The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana

by Jess Nevins

"The Demon Duelist; or, The League of Steel. A Story of German Student Life" (1881)

copyright © Jess Nevins 2022

“The Demon Duelist; or, The League of Steel. A Story of German Student Life” was written by Colonel Thomas Hoyer Monstery and first appeared in Beadle’s New York Dime Library (Mar 23, 1881). Colonel Monstery (1824-1901) was one of the more interesting characters of the nineteenth century, a fencing teacher whose life was colorful enough and whose reputation was impressive enough for Edgar Rice Burroughs to name Monstery as the fencing instructor in The Mad King (1914) and for Frederick Whittaker to write a dime novel about Monstery, “The Sword Prince” (Beadle’s Boys Library of Sport, Story & Adventure no. 28, May 24, 1882).

Set in 1816 in Heidelberg, Germany, at the University, “The Demon Duelist” is about Emil St. George, the Count of St. George, a Frenchman whose brother, a General under Napoleon, was killed by the Prussians while a prisoner. St. George himself was decorated by Napoleon on the morning of Waterloo. But Napoleon lost and was exiled, and St. George was left embittered because of the loss and with a burning hatred for all Prussians because of the ignoble way in which his father was killed. So Emil enrolls in the University at Heidelberg. This being Heidelberg, dueling is all the rage. At the university there are five corps of students: the White Caps, made up of Austrians; the Red Caps, made up of Prussians; the Green Caps, made up of Bavarians; and the Blue and Yellow Caps. The rivalry between the corps is intense, and duels, though outlawed, are a daily occurrence. Emil does not join any one of the corps, but is on good terms with all of them--except the Red Caps, with whom Emil takes particular pleasure in picking quarrels. He does not fight any of the other corps unless they insist, but he goes out of his way to provoke fights with the Red Caps. Such quarrels always result in duels, and such duels, which Emil insists on fighting a l’outrance (using sharp weapons and no armor) rather than in armor, always result in Emil killing his opponent, rather than just scarring him, as is the custom. Emil fights at least one duel a week, sometimes against four or more men in a row, and during these duels not only kills his opponent but displays a terrifying skill with the short sword and saber. It is because of his bloodthirstiness, and the evil smile across his face as he fights, that he is known at school as the “Demon Duelist.”

At the same time a gang of bandits is ravaging the countryside, preying on travelers. Their secret is that they are all veterans of Napoleon’s Grande Armée, and Emil is their chief, leading them on raids and shielding them from the students. This gang only robs Prussians--they did not surrender at Waterloo and are continuing the war as best they can. Per Emil’s orders, however, they refuse to victimize any women. Emil is a gentleman, and gentlemen do not countenance such behavior. This state of affairs continues until Emil and his gang hold up a coach in which rides, among others, a beautiful young woman. Emil refuses to rob her but also refuses to identify himself, telling her to call him “Karl Moor” (see: The Robbers). The woman is taken with Emil, but as it turns out she is Emilia, the sister of Steinmark, a Prussian who is the best swordsman of the Red Caps and is known as “Devilshead” for his ferocity and skill. After Steinmark is told about Emil’s depredations, he vows to fight Emil and forms a “League of Steel” of all the Red Caps to trap Emil and force him to fight Steinmark. But Emil is forced to take a leave of absence from the University for having killed four men in a duel, and Steinmark does not encounter him before he leaves. Steinmark does, however, meet Emil’s sister, Diane, the Countess of St. George, with whom he establishes an amused flirtation.

Some months later, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Emil (now posing as “Monsieur Dion, le Comte de Mauprat”) and Steinmark meet. Countess Diane and Emilia von Steinmark are there as well, and Steinmark and Diane fall in love, as do Emil and Emilia. Emil and Steinmark duel, with Emil the victor, but for Emilia’s sake he spares Steinmark’s life. Steinmark accidentally kills Diane and is heartbroken; Emil decides that he can’t be with Emilia, and treats the remorseful Steinmark brutally. Emil eventually becomes a Marshall of France and dies during the Franco-Prussian War, while Steinmark thinks well of Emil to the end.

“The Demon Duelist” was produced with greater skill than similar dime novel stories. It is much more intense and contains the type of viciousness and gore not seen since the Gothics. Emil’s hatred for the Prussians is fanatical and his bloodthirstiness boundless. One duel is provoked when a Red Cap throws a glass full of ale in Emil’s face. Emil’s response is to pick up the glass and tell the man that he, Emil, will fill the mug with the man’s blood before the man dies. In the duel following Emil does just that, cutting the man’s throat, filling the mug with the man’s blood, and showing the man the filled mug. In another duel Emil disarms his opponent and then kills him. “The Demon Duelist” is one of the most violent dime novels ever written. Monstery was no stranger to real-life bloodshed–he fought Plug Uglies in Baltimore, Mexicans at Vera Cruz, and Nicaraguan government troops during a revolution–and he invests “The Demon Duelist” with an air of charged violence and an almost nonchalant attitude toward killing. Emil positively revels in the deaths of his opponents. Monstery also puts his personal knowledge of dueling and Heidelberg to good use in “The Demon Duelist,” creating a convincing (for dime novels) portrayal of the time and place. “The Demon Duelist” is not particularly well-written, but it has an enormous amount of energy and drive, and for the most part is enjoyable reading.

When Monstery wrote “The Demon Duelist” he was attempting to make a second career out of writing, as he was in his late fifties and—though still capable of formidable behavior in a fight—was beginning to grow too old for the rough-and-tumble lifestyle of his earlier years. In the late 1870s he wrote a well-received series of articles on self-defense tactics, and in the early 1880s he branched out into writing dime novels, including “The Demon Duelist” and the Olaf Svenson Adventures. Though better-written than the norm for dime novels, they did not prompt Beadle & Adams to hire him on as a full-time writer.

Recommended Edition

Print: Thomas Hoyer Monstery, The Demon Duelist, or, The League of Steel: A Story of German Student Life. New York: Beadle & Adams, 1881.

Online: https://dimenovels.lib.niu.edu/islandora/object/dimenovels%3A155091#page/1/mode/1up