St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-28
PUGILISM IN DAKOTA.

It's Rapid Growth in Popularity
Sheriff and a Farmer for Four
Loads of Hay.
LA INQUIRE, Jan. q. - Merricourt is
one of Dickey cOunty's Quietest and
most peaceable townships. Family
feuds and domestic broils have done but
little to keep the tongue of Dame Gossip
wagging, nor have hot discussions
marked the course of public polity in
the little township government. A SEN
satlon In this Old-fashiOned and sedate
community is decidedly rare, vet, for
this reason, all the more appreciated
when it does come. 1t is, therefore. not
astonishing that prize fight should fur
nlsh an al[absorbing topic of con-
yerSatlon and decided variation
from the usual mOnotony of the winter
months. A few days ago the sheriff of
one of DakOta's counties and a Dickey
county farmer, both of whom reside not
far from the aforesaid locality, met at a
point near the La MOure county line In
an enclosure l2x14 feet, to do battle
with their dukes" the stakes being
four, loads of hay. Neither Of these
hardy sons of toll were yersed in the
Marquis of Queensberry's code. much
less did they know of the antiquated
but time-hOnOred rules of the London
ring. The fight was therefOfe governed
by no particular rules. A hit below the
belt was not ''foul,' if sduarely
planted, and there was no chicken
hearted referee to call time at the sight
OF gore. Free and unguarded by sec
ondS or spectators, the sheriff in
the first round rushed at the,
farmer with hay knife in one hand,
caught him by the wrist with the other,
and
FELLED HIM TO THE GROUND.
In the second the farmer took the in.
ltlative with dOuble-header, bringing
a hOW OF blood from under the sberiff'S
ear with his left and sending him to
grass with his right. The sheriff. re.
covering quickly, pulled the agricultur-
ailSt to the ground and plowed deem
burrows all over his face with nd
finger nails. In the third round
the farmer pulled off his overcoat and
prepared for a Sullivanistic exhibition,
put the sheriff weakened at sight Of
tnese warllke moves and told the man
OF hay seed not to hit him again, as he
mad enough. A satisfactory settlement
was not reached through the medium of
the manly art, and it was only after a
long discussion that the fight was called
a draw. The farmer, however, took
three OF the four loads of hay as his
portion. 80
This little exhibition calls to mind the
fact that devOtees of the manly art are
legions in this territory. Leading
.pugilists are objects of greater
respect and veneration than
the foremost politician. Their great
battles are discussed and their merits
and dement's expatiated upon daily
In almost every public house in the
James river valley. There are plenty
OF people In Jamestown, Fargo, Aber-
deem, Bismarck and Grand Forks who
are better posted in the history Of the
prize ring than the politics of the
country. This may or may not be to
their credit, but it it is a peculiar fact
that
NEARLY ALL OF THE NORTHWEST,
especially that part of which St. Paul
and Minneapolis are the center, is
strangely interested in sporting events.
UP in this country the old%timer who
Is "On" can recall many instances where
personal differences were settledwith the
nsts at the midnight hour in the en-
forced privacy of a closed bar-rOom.
Not long ago Fargo and Grand Forks.
and lately Aberdeen, assumed to Justify
tnelr metropolitan claims by arranging
smuggling matches, and in our neighbor-
ing town of Cakes there lives butcher.
Roodle by name, who, a few months
ago threw down the gauntlet to all ter
ritOrial aspirants for ring honors in a
published challenge. Although not
general knOwn-the newspapers hav-
ing failed to round up the matter-it is
nevertheless a fact that within
the last two months our near
neighbor, the metropolis of the jim
valley, jamestown, has been the scene
OF two bloody battles with the fists,
where gore was the main end in view.
Both fights occurred after the midnight
hour, in bar-rOoms. withonly the pugil-
lists, three bottle holders and referee
present. In neither of the cases were
gloves worn. and in one instance both
OF the men came out completely ex-
hausted and as bloody and bruised a
pair as seen in life time.