The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-11-05
BOY puELLIsrs IN GERMANY.
No Lives Lost, but Very Ugly Fighting
Among the Gottingen Students.

No Lives Lost. but Very Ugly Fighting
Among the Gottingen Students.
New York Evening Post.I
An American student at Gottingen,
G.. NJ. Harper, Princeton, "a. writes the
following account Of a recent student
duel
"a fight was just about to begin. The
combatants, surrounded by seconds,
umpires, and friends, had already taken
their places on the floor. Their breasts
and thighs were protected by thick pads,
on which the black blood of former en-
counters had gathered for years past
The veins of the neck were
guarded by winding around it
heavy scarf. Iron goggles with
plate glass windows concealed the eyes,
and the arms we're 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 pale, slender, good
looking youth He never spoke word
or took his eyes OFF his adversary. The
latter, one of the red caps, was big,
burly fellow, whom the pads seemed
greatly to Cypress; perhaps he was
frightened. j don't blame him.
'SThe surgeon stepped back, looking like
abuteher, in long white apron, spotted
with blood. There had been another
duel before We came. The timekeeper
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 fash
ion. The fifty or sixty corps students
who are sitting at little tables around
the room, eating breakfast and
drinking, rose TO see the fight
All was selemnity, and the
silence was only broken by
some dignified fellows calling to an ac-
quaintance clear across the floor and
drinking his health, at the same time
bowling profoundly and lifting his cap.
There were a few sharp words of COM
mand repeated by one second after the
other, something like Make ready Co.
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. sHaltr cries the fat fellow, and
the seconds run up to see where he is
cut; but it was false alarm. They rub
him a little and let him sweat mo-
ment, then at it again. Do ging with
the head or moving the feet or body is
not allowed, and the left arm must be
kept behind the back. 'Whacki whack!
whackr as before, but also q clear
sWishl and the next moment the blood
is running from clean perpendicular
slash in the big fellows left cheek.
About this time / wondered how the
hotel woman could stand it, for she
had been carrying meat and drink from
table to table all the time. / also had
occasion to see q 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 foot ball games, walk
with uncertain step to the window for
q breath of fresh air. 1t isn't pleasant
to see mans cheek laid open deliber-
ately. The next round proved even
more disastrous for the plump red cap,
for he received an ugly cash above the
eye, which will 60 with him as long as
the eye itself. Next time his chin suf
fered, and then his nose. He was out
OF breath, and looked miserable.
went to the window and looked
at the clear blue sky and the golden
fields, and wondered why human
society must so torture itself with
useless and cruel csnventionalities. But
the fascination OF the raining blows
called me back to see the next round.
A hum Of interest ran along the gallery
lEO0J Wu6u the COOL lIlIl0 Io11OW- WAS 6e0l
TO get by far the heaviest blow Of the fight
across his brow, which was soon COW
cred with blood.
They took off the goggles and the
blood ran into his eyes. Then they
mopped it up and he was ready again,
and in the next round gave his oppo-
nent another cash on the left temple.
It seemed to me about time to call a
halt for good, and presently they did.
Under the rules fight lasts fifteen min
utes Of actual fencing, pauses not
counted With pauses reckoned in,
this must have lasted about forty min
utes. The gladiators carried their
bloody heads into another room to re-
ceive the doctors attention, and prepar
atoms began for another duel. asked
a student if either of our bloody friends
had fought before, and he said lacOn-
ically; The little fellow has fought
nine this term.