The Washington herald., 1921-12-04
BY GORDON SHAND.

The brilliant success which at
tended the efforts of Washington
fenccrs in the recent matches be-
tween the British and American
teams for the Col. Robert NJ. Thonp-
son international trophy was due in
no small measure to NJ. F. Darieulat.
maitre d'armes at the Racquet Club.
Incidentally, just what that IF
stands for is still a mystery even
to "Darry's' intimates.
OF the American team. five mem
bers. Maj. Francis Honeycutt, Mai.
Harold Rayner. Maj. Robert Sears.
Sergt. John Dimond and Henry
Breckenridge, were tutored by NJ.
Darieulat, and it was due primarily
to tina policy of aggressiveness.
which is enc of the fundamentals
of the Frenchman's teachings. that
the Americans emerged victorious.
Halls from Gnseony.
NJ. Darieulat halls from Gascony.
the home of many a famous swords
man. He was born in OAK, the son
of a famous maitre d'armes of Bor-
deaux. A fencer. under his fathers
eye from the age of IL, he became
pupil of the French Military
School. of Joinville lesPont, where
six months training made him such
an expert that he was detailed to
teach his fellow students. Three
years service won him the diplome
de maitre d'armes.
He then taught fencing for a year
in Paris, thence came to New York
to become maitre d'armes of the
New York Athletic Club, and from
New York on to Washington, where
he opened a sale.
1t is related of NJ. Darieulat, thai
when he first arrived here he was
told that it would be polite to pre-.
sent himself to the local sporting
editors. So Dairy" decked out
in his baggy French trousers, short
coat, and cap, forthwith proceed.
ed to pay his respects to one oil
the sport scribes.
Ill, You're Tough.-
The sport editors first, comment
on seeing Dairy" breeze into his
office was. H. but you IooE
tough"
H, / am tough" was the re.
ply. 81 JUS licked tree men today
already"
Did you take any money away
from 'em inquired the sports edi.
tor.
HI. no." said Dairy" disdain.
fully. They didn't have any. They
were newspaper men,"
1t was not long after Darieula,
came to Washington that a heated
discussion arose between the al.
herents Of the two schools OF fenc-
ing. the French and italian. as &c
which taught the better method
Darieulat and an italian fencing
master were drawn into the discus
sion.
The gauntlet was thrown: there
was bout and Darieulat won. The
plucky Italian demanded a second
match. however, SO France and
Italy fought again, this time or
the stage of the National Theater
and again France won.
Darieulat was the tutoN of Presi-
dent Roosevelt during his term al
the White House. His chief COM
plant was that Roosevelt failed to
live up to the rules of the game.
winch stdle tndl an attack mu
be parted before the counter at
tack is started. The fine points
meant nothing to Roosevelt. how
ever. who was willing to take a
couple in order to get in a good
thrust himself
Forms Fencers' club.
/. 1t was Darieulat who was in a
great measure responsible for the
formation in 1895 of the Washing
ton Fencers' Club. of which Count
Cassini. then Russian Ambassador
and dean of the diplomatic corps,
was the first president Since that
time until the recent completion of
the new Racquet Club building, Da-
rieulat retained that position. AT
the present time. he is the pro" at
the Racquet Club. where washing
ton fencers do most of their work
Before the completion of the Rae.
qaet Club. the only rendezvous of
the Washington Fencers' Club was
the cellar of the old Riding and
Hunt Club. and IL was there that
Honeycutt. Rayner. Sears. Dimond