A hundred years ago
From the 'Spectator', 19 March /870—Henry of Bourbon, infante of Spain and cousin of the ex-Queen, has been shot by the Duke de Mont- pensier. The two men had been enemies for years, and ever since the expulsion of the Queen, Prince Henry had pursued his cousin With insult. On the 10th inst.. in particular, a letter appeared from him accusing the Duke of an effort to bribe Marshal Prim, declaring that he was a contemptible "political buffoon", • • . as "crafty as his Jesuitical ancestors" . . . and a "bloated French pastrycook". The Duke de Montpensier at first took no notice of the insult, but society commenting on his patience, he sent his cousin a challenge. Prince Henry accepted it, and insisted on a duel to the death. The combatants met on the 12th inst., at Alcorcon, just outside Madrid, and fired three times, each time at a diminishing dis- tance. At the third round, the Duke, who, it is said, is too short-sighted to take aim, sent a bullet through his cousin's forehead, and Prince Henry dropped dead. The victor then fainted from horror, and was twice bled to relieve his mind. Killing people in duels, though not in Spain murder, is still an illegal offence, punish- able with four years' banishment; but notice is seldom taken of such trivialities, and in this ease the magistrate who inquired reported that Prince Henry had accidentally shot himself.
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