Over the signature of “Les Armes de Combat,” a writer after referring to “the deplorable” inefficiency of the mass of English officers with the revolver, says:
The reason Englishmen take no interest (as a nation) in pistol shooting, whereas pistol shooting is of national interest in countries where pistol duelling still exists, is because in those countries every man of the upper classes, soldier or civilian, has at the back of his mind the possibility that he may be called out.
Amongst this class therefore, fencing and pistol-shooting is a national sport, with a spice of utility behind it. In Great Britain this incentive has ceased to exist.
Whilst duelling is allowed in one country and not in another, it puts an inhabitant of the latter country in a very unenviable position if he is insulted in the other country.
He cannot shield himself behind the plea that duelling is not customary in his own country, without laying himself open to be called a coward, and yet he must not fight.
At the actual time I was writing the above, an English officer was having to submit to the indignity of being tried for murder under circumstances in which, in a duelling country, he would have had a perfect right to kill the man.
As I sat down to resume writing this morning, the morning papers were brought in. I picked up the nearest, which happened to be the Daily Mirror, and the first words my eyes fell on were:
With the verdict of “not guilty” the great love drama trial came to an end at the Old Bailey yesterday. Scarcely had the foreman of the jury uttered the words which set Lieut. X—— free, than frantic cheers rose in Court, and were taken up by the enormous crowd, which, seething with excitement, awaited the result in the street outside.
Can any one doubt what answer this crowd would have given, if asked if duelling should be made legal in England?
How the law at present stands, for citizens of the United States of America and for British subjects, will be found in the supplement of this book (reprinted from my Art of Revolver Shooting).