Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-10-23
Boy Duellists in Germany.

In opera bouffe with tears In their
eyes,"
Boy Duellists in Germany.
From the Evening Post.
An American student at Gottingen,
e. M. Harper, Princeton, '84, writes
the following account of a. recent stu
dent DUEL
GA fight was just about to begin.
The colnbatants, surrounded by sec
onds, umpires, and friends, had al
ready taken their places on the hoor.
Their breasts and thighs were pro-
tected by thick pads, on which the
black blood of former encounters had
gathered for years past. The veins Of
the neck were guarded by winding
around it a heavy scarf. Iron goggles
with plate-glass windows concealed the
eyes, and the arms were also covered
with wadding. The swords were long
and narrow, without points. One Of
the pair OF warriors, a member of the
blue cap corps, was a pale, slender,
good-looking youth. He never spoke
a word or took his eyes off his adver.
sary. The latter, one of the red caps,
was q big burly fellow, whom the pads
seemed greatly to oppress; perhaps he
was frightened. I don't blame him.
'The surgeon stepped back, looking
like a butcher, in his long white apron,
spotted with blood. There had been
another duel before we came. The
tinlekeeper took his place at little
table. The seconds jumped into
position each at the left side OF his man,
after polite bows to each other in true
German fashion. The fifty or sixty
corps students who were sitting at
little tables around the room eating
breakfast and drinking, rose to see
the fight. All was solemnity, and the
silence Was only broken by some dig
nified fellows calling to an acquaint-
ance clear across the floor and drink
ing his health, at the same time bow
ing profoundly and lifting his cap.
There We're q few sharp words of com
mand repeated by one second after
the other, something like Make ready!
Coz and in an instant all one could
see was the flashing OF swords and the
flying of sparks, and all one could hear
was the regular 'whack, whack, of the
blows. There seemed to be only one
kind Of stroke, and each met the other
half way. Haiti cried the fat fellow,
and the seconds run up to see where
he is cut; but it was q false alarm,
They rub him a little and let him
sweat q moment, then at it again.
Dodging with the head or moving tho
feet or body is not allowed, and the
left arm must be kept behind the back.
<Whack! whack! whack!' as before, but
also a clear swish! from clean per-
pendicular slash in the big fellows left
cheek. A.
About this time wondered how the
hotel woman could stand it, for she
had been carrying meat and drink
from table to liable all the time. I al
so had occasion to see a man who had
for two seasons been punished behind
the bat on the Princeton, base ball nine
and who had risked his life in one or
two Thanksgiving day ball games,
walk with uncertain step to the win
dow for a breath Of fresh air. It isn't
pleasant to see a mans cheek laid
open deliberately The next round
proved even more disastrous for the
plump red-cap, tor he received an ugly
cash above the eye, which will 60
with him as long as the eye itself.
Next time his chin suffered and then
his nose. He was out Of breath, and
looked miserable. I went to the win.
dow and looked at the clear blue sky
aud the golden fields, and wondered
why human society must SO tor
ture itself with useless and cruel
conyentionalities. But the fascin.
alton of the raining blows. called
me back to see the next Wound A
hum Of interest ran along the gallery
front, when the cool little fellow was
seen to get far the heaviest blow Of the
fight across his brow, which was soon
covered with blood. b I .5 sss@z Z IA
ss3 s They took off the goggles and the
blood ran into his eyes. Then they
5mopped tup and be was ready again.
and in the next round gave his oppo-
5nent another cash on the left temple.
It seemed to me about time to call
halt for good and presently they did.
Under the rules fight lasts fifteen
minutes OF actual fencing, pauses not.
counted. With pauses reckoned in,
this must have lasted about forty
minutes. The gIadiat ors carried their
bloody heads into another room to
receive the doctors attention, and
preparations began for another duel.
-Iasked q student ifeither Of our bloody
friends had fought before, and he said.
laconically The, little fellow has
fought nine this term ''5,s