Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-03
KNOCKED OUT IN ONE ROUND.

A Bare KnucISIe Fight on the Spring
field Plantation Interrupted by the
Police-The Crowd Raided and the
Principals Arrested-How the Blue
Coats Were Fooled.
The open lot west of the Arkwright Cot
ton Factory was the scene of lively ex-
citement yesterday afternoon. 4 hun
dred OF more men and boys We're lettering
in the vicinity between Second and Third
streets, scattered about among the
buildings near the factory and perrhed on
the fences, apparently waiting the OCCUR
renee of some expected event, which
proved to be a pugilistic encounter i'm the
settlement of a question of honor.
Some time ago, at ball given by a So
cial club in the city, two young men, one
named Smith and the other Brooks, be-
came involved in 4 personal difficulty, in
which Smith was claimed to have grossly
insulted his companion. The insult, it
appears, was not resented at the time,
owing to circUmsi ances. but was after
ward hurled back at its author. A chal-
lenge followed, and, the preliminaries
being arranged, it was agreed that the
matter should be settled in the ring
with bare knuckles. The place
of meeting was selected and
yesterday the principals with their sec
Onds repaired to the spot, and were quick
" surrounded by the crowd which had
been informed of the fight. There was
considerable delay in bringing matters to
a focus, the seconds doing their best to
prevent the meeting and secure an AMIGA
bic adjustment of the differences. In this
they had partly succeeded, when the crowd,
disappointed in their hopes of a fight,
began yelling coward and ''gO it, you
pOltrOOn.' This was too much for Smith
who was spelling for chance to batter
his adyersary's cOuntenance. and he
bristled up for an encounter. Just as the
excitement was at its height the cry of
police scattered the crowd, and
as mounted squad dashed up
the witnesses OF the affair We're
posted on the fences and about
the lot as bland and innocent as if moth
inc had happened. The police were i'll
formed that the principals had gone some
minutes before toward Battery Park
The blue coats dashed of i'll that direc-
ton and secured the fields in that vicin-
ity and back of Laurel Grove, without
success.
In the meanwhile. the crowd hurried
over the canal to Il brick yard on the
Springfield plantation, where the ring wiss
pitched, and the preliminaries being ar
ranged without delay, the principals
stripped for action. Brooks was seconded
by a well-knOwn railroad man, and Smith
by a young man not unknown to fame as
a slugger.
The first round lasted about five
minutes. aud settled the matter without
question. Brooks was the favOrite with
the crowd from the start, and proved
himself the cock OF the pit. The
fight was brief but heavy, and
at the end of the round Smith,
who was no match for his antagonist, ex-
hibited signs of severe punishment, and
was laid out without recruit. A left
handler on his collar-bOne had knocked his
shoulder out Of place, Brooks coming
out fresh as a daisy, was declared the
winner with the credit for first blood
from Smiths bugle, which was the only
blood spilled at all. During the
fight the police, who were accommodating
about mile distant in the vicinity of
Laurel Grove were spied on the move and
a few minutes later darted down the canal
and across the bridge, and charged into
the crowd. There was 4 lively scattering
and IN the excitement and rush
Brooks, who was making for the fields,
was oyerhaUled and captured. Smith
was so badly bruised and disabled that he
was unable to get away and was taken
without attempting to escape. With this
haul the police retreated tn the barracks
with their prisoners, who were last night
released on bail.