The Republican journal., 1870-10-13
THE WRESTLING MATCH.

which took place under my eyes While was
IN the army in 1864.
Our regiment, which was cavalry one,
had been in quarters for more than two
weeks; and our men were beginning to wish
for some more exciting occupation than
picking the worms from their ''hard tack" at
meal times, and playing with their horses in
the intervals.
We were soon filing out of camp ut a
CHEEKY but somewhat .ierky trot; and when
we got forward on the road to Dabney' s
Mills, the jerkiness of our trot was somewhat
augmented, though we went on at pretty
pace considering the fact that we We're going
over one of Old Nirginia's corduroy" roads.
They are made by simply levelling the
ground and laying down poles and saplings
from three to eight inches in diameter. They
certainly are the toughest roads to travel
that ever We're invented either in city OF
country. | have seen horses fall on them
and break both torelegs. A good horse will
not average over three miles an hour over
one of these roads. We travelled some TWEEN
ty miles before reaching the Mills, which are
very near what was at that time the Front"
They were not more than three quarters of a
mile in the rear, | think, and they were then
being used as a hospital for our wounded.
After hating at the mills for an hour or so,
we continued on our way to the front, and in
a short time we came in sight of our inner
line of breastwOrks. There we found every
thing quiet except when an occasional shot
was given by us and returned by the John
nles-''lust by way Of keeping each other
lawake"-as we used to term this pretty little
Ipastime.
No second halt was ordered until we came
to the onter line of our works, when the bu
gle again rang out a clear, sharp, decisive
peal. and the order came to dismount, feed
the horses. and take our own rations.
Some New York regiments were encamped
along the outfr line but the one at whose
headquarters we stopped was the = Michi-
gan They were all fine tall fellows, full OF
life and fun, and continually playing all sorts
| Of tricks on one another
One of the men in our cavalry squadron
by the name Of George Sanders, a Kentucki-
an by BIRTH offered to wrestle with any OF
the Michigan boys for Il chew of tobacco
The offer was speedily accepted by a young
Michlgander whom his comrades called Tim
| lin was a tall, muscular, young fellow
about six feet two inches in height, long
sandy, straight hair and heavy yellow nous
tachc, evidently one of the crack men of his
regiment, and the life of the little group
around him, laughing and Joking, and
must confess it-swearing with everybody
within Il circuit of one hundred yards around
nm. Our champion, George, was also tall
sturdy young sinner, some six feet, or nearly
50, in height, but he had black hair ant
sparkling black eyes he was, however
equally as upright and full of sport as his OPP
ponent, and was also a tayorite with his fel
low soldiers
The terms of the match were easily settled
beng these: that neither man was to 'kicl
shins.' AS near as | can remember the fol
lowing was the conversation that pretaced it
81 say, cEum,' said George, ''I'll bet you
| chaW of tobacco that / kin throw YOU every
time"
''Ill bet you two chaws you can't" sale
Tim.
'Well," said George, deprecatingly 81
haint got but one chaw left out of the two
plugs that had last-a week ago"
''Well," responded Michigan, "rll try you
for one chaw, then ust for the fun of the
thing"
"Then, turning to one of his comrades, he
added
Say, Jack, hold the stakes, will youp till
we get through; and don't chaw MORN half
of it, 'nuther.o If you do-rll throw YOU af
forwards fur nuthin p
81 say, Finn responded Jack, who was
unconcernedly sprawling at full length upor
the grass, not the least disconnected by the
threat contained in his friends last sentence
Il say, linn, if you win the stakes I'll 90 two
more chaws agin you; and then we'll have g
spell Of it?
The men Of our squadron and the Michi
gan regiment had formed circle around the
contestants, some leaning against theil
horses, and some stretched on the ground on
their blankets; and 4 continual stream oil
bantering was kept brisky flowing. Some
of them bet pipes and tobacco on the ISSUE
the odds being in favor of the young Michi-
gander. Belts and coats were thrown off
George saying, % am hard up fol
tobacco, and by lingo I'll try hard to win
them two chaws;" and the two went at it in
a lively and really good style; and for about
ten minutes neither seemed to get the better
of the other
\ Suddenly, while every face wore a careless
smile-While upon every tongue u bantering
word still lingered-there came right into
our midst a solid shot 1t struck nothing but
the poor fellow from Michigan. Him it hit
fair at the waist, tearing him completely in
two, while the loud laugh was yet bubbling
up from his throat-the light of an anticipa-
ted triumph still in his eye, and the flush OF
confident success upon his cheek.
The two men, SO full of life and health
before, suddenly stood transtixed as if by a
| UOll. linen one Oh Intn feoiCU ana
fell to the ground q mass of rven flesh,
while the other, who received the full wind
of the shot, through otherwise untouched by
it, stood for moment as if petrfied, his hair
rising up straight upon his head, his eyes
wide open in a hideous, maniac stare, his
whole face convulsed by a terrible and idiot
lc smile. Then with a loud unnatural laugh,
made doubly horrible to us by the sight of
that mutilated body lying before him, he fell
prone to the ground. When after a long
time, by the aid of whiskey and cold water,
he was brought back to life, he was a rayng
lunatc, the conclusion of the shot being of
such force as to deprive him entirely of reas-
on. The poor fellow who was struck never
spoke word or made sign afterward,
though he survived in an unconscious state
about three hours after he was taken to the
hospital.
We had all OF us been used to seeing death
IN every shape, but the wilderness of sudden
fear fell upon many face in that group of
soldiers as the terrible messenger of death
Glove q passage through us, and passing by
everything else went to its destination as I'M
erringly as if sent by some invisible marks
man. chronological Journal
The following sketch Of a specimen of the
corner loafer tribe, taken from the Daily