A FEW FAMOUS DUELS.

Southland Times, Issue 3290, 6 January 1879, Page 3

A FEW FAMOUS DUELS.

:v( —^ :^:' (Argosy.) ■ppform has no more poAverful ally than •xL^ We see a noteAVorthy example of ST ii the disuse of duelling.; The iniuSous commands of kings and Parha- - tt y sternest penal codes, involving Sling death to the offender, have been frec'ted m A-ain against the practice. : But that these were powerless to. do ridicule really fatal Woav Avas given to dueliijj<r among ourselves Avhen, in. 1838, the mvnVas aroused' by tlie hews that an adrenturous Ihiendraper, named Mirven, had nk his death in a duel on Wimbledon tommon. The aristocracy liad regarded iiielhng- as a pastime to be indulged in by Hemsefves alone— as a last relic, in fact, >£ the old feudal times ; and when they •aw their privileges thus invaded, they them in disgust, and hencebrth duelling became unfashionable. It iad flourished vigorously Avhile it Avas j_ ere !v unlawful, but Avhen it became ungisbionable, its clays Avere numbered ; and Iwas abandoned Avhen it became evident IJat'a nobleman might, if he objected to (3ie cut of his coat; find" himself forced to Iccept a challenge from his own tailor. In France duelling is not completely defunct. .Jjad from time to time we read accoxints if the meetings of hot-headed journalists, who asphe to be masters of... the. sword as nrell as of the pen. But in France duelling is : surely on the wane, and the_ present generation will probably witness its entire disuse. , -.France has been prolific in great duellist. 'Biissy' d'Aniboise, who lived in the prench King Henry lll.'s reign, killed almost as many men in duels as . Hector fcflfcdAchaians at. the siege of Troy, and y® himself, AAnth a measure of tributive justice, kiUed by the Count of 3lonsoreau, who was jealous of Busy's attention to his Avife. ._ A duellist belonging to the same period as Bussy d'Aniboise, but a very aiferent stamp of man, was the Chevalier Bayard, the knight "sans peur et sans re|r«fk." But we are, perhaps, someAvhat "arKtrary in styling him a duelUst for a istinction may fairly be drawn betAveen a duel and a single^cqmbat. The spectacle ijf two soldiers, tne-chosen champions of iieitcountrymen, steppingforthto do battle, lu7e contending armies pause in their life to gaze Avith interest on the result, las in it sometliing essentially different lonij and essentiaUy more noble than, the semt meeting of two foolish men to fitife, by an.appeal to arms, some Avretched •pc-provoked quarrel, having its ignoble origin in caids, dice, or a worthless yoman. % The single combat between the Chevalier _iprl'and the Spanish champion, Don _onso de Sotomayor, took place under jßb walls of the/town of Trani, during the ;war let/ween France and Spain at the comBieEement of the IGth century. Sototnajor had accused Bayard of uncourteous treitment of him while his prisoner. Bard defied the Spaniard to prove the chirge in single fight, on horse or on foot Ssae best liked, and Sotomayor, knoAving hi the chevalier Avas the most expert icseman of his age, chose to fight 'on tot Atthe day and hour appointed (2nd Femary, 1503) the two knights entered ;ik lists, armed with sword and dagger, !aa sheathed in complete harness ; libugh AAdth a degree of temerity unbsl in these combats, they wore their viss up. Both combatants knelt down !in silent prayer for a few moments, and 4ha rising and crossing themselves, adiyared straight against each Other; "the igwl knight Bayard," saysßrantom "mov■jngis light of step as if he were going to •leal some fair lady doAvn the dance." \ \c Spaniard was of a large and powerIfulframe, and endeavored to: crush his .enay : by • weight of Woavs, or to ■clgb with him and' bring him to to the •grand. The latter,, naturally inferior was rendered still weaker hja fever, from which he had not entirely jXttvered. He Avas more Ught and agile ;tha his adversary, hoAvever ; and superior .dcterity enabled him not . pnly to parry strokes, but to deal him oc!csionally one of his OAvn, Avhile he isiily distressed him by the rapidity of ; hi movements. At length, as the Spanjial was someAvhat thrown off his balance |han iU-cUrected blow, Bayard struck him .^sharply on the gorget that it gave way, sad the sword entered liis throat. Furious .wh the agony' of the ! wound, Sotomayor, Injected all his strength at, the last strug?g), and, grasping his antagonist in. liis. the both rolled in the dust together. pfore either could extricate himself, the |(^ck-eyed Bayard, Avho . had retained liis |jiiard in his left hand during the Avhole ?<inbat, Avhile the Spaniard's had remained |i' his belt, drove the steel Avith such length under his enemy's eye that it slirced the brain. After the judges had |»arded the honors of the day to Bayard, i\ minstrels, as usual, began. 'to pour forth }%ins in praise Of the ; victor ; but the | &d knight commanded them to desist, and firing first prostrated himself on his knees I igratitude for his victory, Avalked slowly It of the ÜBts,r expressing a wish that the fobathad had a different termination, so „ h his honor had been saved. :.-. oi.\. : . -, ! I single conibats Avere veiy frepuent Hing tliis war, and on one : o'ccasion,:in- | dflj!' a meeting took place between eleven Phiards and an equal .number of French l^ht, Avhich Avas fought out, according |^°ie l^ws of cluyalry, fi : om early in the 1 ? ( aing until sunset. Long before that I tin the: Spaniards had . slain or disablecl i a lJhe Frenchman save tAvo, of whom the £Valier Bayard ;\vas one. These two •jfieis, entrencliing themselves behind the dfl bodies \of the horses, held A put Hnsi all the' efforts of the Spaniards',' of ""im seven Avere still on horseback ; and, sides retained possession of the "1 at sunset, the victory v.was'.. ad judged 'Neither.- • :; ,' l -A; .- .lthqugh the number of duels Ayluch feended fatally for both combatants is , P'lly lnhited, the fashibn Avhich pre r \ ,yed during !the 1 8th century Of hiaving a I fliber of sieconds;.oh/either side, pitted °i against ihe : , qther,^caused many- duels ■^hd fatally fprrimore ; than one of the iniZ'Gicmz mous duels of this kindj as Avell as j" of the most disastiou^ in !i^ conse-. ■I'nces^Avas that between the Duke of, ,3m'iltop! !-"Marid'.vL6r3!^3JqKrai^' : - Avhich- took . ice'.jh tiHe 1 reigri Of oueen Ahhe, in the I 'Sir '"1^12'.: ' The r Duke'of Hamilibh was a . 'it armable and accompUshed gentleman, p v^d by lu^fiiends^ and respected by all; . '^wae the ihoßt finished

scoundrel. and desperado of the time, Avhich is saying a good dea^ He, for private reasons, of Avhich revenge was only one, was determined to force a quarrel on the duke. Accordingly, he insulted him grossly, and then sent him a challenge, which the duke, although he knew that in so doing he played into the scoundrel's hands, Avas forced to accept. They met, in Hyde Parkland fought long and fiercely. Both Avere accomplished SAVordsmen, and although they Avounded. each other again and again, no attempt even at a reconciliation was made. It was thoroughly understood that' the duel Avas to death. The Duke liad received four serious "wounds; and Lord Mohun 'three; when the Duke managed to, get. past his adversary's guard, "and fid the Avqf ld qf one of the most worthless men who have ever disgraced it. What really followed will never be luioAvn for certain. As the Duke lent forward Avith his sAvord still in Lord Mohun's body, he ' Avas : stabbed through the shoulder to the -heart. It Avas Said that. Lord Molriih after receiving his death-bIoAV shortened liis swoi'd, and, AAdth tlie desperate sti-ength of a dying man, drove; it to tlie' hilt through ; tlie Duke's body. v But this Avas disbelieved at the time, and Major Macartney, one. of Lord Mohun's seconds, was accused of having stabbed the Duke from behind, as soon as he saw Lord Mohun was mortally Avounded. His immediate flight after the duel lends some color to the accusation, but that may perhaps be explained -by the fact that he well kneAv ho one concerned in the death: of such; a notable man as i the Duke of Hamilton Avould escape punishment. Be this as it, may, the fact remains that one of the most acepmplishecl statesmen and polished gentlemen of the day bartered his life for that of a scoundrel only fit for the hulks. .And this shoAvs one great reason AvJiy duelling is such miserable folly. Unless the lives involved be equal in value, the game is manifestly unfair. Who, for instance, Avould that the" odds were equal in this Irespect in the f ollpAying case ? — ' A young Englishnian, hardty more than a boy, was Avatitonly insulted by a Frenchman, one of those Frenchmen of cA T il notoriety who at one time made a profession of duelling, and a meeting Avas arranged. Pistols Avere the Ayeapons chosen, and the " barrier duel" Avas selected as the mode iv which 'they' were to light. In the barrier •duel the combatants are placed a • certain distance apart, and midAvay between them a Une Avas drawn. At a given signal they commence to walk toAvards each other, and either may fire at any moment he chooses before he reaches the line. In this case the English lad fired first, and, his young hand trembling, perhaps as much from fear of killing as from being killed, he missed. The Frenchman continued to Avalk towards the line in the centre, as did his opponent^ and when they stood hardly more than a yard apart the duellist looked full into tlie fresh young face of the lad, and said slowly, " Have you a mother?" "Yes," Avas the reply. " Then I'm sorry for her ;" and with that the cOAA-ardly ruffian raised his pistol, and blew out the poor boy's brains. One of the most dramatic duels Aye have read of Avas that between Mr Cuddie, a Scotch surgeon, and Mr Brifllebank. Mr Cnddie loA r ed, and Avas beloved by Miss Brittlebank, a state of affairs Avhich did not please her brothers. Accordingly they sent Mr Cuddie a challenge, Avhich he refused, sending back the simple and j manly ansAver that he loA^ed Miss Brittlebank; and would not fight Avith her brother. The brothers then called upon him, accompanied by afriend, and taking pistols Avith them. They absolutely forced the unfortunate man' to fight, heaping insults upon him which no one could stand. The duel, or, Aye may rather say, tlie deliberatelyplanned murder, took place in Cuddies oavii garden. He fell, shot to the death at tbe first fire, and his murderer absconded. The other brother and liis friend Avere tried as accessories to the murder. They Avere acquitted, although the evidence against them Avas conclusive enough, as their unhappy victim could never be induced to say it had been a fair fight, but died maintaining to the last tbat he had been fouUy murdered. \Vhat became of the Avretched sister, sacrificed to her bro- ! thers' pride and cruelty, Aye knoAv not. i We have not space to give examj)les of the many political and historical duels Avhich haA r e taken place, nor can we look at duelling from the comic aspect which it undoubtedly possesses, for there luTve been ! several duels A\-hich partake much more of farce than of tragedy. vVe have only been able to jot doAvn a few instances of what may be called remarkable duels. But these are, Aye venture to think, quite sufficient to shoAV Avliat a plague-spot Avas removed from the body politic Avhen duelling became, not only unlawful, but unfashionable ; Avhen a man of honor Avas at last released from the necessity of setting his life against that of any worthless f elloAv who challenged him ; Avhen, in short, men recognised socially, as A\ r ell as legally, the commandment, " Thou shall do no murder."