The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-05-11

scientific knowledge Of boxing. But, for
all that, l felt myself greatly out
matched in that hand to hand fight
No sooner had grappled with the vii
lain on his first striking me than he
gave me blow right in the face savage
enough to have broken my nose and
knocked out goodness knows how many
teeth had he delivered it with as much
judgment as he did violence. But had
taken him by the throat with both
with the idea of throttling him
into passiveness, and l continued
clutching his windpipe with the tenac-
ity of a bull terrier. We twisted, and
wriggled, and bumped from side to side
of the confined space, and all the
while felt him dragging me in the d.
rection of the open door. At last /
twined my foot about his leg, and
threw him. he fell heavily, striking his
head against the cushioned seat, and
down | came with him, still clinging to
his iron hard, muscular throat, upon
which my grip seemed to make scarcely
any impression. We rolled about for
awhile, each endeavoring to keep up
permost, and when with his superior
strength he got above me, and knelt
upon my chest, thought he would bru-
tally murder me as lay in that almost
helpless posture. But instead he gasped
out: will you change clothes now?''
and whilst he waited for my answer
got my fist free and struck him upwards
under the chin, knocking his teethvSS
gether with a click like the snap OF o
rifle trigger and nearly dislocating his
neck; and then gave heave up which
threw him off me, ard moment later
we We're upon our feet again and pound
ing away as before.
But was beginning to feel that l
could not continue the struggle much
longer, and that, exhausted as | was,
he would be able to drag me to the door
and pitch me through it on TO the line.
My opponent breathed hard and fast,
but showed no signs of giving in. On a
sudden the train gave violent jolt,
that flung us both against the bulkhead
of the compartment; the flame of the
lamp leaped up, then fiickered a moment
and went ont. We continued fighting
in a darkness as deep as that of the
grave. Now that we were both COM
pletely in the dark felt myself more
on an equality with my antagonist My
sole dread was that should find myself
tumbling backwards through the open
door. He had Kissed out, amid horrid
blasphemies, his intention of leaving me
dead in that tunnel, where my body
might lie undiscovered for weeks. Dead
men, he said, told no tales, and he
wasn't going to lose the liberty he had
that night regained. But all at once l
felt him relax his grip of my body, and
he called to me to let go. Glad of a
moments respite released my hold of
the fellow, though standing on my
guard meanwhile. wary of some desper-
ate trick upon his part. After little,
finding that he did not renew the at
tack. | spoke and asked him what he
was doing, at the same time cropping
about to try and feel him. / received
no answer, neither did my hands come
in contact with his body. At that
moment the train emerged from the
tunnel, and the impenetrable gloom in
which the train had been plunged by
the extinction of the lamp gave place TO
a kind of faintness sitting in through
the windows, sufficient to have revealed
the figure of a man had he still been in
the compartment. | had a box of
matches in my pocket and with trem-
bling hand pulled it out and struck
light. The place was empty. With a
long sigh of relief and thankfulness, /