St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-14
BATTLE IN THE SANDS.
How Two Colored Gentlemen
Fought Duel.

AoW Two OO1OfeQ GcnClcmoO
Fought a Duel.
New York SUM-
The other day one of the walters at
our hotel made some sudden move in
the serving room which brou ght bis
elbow against the worries of another
waiter, and the face of the moon was at
once covered with blood. Some of us
noticed their belligerent demeanor, and
row and then we caught such express
siOns as
'Yo ar no geni'lan, sah!"
Am yo' is only nigger!'
Il sco'n yo'. sall--sco'n yo' fur low
.'Hu! I'd like to be shet up in room
wild yO' bout two minuteS!'
we were not, therefore, greatly sur
prlSed when we were waited OH by a
third party. who was mutual friend,
VINO asked us to arrange meeting be-
tween the hoStileS and see the affair
through, according to ship-shape rules.
1t wasn't to be duel, but a set-to with
gloves. and as we were tired of fishing,
grabbing, sailing and shooting porpoises,
we hailed the new departure with glad
relief.
"Yo' white folks dun knows all bout
1t, an yo' go right ahead an fix it up y
said the mutual friend.
We borrowed gloves. bought rope
enough for a ring, made stakes, and the
site selected was in the sand
behind the scrub. The tip was given,
aud when the hour came about seventy
live spectators had assembled. The rivals
were OH hand in good time, but il was
noticeable that both were trying hard to
look pale, and there was a movement of
the chin which betrayed much mental
anxiety. They were known only as Jim
and Tom, and while we were putting
the gloves on Jim he arose and called
across the sands:
docs you 'pOlogiZe to me, sah?"
II dun 'pologize if you 'pologize. toe" "
was the reply.
''Den l dun -"
But we stopped him and braced him
up, and two or three minutes later they
faced each other in the center of the
ring. Each mans teeth were chatter
ing, each ones eyes were all white, and
there was Mobbling of the knees.
Look out, now, yO' niger! lie
gwine TO bust yo' head off!''
Look out yO'self! If l hits yo' In
de lung yo' won't git over it in two
WeekS!'
why doan' yo' hit?"
"Why doan' yo' hit?"
"Yo's skeert O. meW
"SO's yo' skeert!"
They were walking around each
other, pushing at arms length, and it
would have stopped there. but for the
timekeeper, who shouted to them to go
in.
IF | hit yo' in de eye look out!"
elf hit dat nose you'll be dead!"
FPS comm fur yo' purity quick!"
.'pll he right around dar!"
The referee shouted again, and, moved
to sudden resolution, Jim flung Off the
gloves and grabbed Tom by the ankles
and lifted him off his feet and dumped
him on the sand. Toms gloves fell off
as he rolled over. and he had scarcely
struck when jim made break through
the ring, running like a rabbit.
Tom scrambled up with ''Hu!" and
broke through the other side, and while
one legged it for the hotel the other
sought safety behind the sand dunes.
and the great match for blood ended i'm
water. AS had acted as Jim's bottle
holder, felt called upon to reproach
him that evening at the kitchen door,
and he came out into the moonlight and
explained:
"'Deed, sab. but didn't dun mean to
do it. l meant to STAN right up dar an
fight dat niger one millyon rounds
'cordin' to Miss Quee'sberry rules. but,
when | got de gloves OH, my sand went
right away, sah-went right Off down
de coast flynn, an afore l knowed it l
was back heah in de hotel wipin'
spoons an a-saying dat if l eber caught
DAT niger out in de dark I'd, smash
him. sah-fd smash him till his own
mudder wouldn't dun remember his sad
remains"