A HORRIBLE DUEL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1667, 1 December 1887, Page 4

A HORRIBLE DUEL.

A despatch from Toledo says.— Particulars of a strange duel have just leaked out here through the arrival of W. C. Martins, a wealthy coffee merchant, from Mexico. letters just received from A. A. Germane, a coffee buyer at Tampico, Mexico, show that Senor Victoria, a mining speculator, and Senor Pedrazo, an extensive shipowner, met at a ball given by one of the chief ladies of the Spanish society. The gentlemen, while heated with wine, quarrelled in the presence of the lady, whom both admired. Senor Victoria challenged Senor Pedrazo. The lattpr accepted the challenge, and stipulated that the duel must take place in a dark room. As he had the choice of weapons, he demanded that Victoria meet him in the room, in which were to be placed 100 tarantulas of the most poisonous kind. According to the agreement they were to devote their energies to the killing of the spiders, instead of fighting with each other, and neither was to leave the room until all the spiders were kiLed. Pedrazco, it ib thought, did not expect that Victoria would accept the weapons. But Victoria declined to back down and the duel was fought. All that is known about it is that it was fought in a room as dark as a dungeon. There were no seconds, and no one at Tampico suspected the truth. When the doors were broken open both men were found on the floor dead, sur rounded by dead and living spiders.

In spite of the efforts of friends to hush it up, rumors of the truth leaked out. An investigation was promised, but nothing has been done about the duel.