Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1897-03-04
Saint Maru's Beacon
MISUNDERSTANDING FIGHT.

OF Chestnut.
No admission fee was charged, as
the doors was open at both ends Of
the street, and abont ore hundred
spectators enjoyed the mill while it
lasted. 1t would have continued
longer but for outside interference
of the most autocratic kind.
At this particular spot there is
usually q crowd of colored people
standing around looking for work
during the week and just looking
on Sunday. They gaze up the
street and they see no work. and
they look down the street and see
no work. Hence, they toll not,
and they have no reputation as
spinners. Yesterday the weather
was so warm that the marble-play-
ing season was opened, and the US
ual crowd was reinforced by about
a dozen small colored boys who
played marbles. All went well I'M
til a dispute arose as to the owner
ship Of big white alley. "Inky"
Jones, rather tall, angular, over
grown boy, with countence too
black to shine, claimed the marble
as his own, while the majority OF
the crowd seemed to agree that it
was the property of "Curly" Wat
son, a much smaller boy, with a
skin about the color of q ripe
banana and hair that formed in
ringlets each about as large as a
dime. "Inky" had the marble,
and in Chestnut street as well as
elsewhere possession is nine points
of the law. The dark-visaged
"Inky" refused to give it up and
at once there was general demand
for fight.
$50 for him, Curly" shouted
half dozen voices in concert,
"Punch him, Eat him up! DO
him ~ they shouted. ''Inky'
faced the crowd to show fight.
"a fair fight and no favors, dc
Marks of Gooseberry rules to pre-
vail" yelled a dusky fat boy.
Quickly a space was cleared, and
"Curly" took off his hat. He wore
no coat. As he approached "Inky'
and sized up the latter's superior
build "Curly's" hair began t.
straighten out.
"Don't yer git sksered, Curly,
yer kin lick 'im," shouted "Yellov
Jack" Watkins. Giles got whit
liver. Punch him."
"Curly made a pass for tn
breast of his antagonist, but, as hi
arm was a little short, he barrel,
reached him. The gladiator
clinched. Like two great locomo
motives in collision they reared up
and then they fell sidewise. They
rolled over, and "Curly" was soor
on top. Suddenly he sent up q vel
that FOUNDED like the last wall of ,
lost soul.
"No bitin,' Marks of GooseberrJ
rules, an no bitin'," shouted 'Yel
low jack as he picked up half 6
brick. The crowd interferred, and
separated the two, and got them to
their feet.
"Now," said "Yellow Jack" as
he got between the two, "dis hyah
fight kin go on, but it mus be dc
Marks of Gooseberry rules. No
bstin', no scratchin', no kickin' be-
low de belt and no rizzers and no
sluugshots."
To this the crowd agreed, and
there were loud cries for the fighters
to proceed. "Curly" led off. He
was left-handed, and "Inky" didn't
know how to guard against left
handed fighter. But "Inky' was
cross-eyed, and this put Curly"
to some disadvantage, for each time
before he struck at his antagonist
he would spit over his left shoulder
forluck. yellow Jack" explained
to bystander that this was abso-
lutely necessary in fighting cross
eyed antagonist. As "Curly" was
left handed "lnky" didn't know
where to look for the blows, and as
"lnky" was cross-eyed "Curly"
didn't know what part of his ana
tony was to be attacked Eext.
And so the battle went on with
n great deal of fruitless sparring
until "lnky" called "Curlv" a
"yellow-face aristrocrat." Then
they shut their eyes and clluched.
They fell aud rolled into mud
puddle, where the mud was about
three inches deep. In a minute,