The daily gazette., 1882-08-05
CADETS IN THE RING.
A BRUTAL EXHIBITION AT
WEST POINT.
HIGH TONED MILITARY BUSINESS
Fighting Over Dispute-The Biggest
Man Knocked Out of Time and Carried
InsensIble to the Hospital.

NEwBURG, August 5.-A genuine prize
fight broke the monotony of life at West
Point on Wednesday last, between 10 and / |
O'Clock. 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 carried to the hos
pital In an insensible condition. Scudder
was appointed from Mississippi and Cook
from Rhode Island. The former is fourth
class plebe, and Cook is third-class man.
The referee was Alfred b. jackson, who be-
longs to next years graduating class, and is
from Massachusetts,. There are two reports
regarding the difficulty out of which sprung
the fight One is that Scudder got into
trouble with an officer of his company,
who cursed him. This he would not sub
NIT to, and said that they could do any
thing else but he would not stand
that. Consequently he challenged the
officer TO fight, but the latter refused, and,
according to the prevailing custom, got
another to do the fighting for him. To this
Scudder assented. Another report saws that
Scudder amicably settled the dispute be-
tween himself and the officer, and that the
trouble between him and Cook was entirely
different, the nature of which has not vet
been revealed. But whatever the difficulty.
certain it Is that the fight took place in prize
ring style.
On Wednesday morning Seudder 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 arranged. When the five
reached greensward on the side of the
road, between the new observatory building
and Fort Putnam, the ring was pitched and
the belligerents SCI to work. The result of
the fight was that Scuddcr was completely
knocked out, although he is not only the
older, but much the larger of the two. One
report has 1t that Scudder stood the terrific
punching for three quarters of an hour be-
tore he gave up, while others say that he
succumbed to Cooks batteries in three or
four rounds. Seuddcr is badly bruised and
marked up, while Cook is said to be com
paratively uninjured.
While Scudder was lying insensble, Jake
Foster of Highland Falls, "A lager beer hot
tier, drove along and was hailed and asked
to take him to the hospital. This he did,
putting the unconscious cadet on top of
the beer boxes on his wagon. Hospital
Steward Hill says that when Foster drove to
the hospital Scudder was still on the boxes
in an insensible condition, with cadet on
each side of him. He presented such
horrible sight that Hill took him for an in
jured West Shore laborerer, 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
chance to escape. Hfllidentified them.
Cadet Scudder was attended by DIR. Alex
ander, post surgeon. rs lay insensible for
long time. He was cut and bruised badly,
his eyes were blackened and swollen, his
nose was twice its ordinary size, his lips
were greatly swollen and cut, and he looked
as though he he had been in railroad acct
dent He was admitted to the hospital at
lilo in the morning, and is yet confined
there. The affair is the topic of conyersa-
tion 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 investigation, which is already
in progress. 1t is being made by Judge ad-
yoeate Woods, and will, of course, lead to
court martial and the probable dismissal
from the Academy of all concerned in the
mill.