My thanks to those group members who helped me translate=20
some French articles on 19th century duels which I'm putting=20
together for publication. I thought I would post the following=20
account of a duel between Count Albert de Dion and M. de=20
Saint-Alary which appeared on page 1 of "Le Figaro" on April 8,=20
1900. It was written by Maurice Leudet, who seemed to be a=20
regular correspondent on fencing matters. One finds such=20
detailed descriptions of duels in the late 19th and early 20th=20
centuries as, due to the popularity of sports fencing, there were=20
reporters trained to observe bouts accurately.
I would like to know more about Albert de Dion. He not only=20
fought at least 15 duels in his life, all of which he dominated, he=20
also started the first automobile company in France in 1882 and=20
is regarded as the father of the French auto industry. (I imagine=20
there must be a biography of him, but I have not found it.)
As was usually the case, the duel grew out of a minor slight--De=20
Dion had suggested that Saint-Alary seemed uninformed on=20
some of the finer points of honor, prompting the latter to=20
challenge him.
The article began with a lengthy description of some of the=20
celebrities who were present. It then went on:
QUOTE:
All eyes were now on the two adversaries. The combat started at=20
exactly four minutes before eleven.=20=20
Both are well-known of the public, and need no introduction.=20
Each one knows his weapons admirably and merits the title of=20
fencer. The Count de Dion has already fought thirteen times:=20=20
thirteen times he has returned home without a scratch.=20=20
=09
Mr. de Saint-Alary has not, to my knowledge, had a duel before=20
his meeting yesterday; he is a sports correspondent, and he did=20
not handle himself badly... fortunately. [Actually, Thimm=20
mentions a duel involving Saint-Alary so it is not true that this=20
was his first.]
=09
From the start, the combat was very lively, led by the Count de=20
Dion who attacked by energetic beats, trying to force his=20
opponent to riposte in order to make a counter-riposte. Mr. de=20
Saint-Alary, who is smaller than de Dion (who is quite tall), did=20
not fall into the trap.=20=20
=09
His point in line, his elbow somewhat outwards, he resisted all=20
the attacks, and in particular those aimed at his body.=20=20
=09
His hand is fine, his parry sure, but he lacked bite. I have the=20
impression that Mr. de Saint-Alary is not used to the =E9p=E9e, but is=20
more comfortable with the foil, undoubtedly more elegant, but=20
less practical. The weight of the weapon, the simplicity of the=20
play of the =E9p=E9e is unfamiliar to him, and he seemed=20
uncomfortable when he attacked. On the other hand, he is of first=20
order on the defensive, though exposing a little too much of his=20
arm when he parried, which is not advisable with the =E9p=E9e. He=20
has excellent footwork, which he did not use sufficiently.=20=20
=09
The two adversaries displayed equal courage and wonderful=20
sang-froid. But they could not manage to land their touches. The=20
bouts, two minutes each, continued without result until halted by=20
the director of the combat, Mr. Soh=E8ge. The rests were five=20
minutes. M. le comte de Dion suffered from a sprained right=20
arm, which reduced his capabilities. Mr. de Saint-Alary, at the=20
tenth rest, showed some tiredness. Until then, these two=20
gentlemen had struck only at the chest, but as those blows were=20
marvelously parried on both sides, it was no longer necessary to=20
worry that the combat would end in a mortal wound.=20=20
=09
In two or three bouts, Mr. de Saint-Alary sought to hit the hand of=20
the Count de Dion. He did not succeed, and we were present for=20
some pretty "debates of the sword" interrupted by the command=20
"Halt!" when the two minutes were up.=20=20
=09
The eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth bouts had the=20
same play on both sides, but bigger, more clashing. However,=20
the duel continued to resemble a bout in the fencing room,=20
elegant and courteous. The Count de Dion smiled in a friendly=20
manner at the end of each bout. There was no longer any anger=20
on either side.
=09
The fifteenth bout was the most lively: the Count de Dion and M.=20
de Saint-Alary attacked by turns, and during the most interesting=20
piece of swordplay, the Count de Dion parried in sixte, riposted=20
above and thrust M. de Saint-Alary in the right arm, on the upper=20
side of the elbow.=20=20
=09
The wound was five or six centimeters deep. The duel was=20
halted. The time was quarter to one. Finally! ... one will be able=20
to go to lunch with a good appetite and good spirits....All is well=20
which ends well....I will not forget to say that the Count de Dion=20
and M. de Saint-Alary were reconciled on the ground and chatted=20
in a friendly way afterward. Upon leaving the racecourse, Mr. de=20
Dion was warmly congratulated by his friends, fencers of the=20
Cercle d'Anjou of which he is the president. Mr. de Saint-Alary=20
also received many congratulations. He deserved them as much=20
as his enemy... of a few hours.=20=20
END QUOTE
--Paul Kirchner
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