Santelli - 1920's
From the U.S. Olympic Committee website "1920s: The U.S. experiences a large influx of European fencing masters, including Hungarians Joseph Vince and George Santelli, who would have a dramatic effect on U.S. performance internationally. " Link: http://www.usoc.org/sports2/fe/az_hist.html
1900 - Father Italo wins the silver medal - Men's Masters - Saber in the 2nd Olympic games in Paris, representing Hungary, THEN wins the Gold medal in Antwerp for the Men's team saber event for Italy! (all Olympic results from the http://www.olympic.org/ website.
1920 - Father and son win places on the Italy Olympic team. Olympic gold for Italo. Italy Team gold medal - Men's saber at the 1920 Antwerp, Belgium Olympics. Giorgio, at age 22 did well but was eliminated from the individuals by an American.
1922 - Giorgio wins first place in the Hungarian Saber championships. Travels to Vienna and wins both the saber and foil championships, travels to Ostend, Belgium with father Italo and the Hungarian Saber team for the 1922 World Championships.
1924 - The duel. It was generally known that Santelli
fought a duel in the 1920's but Maestro Giorgio almost never spoke about
it. Students mentioned it but no one had any real details. The duel is recounted
in the www.times-olympics website. click
here or here from Men of Iron
scroll down to last 1/4 of page between references 60-62, by J. Christoph
Amberger - slightly more detailed version. Maestro Giorgio recounted the
duel later in 1953 for the Jan. issue of New Yorker Magazine. Here is the
recount from the article written by Robert Lewis Taylor: He fought a serious duel in 1924, as the result of a fuss involving
several other fellows, the details
of which he never has gotten entirely
clear. The European custom of duelling, at even as late a time as the
nineteen-twenties, is worth of scrutiny. Santelli explains it with logic
and lucidity. “The duels do not mean so much, as a rule,” he says.
“They settle small points of disagreement, perhaps contrary opinions about a
game of whist. For the nonserious duels, one puts thick strips of black
silk over the vital parts, and the result is a scratch. But everybody is
happy and at peace. It makes things so much easier for hostesses.
Over here in America, a woman making ready to give a party will say, ‘Now, I
must remember that So-and-So is not speaking to So-and-So, and I must not put
Mr. Smith near Mr. Jones, because
of the quarrel,’ and so on. In
Hungary, if two men are not speaking in the morning, they will fight a duel in
the afternoon and thus will be available for the entertainments in the evening.”
Santelli’s serious duel was the climax of an international incident – a row that
turned Europe practically on end in 1924. Its origins were about as
trivial as those of the American feuds of the eighteen-hundreds. Huckleberry
Finn, asking his friend Buck about the row between the Shepherdsons and the
Grangerfords, was told, “It started thirty year ago, or som’ers along
there. There was trouble ‘bout something, and then a lawsuit to settle it;
and the suit went agin one of the men, and so he up and shot the man that won
the suit – which he would naturally do, of course. Anybody would.”
Santelli’s trouble began at a starchy fencing competition in Paris, where the
Italians (including most of that country’s Olympic team), the French, and the
Hungarians were having it out. Both Santelli and his father attended the
matches, the elder Santelli as coach of the Hungarians, Giorgio as an
observer. During a hot match between Puliti, a famous Italian foil and
sabre champion, and a Hungarian, Puliti took exception to a decision of a
judge. His disapproval was expressed in a passionate and lengthy utterance
in his native tongue. This excited the curiosity of the judge, who spoke
no Italian, and he solicited a translator from the audience. Italo
Santelli had been sitting idly nearby, watching the match. He now rose
dutifully, without guile, and gave a working version of the remarks, which
turned out to be moderately offensive, verging on the profane. The
Italians’ reaction was extraordinary. Announcing that they had been
insulted, they all went back to their hotel, where they held a brief conference
and then broadcast the incredible news that they had decided to throw the blame
on Italo, because of the deadly accuracy of his translation. The elder Santelli
was vastly set up. Although some years past sixty, he was still hale and
fierce, and besides, he said, he needed a stimulating workout. Sure
enough, a courier arrived from the Italian contingent and presented the
compliments of one Adolfo Cotronei, a crackerjack sabre man, who had been
selected to protect the southern nation’s honor. Italo was in the act of
leaping forward to accept with pleasure when Giorgio stepped in front of
him. “By the code duello,” he cried, “I claim the right to fight for my
father! He’s past sixty - it’s in the books.” As Giorgio had expected, his
act of filial devotion wrung a dreadful cry from Italo, who literally danced
about the room in rage. Nevertheless, Giorgio stood firm, and plans for
the contest got under way. The European press was abuzz with numerous
versions of the “insult,” nearly all of them inaccurate, according to the
locality and bias of the paper in question. The government of Italy was then in
the hands of Benito Mussolini, who had recently decreed that duelling was
illegal for his countrymen. Repeated appeals to his common sense, however,
persuaded him that this situation was unique, and he gave the meeting a special
sanction. It was considered “serious” and would specify sabres and no
protection except light gloves. Giorgio, meanwhile, had retired to Hungary to
await the final word. It came at last: The ruckus was set for August 28th
on a barge in the waters off Abbazia, between Trieste and Fiume. It should
be remarked that while Santelli felt not a particle of animosity toward
Cotronei, he was disgruntled over the choice of Abbazia, which was a good long
way from Budapest, involving a tiresome train trip, with expenses, and he was in
a mild pet when he arrived for the blood-letting. The duel was short and
decisive. Santelli, regarding it all as a thundering nuisance, was toying
with the idea of cutting off Cotronei’s head, but he landed a tremendously
telling whack on the man’s left cheekbone instead and cut and authentically
picturesque gash near his eye. Usually in duels, the principals make up
affectionately after a puncture, with hugs and kisses, but Santelli and Cotronei
walked off without being reconciled. Italo’s translation had been too
expert to forget easily. Some years later, though, Santelli and Cotronei
met again, at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. There they became
good friends. Cotronei even expressed gratitude for the gash. To his
intense joy, it had severed an important nerve, giving his left eye a slight
squint and providing him with a long-sought excuse to wear a monocle. ".
New Yorker article above provided by Andy Shaw, official historian of the USFA. The Santelli family turned over most everything to Mr. Shaw to be archived for the USFA.
Here is some further background information regarding the duel and Contronei, who fought several duels, including one with the legendary Aldo Nadi, and Nedo Nadi. Information kindly provided by Joel Prostick, who got his information directly from Santelii and Aldo Nadi, both his teachers. Prostick became a very close and lifelong friend of Nadi's and helped take care of him until his death.
From Joel Prostick on June 22, 2004: About the Duel
I had the unique good fortune to study for several years with both Giorgio Santelli and Aldo Nadi, in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. While Giorgio was reluctant to talk about his duel, Aldo was not. He often talked about it and included a chapter in his autobiography (“The Living Sword” – Laureate Press) on it, as well as in his first book “On Fencing”.
While I do not take exception to the description of the duel on the website(on the Santelli 1920's page), I can add some background.
The duel with Santelli was not the first duel for Aldolfo Contronei nor was it the last. Contronei had fought at least six duels prior to fighting Santelli, which included one with Aldo Nadi earlier that same year. Contronei was a sports writer who was a relatively good fencer, who went out of his way to get involved in duels with great fencers. He would constantly insult great fencers until they were obliged to challenge him to a duel. He understood well the psychology of the duel and always managed to survive, although sometimes barely. You can go to Aldo Nadi’s books for the details of his duel (which I believe make the best reading in both books), but Aldo came very close to killing him.
Subsequent to fighting Santelli, Contronei goaded Nedo Nadi (Aldo’s older brother) into a duel. Nedo was not happy about Aldo’s duel and felt that Contronei had to be stopped before he killed someone. The duel was fought with sabers and Nedo immediately attacked to the body with the point, intending to kill Contronei. The point caught Contronei’s belt buckle and the blade bent in half. Contronei dropped his saber before ever being touched. To the best of my knowledge it was his last duel and as Aldo Nadi said years later, “he died in bed”. On reflecting on his duel 40 years later Aldo Nadi had become convinced that Contronei combined drugs and duels to get his highs.
Regarding the statement that the 1920’s saw the end of duels as a means of ending disputes it should be noted that Edwardo Mangariotti, the great Italian foil and epee champion of the post WW2 era, challenged Aldo Nadi to a duel in 1964. Mangariotti backed out of the duel when Nadi, in failing health, chose dueling pistols as his weapon of choice.
1928 - IX Olympics - U.S.A. Team coach. USA brings home a bronze. Charles George Calnan, Individual Men's Epee Bronze Medal.
1928 - Santelli choreographs the Broadway revival production of Peter Pan, which opens Nov. 26, 1928 at the Civic Reperatory Theatre. Link to details: http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=10788