Show WHY FRENCH DUELS ARE SO HARMLESS Paris Corr Coer St SL Loula Loul Globe Democrat Te rat hERE are duels every week In Paris ParisI I I Sword saber sabor and pistol are at work amid a population Of bf army arm officers Journalists politicians and voting men How comas cornu It thou thon that thin they M so seldom get Ket et hurt hurtt When Lieutenant nt ril had Bad d hi hiarm his arm almost tacked hacked off by b Lieutenant at Melun test last Vf w k t there ere rose rOe a aen acry cry en of o horror from all France Fiance In mod modern era ern French duels it is 18 unusual to get hurt because or certain humane frauds practiced In the th Interests of life and aDd in of or members mem It I 1 had bad been there to arrange It the meeting would have ae passed harmlessly mourned mo Daniel Cloutier of the Intran Intransigent l gent geant t as a duel duet expert at the trial of a recent tragic accident and he proceeded to give the judges a few exam examples examples ples pies of benevolent trickery On this occa occasion skin sion there ther rose a n cry of ot laughter In all Francs France But t the cause caus was soon forgot forgotten forgotten ten and the good C people e continue to rt hug an illusion The usual exchange of balls bells without result of duels does not have its explanation has been so ao often insinuated bv by the thc French themselves in the employment of false bullets billets Cork bul bui bulJ J U be n to the Infancy cy of the art Trick bullets composed of an alloy a of I and lead are ari not unknown to tim lite of f Paris In weight and a general generel appearance they are almost per perfect perfect feet counterfeits except for a slightly Silver shade and find greasy touch Though Seavy and solid looking hooking they t da 45 not flOt n re resist slat f the r first of the e ramrod which pulverizes D them It ought to be stated in this connection that In IB France pistol duels duel ate are never with revolvers revolver or pistols e Cartridges rt being Ja up beforehand b with their frelih charges h etc concealed led do not present the my a If guarantees Pistol duels duets are fought with wl h old fashioned dueling pistols per par cans CD end and with pr measured charges ehart and end compared balls Indeed it Is not noL no unusual for tor the seconds to agree arl on some seine soe celebrated like who shall furnish furnis a sealed box of or weapons to be b opened only on the the Held field feld of honor In It open are to be fount f two tw pistols sealed and certified a number of charges e of powder sealed ele and certified and an the th same mt number of bullets seem seen sealed llo an lne and 1 certified Trickery would wouW wul It It Iq mite Onite of these precautions the be benevolent b fraud goes o on There are usually four seconds two 4 for each a combatant As tS it la Is for lor two t rood men moe to come cometo cometo to an understanding In than four the pair that has agreed alreed to prevent bloodshed manages to take charge charse of the loading leading lOding while their ther conferees conferee are listening to the tte thelast last rast bs nervous nerous recommendations of the th ls The most mOt frequent trick i ia to have have a pocketful of reel real bullets of or a lit little lt the tle te smaller caliber calbe than the tho pistol isto em e Sieved Dov A child could coul effect the sub substitution sub Such bullets at their best bt cannot be sued ed with wih a force foe sufficient to the clothing of the victims should they t reach them because too much of the gas gan Ia generated by the t e exploding Dower Dwer will wl have escaped around th loose ICe ball bIt But aa as a the the custom to hold tho the pistol with wih its Is muzzle pointing to the t e until the te command Fire Firer is civen rIven Ilven has ha become becom all but universal these then the halls balls of too small caliber regularly tall fall to te the Hie ground and aJ arc Hrc lost In the gears r a afew afew few tow after the pistols are plated placed In in the hands of the combatants The two 6 who loud lead the thc pistols pistol of course may prevent r this t thi by b ramming wads on ott tap tep of tah the balls But Bat why risk riak a bloodshed I recently r heard hear a Paris doctor noted note for his hla willingness l to go ct out as doctor dotor not OH us explain why he always a looked forward f a to a jolly breakfast of 1 kr reconciliation r t after fer the mornings morning I ex cx exercise exercise I It I was the breakfast that t drew him he admitted And then the coun country countr country try tr I Is so freshly beautiful In the early erly morning morn I I am ath a sentimentalist WAS wu his expression His experience ex Is that t two o of the seconds can always a come to toan toan i an ou understanding u n Sw jl he seemed oe to I think the or too to feeble charge char e of powder their most mOt common re to resource re source soure It is about the third of the th normal noal charge charre of about three and three thre grains of black bla k powder The ball bl even ven thought though thou h of proper caliber has coarsely more penetration than that other ohe popular fraud the ball ban of too small cal caliber el thor iber Ib r There Ther is also iao a remarkable kable dev n downward This physician told wId m me that ho h had seen tee more mere than thaI one duel relieved rehe of oC practical danger e when proper pistol PI PIn hurt been charged with proper Quantities n e of r lewder and Jg the c right caliber 1 I o o of bails iK This miracle mirael was ai s accomplished by the tle trigger beforehand CerI IRh a practiced shOt pilot will wi be b able to te per perceive pe I cehe on handling a I lt pistol p ol that the trigger nulls mills hard bent and an make mke the th necessary al allowances 1 F Fee r this reason said sid the doctor dotor we w e kept the pistols out of the I hands han until the last las moment when ishon Je they the were We loaded leaded w ded The hard pull pul alt all unexpected te and perceived only at or I after the critical instant causes a a safe deviation high and to the right But ac according acI I cording to an Andre an accomplished rJ I I authority and the ee author l r of four rc different manuels manuelI of dueling as 81 sure a device as any it iv i to ram down a wad without any I ball bl at 8 t nil all In Which Vb do you OU prefer r one of his bis bison sec seconda ic ovals onda on asked a frightened duelist the duel I Jug hrs i sword word or pistols at twenty paces paes The Te dueling sword at twenty paces i I the th answer You can make a good comparison of modern fencing and mod modern mo modS S era ern er warfare I heard herd H te I well wel known maitre maHre darmes darm sav var s at a the Automobile clubs last fencIng In Ip the early part par of ofte the tho te century deaths on o the tho dueling ground gound had hd become so 0 frequent that the judicial repression of o the duel dul threatened to be become become come a fact ct How Is It at the present pre nt dav day humanitarians do not continue to tl I exercise e themselves them over the he t matter matterI Iter seve I II There Thue is no n law against dueling in inI I France The Te evolution of fencing on the field of f honor booI has h s rendered it It unnecessary sary sery Surprised Surmised to hoar hear her an adept speak sek so openly oly I bogged him to 10 go on with wih the comparison In modern fencing fening the he practice of at attacking tackler tacking the extremities has lias become so t universal that joined to a lively senti sentiment sent mont ment met of o distance it i has ha reduced the sword sord duel due erie to little more than a a ex cx exerie exercise Good fod Go It baa ba often oten been said sall of duels as of I warfare warfare that the whole modern tendency is against too to coming into con contact c tact that the th prudent adversary who wh de defre ideas not fiot to tl be b worsted even before he fre to be victorious ought always to tobe tobe tobe be on guard Jard againSt in t the impulses of a atoo ato atoo too to chivalrous courage whose results might be fatal To continue the corn com comparison co parison Just as battles arc are now fought at oren greater and greater distances so 50 Is I the duel with wih fencing fenn swords The T practice tics tice te of or attacking the te lied bad hd It great ret tc impulse In the of or the philanthropic maitre maire darmes danes Jacob Jab who wo was the first frt to formulate a complete theory of It I ter This o prudent play pla at the extremities counseled by Jacob Its It Inventor almost as ss a t a trick and an forming not at all al the whole of his method has now no become 5 so 0 universal and so exaggerated In the fenc tenc fencing tencIn inc ing In schools hols an that there ther are numbers of amateurs amateur of no great ret repute reputation reuta tion at all al who wh can cn nevertheless pink their ton adversary on the hand and nd fore foro forearm arm at will wl and ad with wih absolute on continued mv m an informant At the same sume time Lime they take care cre not nt to be touched on the hand or forearm The In Incessant incessant cant maintenance te of the tho point In line lne preferred to parrying the sword held far outstretched in the arm ar mobile retreating bm tnt b t still si point pint in line is the other great gret Jet distinguishing feature of the school It counts In general generl more moreon moreon on the errors er of ot Uhe te ie adversary than on o its Is own offensive moan means Its Ita li chief clief danger Is that an excitable le opponent should spit st himself on th e point pint by run rn inc Ing un up against I It In his hurry hurl This new sword word which has at least the nw merit of so 1 often ofen winning whIning winnin the let t In little came ends the tha duel regularly pricks Im of the less les prudent r adversary a hand fiend or forearm forer The merciful conditions land of modern modem sword duels dues contribute to the thet result mern A sor large space of o ground o d Is granted to the In Ino which hl to dp per perform p perform t he form their evolutions ter The Th shortness of the rounds rund regularly each assures prudence only onU one minute and coolness O Th The Interdiction of the an J T f a great Iret safeguard Above all aU the stopping of or the combat cobat at the first clinches the safety of the modern frt sword duel due It I is la so S much the theca case rase mem that the th Academie dArmes d Aes has ca thought thou t of a special dueling dueing glove protecting the hand and ad the fore forearm forearm arm Ioe in the Interest of a a little more frank frnk I from STERLING the by body isef itself HEILIG |