Why Uruguay Legalised Duelling
Uruguay was the only nation where fighting a duel in defence of honour was perfectly legal for most of the 20th century. Why?
Tasked with stemming a growing wave of duels, Montevideo Police Chief Virgilio Sampognaro spared no effort in putting officers on the tail of men he identified as potential duellists or seconds in the hope of frustrating the affairs before they happened. Sampognaro’s goal was prevention, not punishment; sometimes he succeeded, sometimes not. One day in 1914 his men arrived on the scene just moments after two duellists had exchanged shots. They detained everyone involved for questioning, including a congressman, Washington Paullier, who as one of the seconds was caught in flagrante with a recently fired pistol in his possession.
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