DUELS AND DUELLING

Evening Star, Issue 20303, 11 October 1929, Page 2

DUELS AND DUELLING

POLITiCAL QUARREL FOUGHT WITH PISTOLS HISTORIC ENGLISH INSTANCES To English-speaking people duelling is so much a thing of the past that the idea of Mr Philip Snowden, Chancellor of the Exchequer, being challenged to fight by H. Cheron, one of the French delegates to the Reparations Conference at The Hague, creates amusement. Mr Snowden described as “‘grotesque” and “ridiculous” some of the figures quoted by M. Cheron which proved that_ Great Britain’s monetary sacrifices in regard to her share of German reparations have not yet been large enough to awaken gratitude in the French nation. Seconds were sent on behalf of M. Cheron to Mr Snowden at his hotel to demand satisfaction, and a compromise was arrived at which satisfied French honour without Mr Snowden being called upon to defend - his life. Duelling has hot entirely died out in France, but ,the French duel is not usually a very harmful affair. Of course, accidents will happen, and there have been occasions in which one of the principals in a French duel has been injured) but as a rule honour IS satisfied without any real danger to life or limb. Mark Twain ridiculed the French duel sixty years ago, and expressed the opinion that it was more dangerous to be a second in a French duel than a principal. DUKE OF WELLINGTON’S DUEL. But, hi England duels have been fought between political opponents for reasons quite as trivial as that which caused the sensitive M. Cheron to demand satisfaction from Mr Snowden. A hundred years ago tho Duke of Wellington, who-was then Prime Minister, fought a duel with the Earl of Wiuchelsea. In this ho followed the bad example of an .earlier Prime Minister, .William Pitt, who _ in 1793 lought a duel with a political opponent, Mr Tierney, whom he had accused in Parliament of desiring to obstruct the defence of his country because Mr Tierney had opposed Pitt’s effort to pass through all .its stages in one day a Hill for tho more effectual manning of the Navy. In 1809 Lord Castlereagh, Minister of War in tho Duke of Portland’s Government, fought a duel with a Ministerial colleague, Mr George Canning, Minister of Foreign Affairs, whom he regarded ns the head of a conspiracy to oust him from the Government. Charles Fox fought a, duel in Hyde Park with Mr Attain, who had deserted the Opposition in the House of Commons and gone over to the- Ministerial side, and had given as his reason that, although tho. Ministers were not very competent, no persons more competent were to bo found among their opponents. Fox ridiculed the honourable member, and on refusing to apologise, was called out. Lord John Russell, m his ‘ Life of Fcx>’ gives the following -description of the duel:—“The meeting took place in Hyde Park at 8 o’clock in the morning • of November ‘29. After tho ground had been measured Mr Adam desired Mr Fox to lire; to which Fox replied, ‘ Sir, 1 have no quarrel with you. Do you (ire.’ Mr Adam tired; Mr Fox then fired, without effect. Upon this tho seconds, Col- • onel Fitzpatrick and Major Humberto u, interfered, asking Mr Adam if ho was satisfied. Mr Adam replied: “ Will Mr Fox declare he meant no personal attack upon my character‘s’ Upon which Mr Fox said: ‘This was no place for apologies,'- and desired .Mr Adam to go on. Mr Adam fired his second pistol without effect. Mr Fox fired his remaining pistol in tho air, ■ and said that as the affair was ended he had no difficulty in saying that ho meant no more personal affront to Mr Adam than he did to either of the other two gentlemen present. Mr Adam replied: ‘Sir, you have behaved like a man of honour.’ Mr Fox then mentioned .that he. believed himself wounded. On opening his waistcoat it was found that Mr Adam’s first ball had taken effect, but that the wound was very alight. The wits of the Opposition said that Mr Adam had used Government powder, notorious for being deficient in strength. No men were greater friends in after life than Mr Fox and Mr Adam.” FIRST DUELLIST HANGED. Duelling continued in England until the ’forties of last century, despite the growth of public opinion against it and tho existence of laws for its suppression. It was stamped out in the British Army after tho death of Colonel Fawcett on July 3. 1843, from wounds received two days previously in a duel with bis brother-in-law, Lieutenant Munro. As tho result of a public agitation after this tragedy the articles of wax were amended so as_ to provide that any officer who participates in a duel as principal or accessory, or does not do his best to prevent a duel, shall be cashiered. This regulation is still in force. But long before this' the participants of a duel in which death took place were liable under English criminal law

to bo tried for murder or manslaughter. The first case of a duellist being hanged for killing his opponent occurred in 1308 as tho result of a duel between two officers of the Royal North British Fusiliers—Major Alexander Campbell and Captain Alexander Boy-d. The duel took place in Nowry, Ireland, when their battalion was quartered there. A trivial dispute occurred between them at tho mess table about drill, when they were both inflamed with wine. They fought with pistols in a small room at the barracks, where no seconds or witnesses were present, and Captain Boyd was killed. Major Campbell fled, but was arrested about a year later in Scotland and sent back to Ireland to stand his trial. Ho was found guilty of murder, and was executed, despite tho efforts made to prevent the sentence being carried out. George 111., who bated duelling, declined to accede to tho jury’s recommendation to merev. as he regarded the case as a particularly bad one. which provided the opportunity of giving a long-needed example to Army officers who were ready to waste their lives in drunken brawls.