The Osceola times., 1882-09-09
BRUISERS IN Blue.
A Fight Between Two west Point Cadets.
A Rhode Island Man Knocks IA Missis-
sippian Out of Time.

sippian Out of Time.
The monotony of life at the military
post of West Point has been varied by a
genuine prize fight between two cadets
with seconds and referee The fight oc-
Cured in the morning between % and | |
o'clock, and the principals were cadets
Frank A. Cook, aged Is, and Edward n.
Scudder, aged 81. Scudder was knocked
out in true Sullivan style, and was car
ried TO the hospital in an insensible con-
dition. Scudder was appointed from
Mississippi and Cook from Rhode Island
The former is first-class plebe, and Cook
is third-class man. The referee was
Alfred b. Jackson, who belongs to next
years graduating class, and is from Mas
sachusetts.
There are two reports regarding the
difficulty out Of which sprang the fight.
One is that Scudder got into trouble with
the officer of his company, who cursed
him. This he could not submit to, and
said they could do anything else but he
would not stand that. Consequently he
challenged the officer to fight, but the
latter refused, and according to the pre-
vailing custom got another to do the fight
ing for him. To this Scudder assented.
Another reTo;t says that Scudder ami
cably settled the dispute between himself
and the officer, and that the trouble be-
tween him and Cook was entirely differ
ent, the nature Of which has not yet been
revealed; but whatever the difficulty GER
tain it is that the fight took place in prize
ring style.
On Wednesday morning Scudder and
Cook, accompanied by referee Jackson
and two cadets as seconds, whose names
could not be ascertained went up the
back road near an old blacksmith shop,
all prepared for the fight. Everything
had apparently been satisfactorily arran-
ged. When the five reached green
sward on the side of the road, between
the new observatory building and Fort
Putnam, the ring was pitched and the
belligerents set to work. The result of
the fight was that Scudder was complete
ly knocked out, although he is not only
the Oldest, but much the largest Of the
two. One report is that Scudder stood
the terrible punching for three-quarters
of an hour before he gave up, while 9TH
ers say he succumbed to Cooks batteries
in three or four rounds. Scudder is bad
ly bruised and marked up while Cook is
said to be comparatively uninjured.
While Scudder was lying insensible
Jake Foster, of Highland Falls, lager
beer bother, drove along, and was hailed
and asked to take him TO the hospital
This he did, putting the unconscious
cadet on the top of the beer boxes in his
wagon.
Hospital Steward Hill says that when
Foster reached the hospital Scudder was
still on the boxes in an insensible condi-
ton, with cadet on each side of him
He presented such a horrible sight that
Hill took him for an injured west shore
laborer, and at first told the party TO take
him away. As Scudder was laid on the
bed he was taken suddenly with a bad
sick spell This gave the cadets a chance
to escape. Hill identified them.
Cadet Scudder was attended by DR.. Al
exander, post surgeon. He lay insensible
for long time. He was cut and bruised,
his eyes were blackened aud swollen, his
nose was twice its ordinary size, his lips
were greatly swollen and cut, and he
looked as though he had been in rail-
road accident.
The affair is the topic of conversation
at the post. A rigid investigation is to
be made. The officers are not permitted
to talk, but it is certain that Cook and
Referee Jackson are under arrest and
will be held to await the result of the in
vestigation which is already in progress.
II is being made by Judge-Adyocate
Woods, and will of course lead to a court
martial and the probable dismissal from
the academy of all who were concerned
in the mill