idate was not
received. Undoubtedly the younger prebendaries might have co-operated
in the exclusion.

"The impetuous Lieutenant Franz von Bluecher gave vent to his feelings
concerning this to one of the young prebendaries, and some words ensued
between them. The following day Franz Bluecher challenged this
prebendary by letter; and two other officers, one of whom was the
rejected one, challenged two other young prebendaries in the same way.
Both these, who had not had the slightest hostile communication with
the challengers, wrote to express their surprise. One of them received
for answer, that he had laughed at the altercation between Lieutenant
von Bluecher and the other prebendary, and therefore he, the challenger,
felt himself injured in the person of his friend Bluecher. The other
challenger would not even give such an excuse, he only wrote that he
felt himself aggrieved, and that was enough.

"The prebendaries, who, on account of their spiritual order, could not
accept the challenge, informed the King immediately of the occurrence.
The result was, the appointment of a mixed commission of inquiry under
the presidency of General von Wobeser, and our President of
Administration, Von Sobbe, into which I also was introduced, together
with the quartermaster of the regiment, Ribbentrop. The prebendaries
were acquitted by the court of justice before which the case was
brought, and the officers were sentenced by a court-martial to three
weeks' arrest, which they spent at the guard-house in the society of
their companions, and promenading before it.

"But the three prebendaries were also wounded in their most sensitive
feelings by a malicious trick which was played them. Before this
commission of inquiry was appointed, they were invited, through a
livery servant, to a great evening party at General Bluecher's without
his knowledge. They were all startled, suspected some mistake, and were
doubtful about going. But as they were all three invited through a
servant of the General's, they decided there could be no mistake, and
also their relations and friends, who thought this invitation was a
step towards the accommodation of the affair, advised them to go.
General Bluecher, who had never thought of inviting them, was naturally
very irate at seeing the three prebendaries enter. Being much
prejudiced against them by his son Franz, who had then much influence
over his father, and perhaps irritated by invidious remarks from th