CHALLENGE TO A DUEL

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 290, 4 December 1920, Page 24

CHALLENGE TO A DUEL

AGED BARONKT AND HIS COf'SIN". A novelty In tbe way of newspaper sensations has been provided by a ptibllr challenge tv a duel Issuccl by a bnronet to a baron. The baronet is Sir Claude Cham.i|..n de Crespigny. a man of 7:: years of nge. wlm i-laims descent from Norman for"fatbers of noble birth, who fought in the Crusades. The man whom he wants to meet in deadly combat is his cousin, Lord I— uyon. who is r,7 years of age. Lo-.l Kenyon regards the proposal to flght a du>l as rldieuions, but bis angry klnsnfnn'". demand for blood cannot he appeased, and he insists on hurling insults at Lord I—ny. :i through the I'ress and the post, anil taunting him with a complete Inck of that hir-'i regard for honour which in other iln. s prompted gentlemen of honour to attempt to spit one another. On Lord Kenyon n last birthday he received from his cousin the present of a white fenther wrapped in cotton wool. "I will light Lord Kenyon In the death, anywhere, anyhow, anil with any weapons he lilies." said Kir Claude Champion de Crespigny to a newspaper reporter. "I claim, like the Duke of Wellington, when insulted, that satisfaction which it is the privilege of every gentleman to demand, and which no gentleman ever refuses to grant. A hundred yenrs ago. sir. a tie Crespigny would not have had lo wait for a Kenyon.'' But even this recognition that the good old days have goto does not seem to have enlightened the opl gentleman to the fact that lie is a hundred j'ears behind the times. Lord Kenyon's attitude, which was explained to the übiquitous reporter, is .is follows: "There is a little quarrel between F<lr Claude de Crespigny and myself whi-h in conrerncd chiefly with property I inherited. It belonged to my great grandfather, who had three daughters. One of them was left out of his will, and arising out of that is this trouble between de Crespigny and myself. Twenty years ago 1 was told that If I ever took over the property he would call mc out, and at intervals ever since this challenge has been made. Several years ago, while I was In Athens on official duty, I found a note from f-'lr Claude de Cresplguy asking mc to meet hi o in mortal combat In Belgium. I didn't do so. In the twentieth century we no long-r think of duels in connection with anythl „ so ridiculously inappropriate as a differer o over property. At one time or another. I suppose Sir Claude has challenged the whole of the connty of Essen to fight.''