A REMARKABLE DUEL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11692, 29 June 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

A REMARKABLE DUEL.

. . A GOD-FEARING SOLDIER. * The duel between Count Boni do Castellane and Fernand de Rodays, fought in the Pare des Princes in Paris on Saturday, March 16, in which the famous editor, of Figaro'was wounded, recalls , a tragic duel which occurred at Nantes in 1853, and is graphically 'described by Maurice Mauris. • •:'

Olivier Fontaine, lieutenant in a light infantry regiment stationed there, belonged to an old Toulouse family. His mother, to whom ho was devoted, had educated him in the most orthodox fashion. He fulfilled his religious duties in the regiment as regularly as though he had been tied to her apronstring. The Bishop of Nantes, wht.', in his youth had been a cavalry officer, usee) to say that Lieutenant Fontaine would have made a better bishop than himself. He was a good and amiable companion, as well as a loyal, active, and dutiful soldier.' He was idolised by all his fellow-officers excepting one, Lieutenant Trouillefou, who owed his commission to the Revolution in 1848. Trouillefou was a perfect type of vulgarity and ignorance, and a declared enemy of all that was noble, delicate, and refined. He continually boasted of a slight wound received in a light at the barricades. In his eyes there was no glory beyond that gained in revolutionary wars. Like most ignorant men, Trouillefou wanted to ■ pass as a learned man. His historical blunders were without parallel. i One day, while the glories of the French army before the Revolution." The officers looked at each by a group of officers seated at a table of a cafe, the name of Marshal Saxe was mentioned. ■

"What do you talk about?" interrupted Trouillefou. "Marshal Saxe was not before the Revolution," The officers looked at each other in astonishment. " Don't you know that lie was killed at Marengo?' " True," Fontaine replied; "but at Marengo the name of De Saxe was pronounced Desaix." " '■ From that day Trouillefou's hatred for Fontaine increased. He never missed an occasion to insult the religious feelings of his comrade. He called him a canting priest, a nun, and similar names. Fontaine for a time bore good-naturedly these idiosyncrasies, but at last requested Trouillefou to stop them. Trouillefou complied with the request, and Fontaine, forgetful of his unpleasant remarks, treated him with cordiality. Two months later several officers were gathered around a table in the same cafe. One, '-recently returned from a trip to Switzerland, was speaking of Thorwaldsen's monument to the martyrs of the Swiss revolution in 1772. " The poor Swiss!" exclaimed one of the party. " Really, they have always had bad luck. Even in our revolutions they generally received our first blows." ■ v ''It is true," added Fontaine. "It was also against them that, in 1658, the Parisians, -under the Due de - Guise, constructed their first barricades." Lieutenant Fontaine had hardly uttered the word "barricades" When Trouillefou, who was smoking at the next table, and apparently perusing a newspaper, arose from his seat and struck the speaker in the face. There was great excitement. Trouillefou was asked why he had track his comrade. With flushed face, bloodshot eyes, and foaming lips, he said: "He has spoken disrespectfully of barricades, for the purpose of again insulting me. No one shall insult me without a. blow."

Fontaine was as white as a sheet. Ho trembled. Two large tears stole down his cheeks. He kept his eyes on Trouillefou;. at his nonsensical remark ho wiped them, covered his head with his military cap, hurled at Trouillefou the words, " You are an ass and a coward," and left th«j coffeehouse. Comrades offered to accompany him, but he declined their offer. • He walked straight to the chapel of •the Virgin, fell upon his knees, and buried himself in prayer. There he remained two hours. When he left the church he was as calm as though nothing had happened. - Nearly all tlio officers of the regiment offered their services as seconds. He thanked them, but declared that ho had sought advice from one "whose wisdom and love had never deceived him," and that .he had irrevocably determined not to challenge Trouillefou. The officers were astounded. Some remarked that military honour required that he should, fight.: He replied that Christian honour for' bade it; that Jesus had set an example of forgiveness that no Christian ought to disregard. Warned by others that he would be suspected of cowardice, lie answered that he believed he could offer better evidence of his courage by obeying God than by yielding to human prejudice. If the army and the world misjudged his motives he did. not care, for God read his heart.

. Although esteemed and loved by all his comrades, Lieutenant Fontaine could not convince them of tha correctness of his views. His refusal to fight' created such a commotion in the regiment that the colonel deemed it prudent to interfere. He summoned the officer to his presence. "Is it true," he asked, " that you have been slapped in the face by Liuetenant Trouillefou'.'" " Yes, colonel," he replied. "Have you asked for satisfaction?"* "No, colonel." " You must ask for it without further de-

lay-" "I shall not, for three reasons," was the

reply. ' " Let us have your reasons," rejoined the old officer. "Because duelling is opposed to human law, to divine law, and to common sense." " Is that all?" the colonel inquired. . "Yes, colonel." "Well, Monsieur Fontaine, if before the end of the week you do not challenge Trouillefou to a duel I will expel you from the regiment." . .. Fontaine remarked that only soldiers guilty of some crime deserved expulsion. The colonel rejoined that to stain the uniform of "a regiment with cowardice was a crime, and repeated his threat, Fontaine left without flinching in'his determination. The general -than intervened. As ho loved the officer dearly, he entreated him to fight, for the honour of his regiment. '. The lieutenant firmly replied: " Order mo *0 give up life in behalf of my country, or society, of religion, of any noble cause, and I will willingly encounter death. But ask me not to disobey the Gospel." _ • Fontaine, however, could not resist the treatment of his comrades and subordinates. He tendered his resignation. The Minister of War replied that it could not be accepted under the circumstances. He could only be dismissed in disgrace. That filled the measure. One evening Fontaine again walked into the Cafe Camnronne, where his comrades were assembled. ' " Gentlemen," said he, ' you were witnesses of the insult received from Lieutenant Trouillefou. I intended to forgive it because my religion teaches me to forgive. You will have it otherwise, and I obey you. God who has witnessed the struggle of my heart, will allot to each his share of responsibility for what may happen. You . force me to fight. I will fight. I make two conditions. First, that all who were present at the outrage shall witness the reparation ; second, that the latter be proportionate to the offence. I want a duel to the death, with pistols, and only one of them loaded, the distance to be fifteen feet. Do you accept, Lieutenant Trouillefou?" The la : - cV -hesitated, but finally stammered, "All righ: 4 ..", " Tomorrow at six o'clock in the morning, in tL_ Forest of Chavandiere, by tho cross road of the Trois-Louvards," said Fontaine, A roar of applause greeted his words. The officers crowded around him to congratulate him upon his determination and to protest their friendship. - "Wait until to-morrow, gentlemen," the lieutenant replied. " You have suspected me of being a coward. Before protesting your friendship you had better see me on the ground;" and he withdrew. . At the appointed time the officers of the regiment' were at the Trois-Louvards. The colonel loaded one of the pistols, enveloped them in a silk handkerchief, and requested, Fontaine to choose a weapon, as ho was the insulted party. The combatants _wero placed 15ft from each other. The officers silently formed in two lines, on the right and left of: the duellists,, and the colonel gavo the word. . _. .' Trouillefou was the first to fire. His pistol carried no bullet. He staggered as though already wounded. Fontaine could now'forgive. 'But his Christian feeling had given way under the pressure of bitter sarcasm. He calmly levelled his weapon, fired, and Trouillefou fell with a shattered skull. There was a cry of horror. .The spectators rushed towards the dead duellist. But before thev reached him Fontaine was at his side. He dipped his hand in the blood of the dead officer, and .with: that blood

washed : the cheekupon which he had struck, exclaiming :■ " Well, gentlemen," do you think : the ; insult, 'sufficiently :: washed 'I? away V" . - Then, running like a lunatic hes disappeared in the : forest, and was : Been m ' more, at Nantes. i Years - afterwards he waW® discovered in a monastery at Rome, where ® under the religious name of Fra Pancrazio' f' ho was still praying for the remission of his sins, and for the eternal : salvation of the -S man whom he had killed. , 'I