Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-08-20
nuELING AT HEIDELBERG.

than the Bull-Fights of Spain.
1T seems one duel had taken place
before our arrival 1t did not matter;
the results were before us. One of the
contestants, partly naked, was half
reclining in chair while a surgeon was
shaving the hair from the top of his
head in order to patch up several ugly
looking sword cuts. Two or three stu
dents we're washing the blood from his
face and body; one of them with small
sponges was sopping the blood that was
flowing freely from some ghastly wounds
on the cheeks and forehead. One cheek
was entirely laid open, and deep cut
went diagonally across the forehead,
from which branched off several smaller
cuts. The lobe of one ear had disap-
peared and downward stroke had split
the nose, which was dripping blood like
a leaking pump. will not describe him
further. 1t was a terrible sight. L
should have said that he could not have
lived half an hour; but there was no
danger of death, and | was told that as
soon as the present wounds should heal,
he would probably be engaged in another
duel. The other duelist had not suffered
SO badly. He was already dressed, and
had nearly got through with the finish
ing touches from the surgeons hands.
His head was bandaged and several
strips of sticking plaster adorned his
face in zig-zag courses across his cheeks
and forehead. In the afternoon | saw
him promenading on the Leopold Strasse,
evidently proud of his disfigured face.
Passing the hospital room, in which
we did not tarry long to scrutinize, we
entered the dueling hall, a large, high
room about fifty feet long, thirty wide.
The second duel was in progress, of
which we had been torewarned by hear
ing the clash of swords in the outer
room. Had / not been anticipating IA
bloody and brutal spectacle, the sight so
suddenly revealed to me would have
staggered my nerves. At one end of
the hall and facing each other were the
two duelists engaged in what appeared
to be deadly combat. The face of one
was so covered with blood that could
not recognize his features. The red gore
was dropping from his nose and chin,
and red streams were trickling down his
bare back and staining his shirt and
trousers with crimson hue. The other
duelist, although his face was bloody,
had evidently not been so badly pun
ished as his adversary. He had only re-
ceiyed, so far, two or three slight cuts
on his face from which blood was flow.
ING down his bosom. Each wore aprons
originally made from some white ma
terial that looked as if they had seen
long service in a slaughter-house, and
so they had, for they were almost black
with the human gore that had accumu
lated from many previous duel. Theil
heads were bare and their faces unpro
tected, save by black steel goggles with
out glasses which covered their eyes
Heavy wrappings of silk-layer upor
layer-were wound around their necks
and their sword arms were incased il
thick shields or sleeves, wadded or pad
ded with cotton so that the sharpes
blade could not penetrate them. Aside
from these precautions, they were at the
mercy of each others swords.
While making these hurried observa
tions and endeavoring to fully compre
hend the ghastly scene, the duel wa
fiercely raging. 1t was no child's play
as had once supposed it to be. Boil
combatants were about thirty years o
age, athletes in size and strength, ant
had been practising for years under
skilled professors for such an occasion
as this. They were in terrible earnest
and their long sharp swords played owe
each others heads with lightning-h Ink
rapidity, but so skillfully were the blow
parried that most of the wounds wer
only caused by the bending or tn
breaking of the blades. The moment
sword became disabled, which was con
stantly occurring, the seconds interfere,
and cried "Haltln and the upliftet
arms came to rest. While waitin!
for fresh weapons the members of thei
respective corps gathered about them
some bringing wine or water for ther
to drink, others wiping the tlowin
blood from their wounds or faces wit
wet sponges, and assisting the surgeo
to hastily bind up some deep-cut wound
with lint or impromptu bandages. 500
as fresh swords, which had been SHARP
ened like razors, were brought an
placed in their hands, there was no eel
emony or waiting. The seconds CAV
the signal and the two men spTan
forward at each other like blood hound,
Steel clashed against steel again, spark
flew as if from blacksmith's forgt
and tufts of hair, cut as if by invisib
hands, were waited long distances froi
each others heads. Occasionally
squirt of blood would tell that
and the seconds would interfel
while the surgeons could examine an
hastily quench the flowing current. I'll
duelist who first attracted my attentio
by his CORY face was evidently gettin
the worst of the battle. At every el
counter he received fresh wounds, an
Imagination could not picture a wor.
sight than he presented. Blood WI
flowing down his face and body ill
rain, and forming little pools in the say
dust that was scattered around h
feet. The scene reminded me of Il
bull-fghts that had witnessed in Spai
only this was the more brutal and inh
man of the two. 1t seemed every m
ment as if The man would from the 10
of blood fall back dead in the arms
his comrades, who were watching Il
conflict with terrible eagerness and su
pense. But not for moment did
show signs of weakness, or a dispo!
ton TO give up the combat. Two
three times he signaled for rest tn
his friends might wipe the blood tn
had gathered in his eyes and blind
his sight. A glass of water that W
held TO his lips became as red as pc
wine from the blood that flowed into
from his face, but noticed that he dral
il all the same. His adversary, it W
evident, was at the end to be the char
pion, although he had received sol
bad cuts, one of which came near sev'
ing his nose. He was the superi
swordsman, and had given five woun
where he had received one. The m
opposite him, the bloody man, was
be the "under dog in the fight" Il
contest had lasted thirty minutes
seemed hours, and would have cont
ued until one had been killed had n
the two surgeons inteifered and end
the fight. They examined carefully t
wounds of the "under dog" and fou
them 50 serious that the fight was pl
nouneed at an end, and the two gla'
storH, leaning and partly supported
Il. Ia, 4. a..