
that 1t was intended to get in deposits.
after which its founder would return
to his native country.
Zeke was astonished- He consulted
a lawyer with regard to suing the pa
per for libel and learned that it would
be useless to try to get Judgment
against it, for there We're no assets on
which to levy. He went to the news
paper Office, called for the editor and
was proceeding to give him an opin-
ion of his rascally proceeding when he
was stopped and told that there was
one man connected with the paper who
heard all such complaints. The editor
tapped q bell, and an attendant appear
ed, who was told to show the caller TO
the office of M. de Pombeau- On
Zeke's entry a gentleman, dressed in
the height of fashion, arose to receive
him. bowling politely. Zeke told him
that he represented blackmail sheet
and IL the paper ever attacked his
business again he would "break his
jaw"
NJ. de Pombeau, unruff1ed, resumed
the seat he had occupied and whatever
he had been doing. When Zeke had
finished he left the office.
The same afternoon Zeke received a
caller who bore a demand for an apollo
gy for his attack on the Journal Of the
Nineteenth Century or that he would
give M. de Pombeau satisfaction.
who's M. de Pombeau2" he asked
"The gentleman you saw this morn
ing. When there is any dissatisfaction
| with the paper he attends to the mat
| ter"
| 'sYou mean he's the fighting man?-
Eyes, monsieur"
"And in order to get satisfaction
must fight for it?''
| Eyes, monsieur"
'fwe sometimes fight duels in Ameri
ca. I am not entirely ignorant of tn
code. AS the challenged party L an
entitled to the choice of weapons"
Eyes, monsieur"
| very We'll l. VIII ScAd you LEI
terms on which will meet your prin
cipaL"
sFIt is immateriaI to M de Pombea
whether he fights you with the swor
or the pistol
ssYou mean he knows the tricks O
both"
This elected no reply. and the gentle
man departed.
The next day he received by post tb
following list of ways that Zeke woul
meet III. de Pombeau, who was we
. come to make his choice between then
First--The parties to fight lover
handkerchief" a form sometimes, bl
rarely, used in America wherein Il
: disputants are separated by their Sc
, onds holding a handkerchief betwee
them 1t was certain death for both
Second.-Bowie knives in a room Pc
r fectly darkened-
Third.-Rif3es at 800 yards
Fourth.-The parties to swim fro
e opposite sides of the Seine toward eas
other, holding pistol In the right han
above water and begin firing at Will
Fifth.-Crowbars within a chalk
u ring ten feet in diameter
r Sixth.-Each disputant to eat sa
sage. one of the sausages to be p
soned. Two sausages were to be p
in a covered dish, ribbon to be 9
O tached to each and the disputants