A CELEBRATED DUEL

New Zealand Mail, 21 February 1901, Page 11

A CELEBRATED DUEL

The commencement of the nineteenth century saw no apparent change in the view taken by the majority of people* in this country with, regard to duelling. vThile the killing of an opponent m a duel was legally called murder, and the survivor was indicted before the Courts for that crime, yet. as juries almost invariably returned a verdict of ‘<Not Guilty,” the law regained in effect a dead letter. Nor can this be wondered at very greatly, for there is manifestly a wide difference between an assassin and a duellist who has killed his man in what was presumably a fair fight. Still, there was considerable body of opinion hostile to 1 the duel; and, as we shall see, t;vo or three of the encounters which took place In the ’thirties and the ’forties were of such a nature that the public, without any marked exception, definitely pronounced against the com tinuance of the practice. The first duel of a noteworthy character at- the beginning of this period was that betiveen two officers, named respectively Lord Camelford and'Captain Best, who had a meeting behind Holland House, Kensington, in 18U4. The two men had been very intimate bosom friends, in fact, and a woman was at the bottom of the quarrel—as usual. This person, a Mrs Symons, whose reputation was of the lightest, had been the chere amie of Captain Best; she was now that of Camelford. One evening she met Best at the opera, and asked him for something which he refused. She became angry and abusive, and on leaving him declared she “would set Camelford on him.” And she was as good as her word, for as soon-as she saw Camelford she told him that Best had spoken disrespectfully of him. Camelford -.sought out his former friend that very oyening, and finding him in the Prince of Wales Coffee House in Pall Mali, immediately said, “I hear you have spoken of me m the most unwarrantable terms.” On Best making some mild reply. Camelford exclaimed that he knew what- had been said of him to Mrs Symons, and that the man who had said it was “a liar a scoundrel and a ruffian.”

Whereupon Best made answer that there was now only one course open to him, and that was a challenge, which was given and accepted. The meeting took place early in the morning of the following day in the coffee room of an inn. The weapons agreed upon were pistols, and the encounter was remarkable, inasmuch as the two combatants were accounted the bestshots in the kingdom. Indeed, a little time previous to the duel they had had a bet on of £2OO as to which of them was the better hand with the pistol. Best, knowing ihat Cameiford had been worked upon by Mrs Symons, was not anxious to fight, and tried to get him to anologi.se. “Cameiford,” said he, “we have been friends, and I know the unsuspecting generosity of your nature: upon my honour you have been imposed upon by a worthless woman. Do not persist in expressoins under which one of us must fall.” “Best ” said Cameiford. “this is child’s plav ; the affair must go on.” Best desisted from his efforts to bring about a reconciliation, and the seconds measured the distance—fifteen paces. The word was given, and both fired at the same moment. Cameiford fell mortally wounded. Best was not even touched. Before he passed away, Cameiford recovered sufficiently to say, “I am killed. but '1 acquit Best. I alone am to blame.” And he begged him as a last favour to leave him. and make good his escape.