Fire-Eater

Raymond Poincare, the sexagenarian fire-eating Premier of France, challenged Deputy de Launay to a duel for having made a dishonorable remark about him in the Chamber of Deputies during a debate.

The Premier had understood M. de Launay to have said to him: "You take up as your own such a felony!" The stenographic record of the Chamber had, however, recorded M. de Launay as having said: "You are wrong to take such notice of a felony; the joke has lasted long enough!"

Minister of War Maginot and Minister of the Colonies Sarraut, seconds for Premier Poincare, met Deputies Taittinger and Bouton, seconds for Deputy de Launay, and decided that the stenographic records gave the authentic version of the incident. They agreed that there was nothing in that statement which constituted an insult to the Premier and that, therefore, a duel was unjustified.

The incident had ended.