The herald., 1896-07-29
MATCH AT CATCH WEIuHTS
A Two-Round 90 Between Patrlcian Prime

n iWo.kouno 10 Between P0tr1cian Prlnci.
pals
NEW YORK, July 27-Two young men
fought bloody battle this morning on
the roof Of a handsome residence on Riv-
erside drive, over the relative merits of
Della Fox and Edna Wallace Hopper
in The Little Trooper
David Marreener Levison and Charles
Fowler Van Sickle, the two principals in
the fight, were on last Tuesday evening
seated with their mutual friend, Her
bert Edward Meyers In the roof garden
of the Hotel Majestic, where Levisons
relatives were guests.
While they were chatting in one Of the
rustic summer houses under the multi
colored lights the orchestra struck up
a potpourri from Sousa's Ell Captain, in
which De Wolf Hopper and his wife
Edna Hopper scored such a success at
the Broadway theater.
Levison, who is great admirer of Mrs
Hopper, was of course reminded of her
by the music, and declared she was the
daintiest, prettiest and most graceful
swordswoman on the American stage
Edna Wallace Hopper doesn't hold a
candle to Della Fox remarked Van
Sickle, who is Texan.
You don't know what you are talking
about" replied Levison. Della Fox is
fat and old. Mrs. Hopper is light as
feather, pretty as picture and a mere
girl"
Then Van Sickle lost his patience.
you lie." he said. in stage whisper.
Crash-the chopped ice in Levison's
glass landed full in the face of the long
legged Texan. He sprang to his feet,
but Mr. Meyers. who is more powerfully
built than either of the others. jumped
between them and before blow could
land held them apart at arms length.
Then they sat down. Levison was very
red and Van Sickle very white, and ar
ranged to meet this morning on the roof
of an unoccupied house on Riverside
driye. Mr.. Meyers was asked to act as
referee. They wanted no seconds.
Both the young men are well known in
New York club life.
A closed carriage drove up to the door
of the house on Riverside drive yester-
day and the young men, looking very de-
termined and very brave. hoped out.
No sooner were they on the roof than
they stripped off their coats and shirts
and faced each other. Van Sickle, the
Texan, is tall and slender, straight as
an arrow, with the shoulders Of West
Pointer. Levison is shorter, more heav-
lily set and with the unusual contrast of
blue eyes and black hair.
They stripped WE'LL in ring phrase, and
were eager for the fray. At Referee
Meyers call of time, they came together
like colliding trolley cars, but not blow
was struck. Frantically hugging each
other they rolled over on the corrugated
tin roof till their backs looked like waffle
irons The referee yelled to them to
break" but they would not break; and
locked In Corbett- -Sharkey embrace,
with wildly eesticulating legs. they to-
bogganed down the incline and crashed
out upon thin glass skylight. The iron
frame saved them from going through
to the room below and they were hauled
back by the muscular referee.
The second round was livelier than the
first. The Texan uppercut Mr.. Levison
upon his patrician nose and Levison
landed fast and frequent" as Mulvaney
hath it, on the Texans diaphragm.
Then they hugged again and the New
Yorker smashed the Texan in the break
away There was more hugging and
more pummeling, resulting in two noses