Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-09-01
GERMAN STUDENTs' DUELS.
Two Booty Combats Described by
an English University Man.

The London Times publishes the
followiog letter dated Halle. July 25,
trom cambridge graduate now
travelling in Germany: "Tc-day I
have seen vivisection but il was vol
untarV vivisecriDn-I mean some Ger
man students fighting duels and max
ing butchers meat of each otl er ;
faces. Que of our friends came in at
Z o'clock and said that three droskies
full of corps students had gone off IN
the morning, SO we finished our c, fee
as soon as possible, and walked off to
the Observation-Disclosures, where this
noble and gallant sport goes on. We
went into beer garden, In which Was
shed fused for music. Groups of
students, and other men and boys
we're seated about under thu trees at
tables the students of tue fighting
corps, known by their little coIored
caps, were in the house or sauntering
about, for there head been one duel,
and the faces were being sewed up.
Presently crowd walked out of the
house, and every one ran TO the shed
and looked in. Tue combatants were
not corps students, and therefore not
such practced hands. They came
forward, bandsged up, with great
ugly SHIELDS over their bodies, sptcta
Giles over their eyes, ami tue right arm
twice the naturd szr, by reason of
the wrappiDgs. Tuey looked extreme
ly uncomfortable, pale, and trembling.
The students hold up their right arms
before starting, for they may never
lower them below the shoulder.
Everything is now ready. A couple OF
seconds stand behind and hold their
swords. Ca guard {! Let loose!
Tney begin to slash. They fight very
badly, sIashlng one another as hard
as they can; tie swords are old, hack
ed, soft iron things. After some four
strokes 'HalL Is cried. b oud is
drawn then thew go a. it agan, after
every four or five hits fresh blood
being drawn, aid the swords being
Strengthened atresh. So they 60 on,
and the spt ctacle gets more and more
horrible. Tue blood first comes trick
llng down lie face on Tue collar, a
great hairy thing which soon becomes
sopping then 1t falls on the SHIRT,
the breast of which beCames also sop
ping. Ga aid on they go, geLling
very nervously excited, SO that one
man Can scarcely gulp III the water
which they give him wherewith to
wash his mouth. Tuere are a HIM
bred or more spectator, among whom
are two or three women aud little
glrl and boys. A lot of corps Sou
dants stand around with ugly, scanned
aces. One TALL, small headed fellow
with face covered with scars, keep rs
the time At last it is dec ded that
tGey have fought enough, as they 60
out; but there are five more. to follow,
80 we stop for another tout. This
time they are two corps students,
practiced fghters-one with a red the
other WITH u green cap. They have
never known one another, but they
soon get worked up INFO treDzy,
This duel is even more horrible than
the last One of the com batants is q
dig, vulgar-lookmg letloW, his lace
already nastilv SCARED. The other q
| LIT lie lame man, with a fslT-sized
wustache. Tuese slash away some
dozen times before they hir. It is
announced that the duel Is 10 last
thutV minutes, unless bad tit is
made. Again few small cuts come
first, and then more aud more. Tue
hg man has his lip cut again aud
| again, and Eis for ehead aud cheek !;
the little man is even worse. Soon
/ after each Tound the doctor has to sop
up their faces with sponge. The
Olood pours down: some students
standiug by drink beer and eat bread
and sausage. They get so tired that
after each round they lean down or
eiuk into chairs, their right arms still
being held out Tney slash SO fear
fully hard that their swords strike fire
and get bent into semi-circles. It is
so Liieous that cannot look, but
turn away, squeeze tight my eyes, and
only hear The continual cries, sOn
guard ! Make ready ! Off and then
c'ashiDgof swords, until dull thump
IS heard and The men CRY, Halt 7
This goes On for more than half an
hour. I Can only see the face of the
nig man It's ugllness surpasses any
thing | have ever seen; his big lips
open, the lower one one purple, very
oloated, and hanging the nose swoI'
|, len and bloated Ibe face a dull red
. color, save where it was streaked with
tue dark red blood. His eyes were
gosgly, s'arlng, and bloodshef, AND
d hls lair had been brought over bis
= forehead TO stick together the gashes
: WIN such face he stood llml
= against a chair, WITH dropping shout
j ders, slotching figure, and bIooC
dropping all about BIN, from his mat
ted hair to the blood dripping nose
: the streaming mouth and tue red shirt
I AT last The little man gave the othe,
t what they call deep cut on the fore
. head, and the end is announced thu
small fellow was beaten, for he wa
too weak to 60 on. I now for th'
' first time see his face l pever say