Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-06-05
BUYS AND SELLS EXCHANGE
puellng OF German studente.

+ One day IN the interest of Sclenct
my agent obtained permission Il
bring me to the students dueIins
place. We crossed the river anG
drove up the bank a. few hundred
yards, then turned to the left, en-
tered a narrow alley, followed it &
hundred. yards and arrived at 8
tWo-story public house; we were
acquainted with it's outside aspect
for it was visible from, the hotel
We went upstairs and passed into
a large White-washed apartment
which was perhaps fifty feet long,
by thirty feet wide and twenty jol
twenty-five high. 1t was well
lighted place. There was no carpet.
Across one end and down both
sides of the room extended a row OF
tables, and at these tables some fifty
or seYenty-fivestudents were sitting.
Some of them were slipping wine,
others were playing cards, others
chess, other groups were chatting
together, and many were smoking
cigarettes while they waited for the
coming duels. Nearly all of them
wore colored caps; there were white
caps, green caps, blue caps, red caps,
and bright yellow caps; so; all the
five corps were present in strong
force. In the windows at the va
cant end of the room stood six or
eight long, narrOw-bladed swords
with large protecting guards for the
hand, and outside was q man at
work sharpening others on a grind
stone. He understood his business !;
for when a sword left his hand one
could shave himself with it. 3f9 q
It was observable that the young
gentlemen neither bowed to nor
spoke with students whose caps diff
fered in color from their own. This
did not mean hostility, but only an
armed neutrality. It was consid-
cred that a person could strike
harder in the duel, and with more
earnest Interest, if he had never
been in a condition of comradeship
with his antagonist; therefore, COM
radeship between the corps was not
permitted. At intervals the presi-
dents of the five corps have a cold
official intercourse with each other,
but nothing further. For example,
when the regular dueling day of
one of the corps approaches, its
among the membership to offer bat
tie; three or more respond--but
there must not be less than three.
The president lays their names be-
fore the other presidents, with the
request that they furnish antagonists
for these ehanengers from among
their corps. This is promptly done.
1t CHANGED that the present occasion
was the battle-day of the red cap
corps. They were the cfallengers,
and certain caps of other colors had
volunteered to meet them. The
students fight duels in the room
which / have described, ta0O days IN
eUely aOeeb G1Tjatg SeUe1a and q halt
or eight months d1a eueTy gear. This
custom has continued in Germany
two hundred and fifty years.
TO return to my narrative. A
student in a white cap met US and
introduced us to six or eight friends
of his who also wore white caps,
and while we stood conversing, two
strengthening figures were led in
from another room. They were
bare-headed; their eyes were pro-
tected by iron goggles which pro-
jected an inch or more, the leather
straps of which bound their ears
fiat against their heads; their necks
were wound around and around
with thick wrappings which a sword
could not cut through; from chin to
ankle they were padded thoroughly
against injury; their arms were
bandaged and re-bandaged, layer
upon layer, until they looked like
solid black logs. These weird APP
partitions had been hadsome youths,
clad in fashionable attire, fifteen
minutes before, but now they did
not resemble any beings one ever
sees unless in Nightmares They
strobe along, with their arms pro-
iecting straight out from their
bodies; they did not hold them out
themselves, but fellow-students
walked beside them and gave the
needed support.
There was a rush for the vacant
end of the room, and we followed
and got good places. The combat
ants were placed face to face, each
with several members of his own
corps about him to assist; two sec
onds, well padded, and with swords
in their hands, took near stations; a
student belonging to neither of the
opposing corps placed himself in a
good position to umpire the combat;
another student stood by with q
watch and a book to
keep record of the time and the
number and nature of the wounds;
a gray-haired surgeon was present
with his lint, his bandages and his
instruments. After a moments
pause the duelists saluted the UNI
pire respectfully, then one after an
other the several officials stepped
forward, gracefully removed their
caps and saluted him also, and re-
turned to their places. Everything
was ready now; students stood
crowded together in the foreground,
and others stood behind them on
chairs and tables. Every face was
turned toward the center of attrac-
tion. s-lz
The combatants were watching
each other with alert eyes perfect
stiffness, breathless Z interest
reigned. 1 felt that I was going to-
see some wary work. But not so.
The instant the word was given,
the two apparitions sprang forward
and began to rain blows down upon
each other with such lightning
rapidity that / could not quite tell
whether / saw the swords or only
the flashes they made in the air
the rattling din of these blows as
they struck steel or paddings was
something wonderfully stirring, ,and
they were struck with such terrific
force that / could not understand
why the opposing sword was not
beaten down under the assault.
Presently, in the midst of the sword
flashes, saw a handful of hair skip
into the air as if it had lain loose on
the victims head and breath OF
wind had puffed it suddenly away.
The seconds cried "Halt!" and
knocked up the comhatants' swords
with their own. The duelists sat
down; a student official stepped for
ward. examined the wounded head
and touched the place with a sponge
once or twice; the surgeon came
and turned back the hair from the
wound-and revealed a crimson
cash two or three inches long, and
proceeded to bind an oval piece of
leather and a bunch of lint over it /;
the tally-keeper stepped up and tall
lied one for the opposition in his
book.
Then the duelists took position
again; small stream of blood was