Dumb Duels #4: Cigarette Duel December 13, 2016
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
A nice story from the British press about a duel at Casale (not clear where this is other than northern Italy) from a great Italian actor, Ernesto Rossi (obit 1897): a cigarette duel.
A strange duel is related to have been fought by the celebrated tragedian Signor Rossi. The latter, during a farewell performance of Hamlet at Casale, was considerably interrupted by the talking of the court society present. In the middle of sentence the tragedian stopped, and turning towards front box from which the greatest noise proceeded, he bowed, and quietly said— ‘I shall not proceed as long as you do not hush.’ The public applauded; the interruption ceased, and the play went on. But afterward Rossi was met at the stage door by a young gentlemen, who felt called upon to ask for satisfaction. The tragedian made a rather long face, for he was expected on the morrow at Milan; so he explained his position to his adversary, and suggested that, in order that the little affair might be settled as speedily as possible, they should go to his (Rossi’s) rooms at the hotel and quietly shoot at one another there. This proposition haring been accepted, they went to Rossi’s rooms, and had just placed themselves at either end of the salon to exchange three shots, when the innkeeper, over-anxious to his guest’s health and hours, knocked at the door, which, finding locked, he anxiously inquired if the signor was ill, as his light burned unusually late.
‘No,’ replied Rossi ‘I am going to bed. Thanks. Good night.’
‘You are deceiving me,’ persisted the innkeeper, perhaps enlightened to the scene at the theatre. You are certainly ill.’
‘Go to bed,’ returned Rossi; ‘I am putting out the light and in a lower tone added to his antagonist:
‘This is the only way out of it blow out the candles.’
‘What! Are we to fight with pistols in the dark.
Not quite. We will each smoke a cigarette, and that will serve to guide our aim.’
‘All right’
And so the duel was fought; and Rossi wounded his adversary slightly.
Of course, this is part of an elaborate and much loved duel motif: the duel in the dark, here a cigarette duel. Other examples have appeared in this blog in the past.
Still other examples: drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com
Beach takes for granted that this anecdote is not actually true…
Chris from Haunted Ohio Books, 17 Dec 2016: I don’t think you’ve covered this, but here’s a variant on the “cigarette duel.”
“CUCKOO” DUEL.
A ‘”cuckoo” duel after the fashion followed by cavalry officers in the old Russian Imperial Army took place at Vilna, the opponents shooting at each other in a dark room while imitating the cry of the cuckoo. The duel was fought between a student named Krzyzanowski, son of a well-known senator, and Lieut. Pociechun. Both were blindfolded and both were so severely wounded that they are not expected to recover.
Auckland [NZ] Star 10 March 1928: p. 3
