The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-12-31
SCARED FOR LIFE.


SCARED FOR LIFE.
Some classes of men, like rival can
didates, seem to be born enemies, just
as it is with some animals-cats and
dogs, for instance. When troops are
stationed in a German university city,
the officers and students are certain to
quarrel. The same cordial relations ex
ist between them that might be expect
ed to prevail if few Texas centipedes
and tarantulas were placed in bottle
and shaken up well. In the year 1861
the students at the Polytechnic School
of Carlsruhe, Baden, Germany. and
the army officers stationed at that city
were in perpetual session, so to speak.
They were fighting almost every day.
There were several students societies
at the Polytechnic School, the Saxonia,
the Franconia and Bavaria, and when
the members were not lighting duels
among themselves or drinking beer,
they were having personal difficulties.
as David Crockett used to call such
joint discussions, with the officers of
the army of the Grand Duke of Baden.
During one of these street exhibi-
tions corps bursch of the Saxonia
came very near being made corpse by
an officer, who made use of his sword
on the street and on the person Of his
antagonist. AS it was, the students
coat, borrowed one, was cut and
slashed in several places. Whenever
the students and officers met in the
beer saloons, if they were sober
enough to converse at all, they used
language towards each other that
would not be tolerated in this country
outside of the halls of congress.
The bad feeling finally eliminated
in duel hetwean Liani- Won Hnlz and
a student named Baum, 4 member Of
the Bavarian society, which unplcas-
ant affair is the sub biect Of this sketch,
the writer being an eye witness. The
quarrel started at masquerade ball
They called each other bad names, and
slung diatribes and beer bottles. max
ing good line shots across the table at
each other. Next morning Baum sent
challenge to the lieutenant, who re-
piled that it would afford him pleasure
to murder Baum, but it was below the
dignity of an army officer, who was
also baron, to fight with a rlebeian;
he, therefore, was compelled promptly
and defantly to refuse the challenge.
Several more street fights occurred,
all of which failed to calm the excite
ment. When the duelng societies
heard that Lieut.. Won Holz would not
fight there was wild yearning on the
part of the students to challenge him
and all his friends. A secret caucus
was held, and the students sent a co%a-
munication to the colonel Of the reg
ment, begging him as special favor
to pick out seven Of his officers who
needed exercise and excitement. and
the students would pick seven of their
number who were suffering from The
same cause, the idea being TO have
seven duels with sabres.
The dueling sabre is not safe thing
to fool with, as it never misses fire,
and in the hands of men who are not
careful, accidents are certain to occur
The officers appreciated this fact and
refused to 60 into joint session at all,
with sabres, but they offered conf
| promise. There was in Carlsruhe at
that time an army officer who besides
enjoying the high reputation of being
blackleg and blackguard, generally
was also remarkable for being nearly
seven feet tall. Now, in sabre duel
the man with the long arm has all the
advantage over the man with the
short arm. The former can carve ur
the latter at his case, while tie other
candidate cannot reach far enough
with his sabre to make the connection
The army officers were so kind and
considerate, and so utterly opposed tc
anything savoIing of unfairness, tina,
they relaxed their dignity to the extent
of proposing that their backlog, Coun,
Leiningen-that was his name
should with his long arm, fight the
whole seven scholastic gladiators. This
| offer was about equivalent to a mar
with long range rifle requesting ar
antagonist with an Indian club t.
tackle him at a thousand yards. The
students met again in secret conclavt
and sent back very sarcastic commu
nication, suggesting that when Coun
Leiningen's friends had sawed him il
two the proposition would be taken NJ
from the table on which it had beer
laid. Then some more street fight
followed as a matter of course.
One afternoon few days after tn,
proposition for Count Leiningen Il
offer up the short-armed students il
succession ! happened to be strollint
down the principal street of Carls
ruhe when carriage stopped in fron
of me and a head was stuck ou
through the window. 1 recognizes
] the head as being the personal proper