The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-13
MEMO WARS MEN ON ABAT
a Wild WIGHT IN KEY VEST DURING
THE WAR.

Back from . 20 Days' blockade of the Cubar
Const, They Take Charge Of the Town an'
Drink and Fight Themselves to sleep
Peaceful Evening of James Wright, ESQ
The jackies had all come ashore and the
town was full OF them. They owned 1t and
they wanted everybody TO know II. Nothing
could cope with them, not even the few sol
dlers upa the barracks, II It came 10 an up-and'
up fight. They had been down on the south
coast Of Cuba doing blockade duty for twenty
nine days without n bit OF Rrog or a bottle oil
beer. and now. with souls and bodies free to do
as their own sweet Wills determined. they were
drinking from the cup Of pleasure In the won't
cd fashion OF men with lusty limbs and pas
sions lifted from beneath the restraining in
luence of a warship's discipline. e.
Key West, for this is a story OF that drsary
coral reef. is not the most inviting place in the
world for a man to have his fling. It's princi-
pal inducement to wander from the straight
and narrow path is the rumshop. and upon
this occasion the invitations extended oy the
glare OF the EasliGht through many swinging
doors were being heartily accepted. Men were
drinking In all the saloons along the water
front and UP tho main thorouRhfare Of the
town-Duval street. II was scarcely 8 o'clock.
and yet wandering through the streets every
where were drunken jackies laughing and
shouting in pure exuberance Of spirits. The
crowd OF guests who nightly sat upon the
broad piazza OF the principal hotel were watch
ing the exhibition with great interest, for they
knew the man-of-wars men enough to sus-
pect a rousing time before the night was over.
Bet you." said one man to another. that
we'll have q fight before long"
Sure thing" replied his companion.
There's trouble brewing"
Two minutes later there same the sound Of
running feet down the block toward the water
front. A Jackie came flying up he street. Be-
hind him came two other sailors.
There he goes. Jiml" one Of the pursuers
shouted to the other. Catch him and we'll kill
the -"
The man who was running stopped In front
Of. the hotel. In his right hand he carried q
beer bottle. He prepared to defend himself,
and when the forward one OF his pursuers
came within his reach he smashed at him
viciously with tho bottle. His intended vic
tim lodged and before another blow could be
struck the other pursuer spranR on the man
with the bottle. threw him iown upon the side
walk and choked him into insensibility before
he could be torn of.
Cheated OF his prey. the successful sailor
staggered into the middle OF the street and
surveyed the crowd on the piazza. He was a
splendid man physically, a typical tar with a
great. deep chest and shaggy beard. He was
barefoot, with his sleeves rolled up and his
sailors blouse exposing to the full~his red.
muscular neck. And he was so defiant, so full
OF the lust for battle.
He was drunk, to be sure. and brutal. and
disgusting. but as he stood there. beetle
browed and ugly. his splendid muscles SWELL
ing in his anger, you knew that he was u man
who would fight his ship until the water
plpAa1 Ovnr his huIlat 1aaI and hnlnipr a a - -
carry him down forever TO the locker of Davy
Jones. He was not handsome. he was not in
tellectual. he was not refined. but he was a
fighter. and. those being war days. you were 10
be pardoned, perhaps, for departing from the
standards deemed essential nowadays to the
And he declared himself with lungs as full of
power as his figure betokened;
cried. and fight for the United States Gov
ernment II there IS any man who don't like
Everybody there had a great admiration for
James lust at that moment. although he had
been 2 bit rough with his sailor friend, and.
he staggered up the street to Mr.. Sweeney's
barroom. a resort notorious for its bad whis-
gendered., Sweeney's had been the scene all
eseninfg of Of a tnrmoi absolutely GnIque and in
fierce and red with TIL iiqIa sar." Which shi had s roused
the fighting blood Of these fighting men to a
pitch far beyond their own control. It is only
rear. behind the bar. was the customary
tenders were dispensing liquor to the thirsty
crowd before them. while, two .violinists
%afIea d masio sbas R WSa|d at st shsiT iIps mnPs Roa
There were PERHAPS: 100 sailors in the place.
ing-not because any one was particularly
angry at any one else. or because there was
loved IL, They loved to swing THAR grant
brawny arms and hear the crack OF their hardy
fists on jaws that merely jolted back and went
howl: and when blood flowed they loved that.
too. for they were fighting Of many
put above their lives the love OF the god Of war.
James Wright. ESQ, stood in front Of
ing mob, and into his eyes there came again The
I amt iookin' for trouble" he said. with all
hitch. i ANT lookin' for trouble. but I'm
aim, and hurled his bulky figure straight
through the swinging doors. He stood for a
minute gathering the situation, into his foggy
brain, while his comrades howled and pushed
and showed and punched, with roars Of merit
ment and q curse for every laugh. Then the
ing with unreasoning fury at every figure he
fore MN Crack crack went his fists on those
was a whirl IF red-faced. white-shirted men.
and ina jifry James Wright, ESQ. came
nylnR through the swinging doors across the
sidewalk half way to the car tracks.
But that was all. The electors returned to
their tug of war before the bar. The elected
shufied to his feet; shook himself together
like a big Newfoundl land dog. and aimed him
SELF again at the swinging doors. Once more
he was inside, There the din Of the ever-in-
struggle was now almost deafeninR.
The reappearance OF James Wright. Esq. was
but an incident now for esery man In the
place was as hard at, some other man as the
good Lord would let him be. Some one fired
Z pistol, and then the, pool balls began to fly.
Pop-crash! pop-crashl they went az they hit
the gorgeous mirror and shiyered its gleam- |
ing surface; They sounded like rifle shots.
The bartenders ducked below the bar, but the
pool balls kept on flying. They were not be-
ing thrown at any one In particular, but they
we're handy. and as the game was, getting
Beer bottles were seized upon and used as
blllies. Chairs were lifted on high and cracked
on skulls of iron. Even the addles we're
turned to in the genera, seizure q weapons
tramPdle e upon; scalgs were split and blood
many a glorious night. Round and round the
lighters seethed like chips In a whirlwind. |
and then on a sudden with a curious rush.
they all ,whirled out OF the door. They were
bloody. blown; and half n~aked-most Of them