Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-07-23
A PRUssIAN WAR OF WORDS.

Mr.. Charles A. Schetky, lieutenant in
the United States Navy, attached to the
United States Receiving Ship Vermont,
lying at the Brooklyn Navy-yard, put on
his full uniform yesterday morning and left
the City of Churches to visit some friends
of bis up town. Mr.. Schetky is Prus-
sian by birth, aged about 40 years, and of
commanding appearance. After seeing
his friends, he took a downtown Sixth
avenue car at FOrty-ffth street, and pre-
pared to endure the excessive heat until
he anchored at the navy-yard. Now, a
gigantic Irishman occupied the next seat
This was Mr.. William Purcell, Mercer
street artisan, known in the Eighth Ward
as Billy Purcell, or ''MOrtar and Bricks.
Billy Purcell had been engaged in the erec-
ton of new building in Twenty fifth
street, and the heat being too Oppres-
sive, struck work some twenty min
utes before he got on the car, which was
at 2:30 O'Clock. He, on striking work,
sought the pleasant shade of lager-beer
saloon near at hand, where, while quaffiDg
the cool TeutOnic beverage, he heard with
ire (fOr Billy claims to be arelative of the
Maid of Orleans by descent) various Ger
mans assert that the French legiOns
would speedily succumb before the supe-
riOr prOwess of the SONS of Faderland. So,
when Billy entered the car, he was
freighted with a load of condolences re-
gaEding the European conflict, and ready
at a moments notice to infiict them upon
any one he might meet with a similar
confding or respective spirit. When
Lieut.. Schetky, therefore, entered the car
and took seat beside him, Billy's soul
flew to arms, and turning to the Heuten-
ant he said, ''ah thin, what dye
think aV the war between the
Frinch and the PrOOsians, Gineral 2"
Lieut.. Schetky smelt Billy's lager beer
from afar, and disgusted by Billy's
''Proosians, " and still more Mortified by
being addressed as Gmeral, said very
CURLY:
81 don't know anything about you, sir,
or about the war;
The iTepressible Billy girded up his
lOins, and, buttOnhOliDg the Lieutenant,
said:
''That may be, now, but dye know
that l wuz up to ovid Grosh's garden,
and the way thin Proosians was talking.
l cud hsv put head onto every mothers
sowl if thin, av / didn't think iV their
wives and families"
"Wil you let go my coat, sir, said the
Lieutenant.
"Nevir mind that, honey" said Billy,
''owld King Billy's going to be licked
any way. HurrOo!"
Saying which he cut a caper, and near
ly dragged the heutenant's coat from his
back. This was too much, and the lieu
tenant informed Billy that he would have
him arrested by the police, Mr.. William
Purcell then grew impertinent, asserting
that no ProOshian with all the police of
New York could take him. Lieutenant
Schetky then called on Officer Green, of
the Fifteenth Precinct, who brought Billy
before Justice Cox, at the Jefferson Mar
ket. The entrance of Lieutenant Schetky
in his dress uniform created quite a sensa-
ton in the court room, and when the facts
Of the case became known a roar of
laughter went round.
The lieutenant stated his complaint that
Billy had first annoyed him and then
abused him. The Justice asked Billy
what he had got to say in reply. Billy
said:
"I'm an Eighth Warder, Judge Cox,
av ye phase, and hard-working boy.
All that l liver said to the man was,
'Owld King Billy's going to be licked,
an l stick to that, an repate the asser-
ton. tell ye, Judge Cox, there's no
man like Ould Nap; he's the boy for
them"
Here the lieutenant said that several
ladies in the car had thanked him for
having Billy arrested.
AT this Billy burst forth: aye lie, We
blackguard. dare ye fur to prove it.
Av the wimmin was here, Judge Cox,
they'd till ye a different story. Go way
with ye, in yer blue coat and brass but
tons, ye ould hathen."
"Take him downstairs" said the
Judge, and in another moment Mr.. VIII
liam Purcell, the "inimy of the Proc
shians," had crossed the Bridge of Sighs
leading to the jail, on his way to Black
wells Island.