DUELLING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5285, 15 June 1895, Page 7

DUELLING.

oome reminiscpncas o£ tha early dayß of New Zealand, published in an Auckland nowap»p«r, chow that in the rude old times the duello wao not unknown in this colony. Three " affairs of honour " are said to have occurred ab the Bay of Islands in 1840. Mr H. Oretney, an auctioneer, was the challenger in one, having taken umbrage at some remarko made by Mr Cnfta while they wore tarrying over their wine v Mr Crethey got the loan of pistolo for the fray, but in the morning Mr Crofts made a, frank and manly apology for the language he had UGad, and the duel was "of?." A saoond affair is held to have takon place aij "the Bay of lalanda between MrPolsckand Mr Benjaiuia Turner, in which the former was shot in the elbow, and the latter received a token of remembrance in the check. The third instance was that betwesn Mr John Kelly, surveyor, and MrWiiliam Brewer, solicitor, which came off on OitorOß. bench, Kororareka. It 'appears that people had bean chaffing Brewer about a young 1 lady, and predicting an early change' in big domestic condition. Ho denied that he was paying hia addresses. to the fair cUrosel, and threatened to " call out " the tirat man who mentioned the matter again. Kelly, who was fond of r joke, forgot the threat, and commencsd teasing Brewer about the young woman. Brewer challenged Kflly, and the duel took place. P<irfc of Kelly's wig was shot away right nlcng the top of the Gkull, so thut he had a very narrow escape. Brawoi left Auckland, and fell afterwards in another "bffoir of honour."

According to recently published s'atisiios of duelling ia Italy, the journalists of that country ace the most belliooso of all membera of society. It &pj)em3 that during tha ten y>ara ended in 1801 they fought more duels than the members o( *ny other profession. No fewer limit 9-17 duels took place in which newspaper articles were the cause of th© dispute. In 780 csvseo rivalry for the hand of a lady waa alleged as the reason for the encounter, political differences W9re responsible for 377, while insulting words accounted for 289. The " fighting editor " was iv evidence in the early days of New Zealand, bus he seldom got further than an encounter with fiets. In February, 1842, however, there wao a narrow escape from a double duel in Auckland between Dr Martin, editor of the New Zealand Heralii and Auckland Oaxette, and Mr Robert A. Fitzgerald, fath«r-inlaw of Mr Willougliby Shortland, the Colonial Secretary, aad between" Mr G. B. Earp, a member of the Legislative Council, and Mr Fitzgerald. Ib arose oat of a scathing political article, tha authorship of which was attributed to Mr Earp. The article reflected on a particular member of the Leginlnture, and Mr Fitzgerald as his ••friend" contrived to get the manuscript from the ptiblisher of the paper. The editor in turn sent a "friend" to demand the return of the manuscript, and as Mr Fitzgerald declined to p»rt with it, the ambassador said he waa empowered "to demand that satisfaction which was dae from one gentleman to another." After a deal of correzpondence, a " friend" of Mr Fitzgerald asked Dr Martin to " name & friend with whom he .could arrange for a raee'ing at the earliest possible convenience." Mr, Earp also received a letter from the bellicose Fitzgerald, intimating that he was prepart-d to fight him, if he was agreeable. The upshot was that the civil authorities inter* vened, and nothing more serious than a croas-fire of paper pellets resulted.

Another newspaper •' affair of honour : was an interchange of shots that took place between Lieutenant Philpofct, of H.M.S. Hazard, and Mr Henry Falwaaser, proprietor of the Auckland Times, a journal that had the unique distinction of being printed on a mangle. The man of war had, in the hearing of the proprietor, denounced ' the paper as a "rag," and hie further language regarding it bo inceneed Falwasser that he called. Philpott out. The duel took place in the vicinity of the Northern Club, but nothing worse happened than Philpott losing a button off his uniform, and Falwaseer getting a bullet through hie coattail? bnt "honour" was satisfied ! Some years afterwards, another duel did not end so harmlesslyt As the story runß, towards the cud of "the forties" two officers oi the garrison, while at mesa one night, began discoursing "over the walnuts and the wine/ when one taunted the other with being " a ranker." The Scottish blood of "the ranker" was up in an instant, lie called out the " purchase" man, and the upshot of the business was that the aggreasor subsequently died, , it is alleged, of his wounds. A good deal of mystery enveloped the affair, and it never got into the papers. It was given odt that "the deceased officer strained himself jumping, over a mesa table," while hiß hohon - covered tombstone (with a hand grenade sculptured on it) in the Symondß Street Cemetery beare an inscription that he "died of fever," and that it was erected by bis brother officers as a mark of esteem. The Hon William Swanson, M.L.C., who wae then in partnership with' Mr James Johnston, m tbe carpentry and joinery business, made the coffin and coffined the officer, but so well was the secret kept that Mr Swanson, who went away Bhortly afterwards to tbe Californian goldfi-jlda, never knew the details till nearly tw« veara after his return to AttoklAßd,