INTERNATIONAL DUEL.

Mt Benger Mail, 25 March 1914, Page 4

INTERNATIONAL DUEL.

BILGAKJA.N AMI b'KENt JJ HAN. ii.i\a ui chivalry took oi;ice 0110 morning recently, ulion Lieutenant To room, of the Bulgarian Army, and M. Georges Brcittmayer, a lamous French fencer, crossed swords in a park at Montmorency, near Paris, lho due] aru.-e indirect'} out of a challenge sem by Lieutenant Jorcom tu Pierre Loti. The Bulgarian olticer's challenge had, it ,vas known, been eager]) taken up by French and Turkish champions, and it rumored that Lieutenant Torcom was coming iu i ; . ri- to do battle with one oi ;jia ad\ersaries. JJui the secret of the actual diiel had been so strict]}' kept that no one knew anything about it till it '/. as ■. vvi'. Hie conditions oi tbe coiubat 4 ivliich was with regulation swords, were exceedingly severe. Tho duellists wore ordinary gloves instead of gauntlets, and ..■To not allowed to break grouud beyond a certain mark. At iO o'clock they faced each other on the ground which had been marked out by Ai. Rouzier-Doreieres, the famous journal-ist-duellist, and one of M. Breittniayer's seconds. The Bulgarian officer, a strong-ly-built man of rather under middie height, wore on his tight-fitting jersej tho cross of the Bulgarian Order "For Bravery in Action," wou in the last tvar, in which be was thrice wounded. From the moment the swords crossed it was obvious that Lieutenant Torcom, though a strong and skilled swordsman, was far from being the equal of his

opponent, who is one u the finest fencers in E'rance. Time and again the frenchman's sword pierced his adversary's jersey between elbow and wrist, but without drawing blood. At the third bunt Lieutenant Torcom was wounded in the forearm, but insisted on continuing the combat. A little later Al. Rouzier-Dorcieres warned tbe lieutenant that he was within a yard of the limiting line. "Don't be afraid," said the Bulgarian; "1 shall die rather than cross it." _ The duo! continued fiercely. Several times the swords wore bent and others Lad to bo substituted. Then, at the LOth bout, M. Lieorges Breittniayer's sword pierced his adversary's chest above me heart. The doctor's in agreement with Lieutenant Torcom's second;;, demanded that the duel should end. M. Breittmayer then advanced and said to his opponent: "Wo have exchanged on the subject of the .Bulgarian campaign letters which have resulted in this duel. 1 am much honored to have crossed swords with you." "All the honor is mine," replied Lieutenant Toreom. and added, "Vive la France!" The two adversaries then shook hands. Lieutenant Torcom, whose wound does not seem to be very severe, left Taris immediately afterwards for Switzerland.