FILM ACTOR'S ROMANCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21992, 29 June 1933, Page 9

FILM ACTOR'S ROMANCE

DUEL CHALLENGE RECALLED CHOICE OF WEAPONS MACHINE-GUN SELECTED. Incidents in a Carlsbad cafe that led to a challenge to a duel from an Austrian* count were recalled by the wedding at Marylebone, London, recently, of Mr Charles Lincoln Leven, formerly better known as Captain Charles Lincoln, ' film actor, to Miss Hilda Zimmerman, his German fiancee. Sir Leven, who was a flying officer during the war, once acted on the films in Germany. He is now managing director of a lamp-manufacturing company. His best man was Captain Ernest Chandler, a former heavy-weight amateur champion ' of the world. In August, 1931, Mr Lincoln was acquitted by a court at Carlsbad when charged with assaulting Count Hans Czernin. son of a former Austrian Foreign Minister.

According to statements at the time, Mi' Leven was sitting with Miss Zimmerman when a note from the count was handed to the lady, asking her to meet him. Mr Leven read the note, but in the meantime the count had discreetly disappeared. Next morning Mr Leven went to the count's office, and after an exchange of words it was alleged that lie knocked the Austrian down.

The sequel was an action at law, but Mr Leven was found not guilty Hinder an old Austrian penal code, still valid in Czechoslovakia, under which a malicious motive is excluded when the accused acts under an irresistible force or in self-defence.

The judge, in giving' his verdict, de-» clared, "It may be that in Berlin or Vienna some people exist who would not retaliate on such an offence; but the British captain was ccmpelled to act in accordance with the unwritten laws of honour of Great Britain, and if he had not done so, he would have been considered a coward and an honourless individual by his countrymen." . Following this, the count arrived in England by air in September, 1931, and challenged Mr Leven to a duel. Mr Leven had the choice of weapons, and selected an aeroplane and a machine-gun. The count's reply was to return to the Continent, and, as far as Mr Leven was concerned, that closed the incident.