The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-07-17
How the German University Men Set.
tie Their Little Difficulties.

The student strips off coat, vest and
shirt-it is considered effeminate to
wear wooden underclothing-and puts
on an oil shirt which will not be injured
by blood. Then huge goggles are fast
ened over his eyes, and he is harnessed
into a continuance consisting of numer-
Gus bands across the back and thick
mating in front reaching from the neck
to the knees. A thick collar is tied
around his neck, on his right arm is a
glove from the wrist almost to the
shoulder, thickly padded, and then he is
led to chairs in the middle of the room,
where the two stand facing one another
until the word is given. When all these
precautions are taken it is called eight
ing with dangerous weapons" and is
more severely punished in case of de-
lection. The sentence for killing a
fellOw-student reaches sometimes the
extreme severity of several years pun
ishment, not more than three or four.
But our combatants are standing
there thirsting for blood. A friend
puts sword into each ones hand and
holds up his arm to prevent it from
getting prematurely tired. Each has
cap on. There is touching of hats, a
ceremonious bowling and an interchang-
ing of words between the seconds, the
combatants raise their arms in tie air
and the show begins. No! not yet.
Halt! and the caps are removed from
their heads, they raise their swords
once more, the seconds touch them,
and one shouts "Ios," and they 60 al
it. 1t seemed to me not fair match.
The one was much shorter than the
other, judging from the style of blow,
and not as strong; and above all, the
taller was corps-student and the short
er not. There were four set-tos that
day between corps-students and not
corps students, in which the former
conquered every time. No wonder, too,
for every corps is bound by its rules to
practice fencing two or three hours
every day.
But the little fellow took his punish
ment manfully. The tall one rained
blows on him furiously, and did, final
ly, come off conqueror, not, however,
without some scratches. Three or four
times the seconds cried "halt!" and
each fighter bent his head forward for
inspection, but no wound was found
deep enough to warrant them in call
ing the duel over. 1t did not last,
however, more than five minutes in all.
Then the little fellow was delivered to
the tender mercies of the surgeon, and
the bigger dressed himself and pro-
ceeded to drink beer and eat bread and
ham.
Then came another duel between two
more equally matched, but the corps
student beat the other this time also.
After two or three unimportant affairs,
there came one between student from
Zurich and q Berliner. The latter
was huge, strapping fellow, looked
as If he could knock down an OK, and
evidently meant business. His oppo-
nent was smaller, but appeared just as
determined. They had to fasten sill
yer plate over an old wound on his
head to prevent any dangerous conse-
quences, and fix him up otherwise, so
that it took quite long time before he
was ready. Silence was proclaimed
for half an hour. In exactly one min
ute and half the Zuricher was led of
with an ugly cut H ON the upper right
hand corner Of his lerehsad clear