The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-25


| half a dozen young Spaniaras Wh0btood
but o short distance from him oonversing
in loud tones.
He soon became aware that tho young
dons were talking at" him and wereu ut
tering uncoTnplimentary remarks about
the United States navy and about Ameri-
cans In general. |
Belts stood it as long as he could; then,
suddenly stepping up to them he slapped
one of them on the cheek smartls, follow
ing Thy casting his glove ct the fellows
feet. Before the crowd could recover their
surprise he had removed his other glove,
struck the next nearest man In the face
| and threw the glove atsthe mans feet.
The .Spaniards skunk away In confusion,
but early next morning he was waited on
in his room by two Of the crowd, who pre-
| sented to him formal challenges to fight a
duel with each Of the men whom he had
met the night before.
Lieutenant Belts demanded the choice
of weapons, which the friends of the chal-
lengers could not refuse. In the first case
he named a86 inch rawhides of Q certain
/ weight and thickness, and buckskin gloves
in the other. The Spaniards protested.
Belts insisted that be was in earnest,
| and, furthermore, told the interpreter to
| say to them that he would give them just
one hour in which to comply with his de-
mands, and If the terms were not COM
piled with at the expiration Of that time
he would publicly brand them as towards.
After considerable parieying they accepted
the young Americans terms.
Seven o'clock the following morning
was named as the hour, and Chapultepec
hill, about three miles outside the city,
was selected as che spot where the duels
were to be fought.
Promptly at the appointed hour the fol-
lowing morning the cha1lengers and their
seconds, the lieutenant and his friends,
q referee and physician, were at the ap-
pointed spot. A stick three feet in length
was fastened In the ground. Lieutenant
Belts placed his toe against end of it,
the Spaniard No. talking the sameposi-
ton at the opposite end of the stick.
Both were armed with the SO inch raw
hides and at the signal agreed upon went
at 1t. Belts is an expert s~wordsman, and
Rs the movements with the Mexican raw
hide and the sword are very nearly iden-
tioal the young American was very much
at home. Add to this the fact that the
trousers Of the Spaniard about the f1eshy
portion of his body were nearly skin tight,
BAQ III 1uty Wt4l 10 kAl1&lIC4 lA11t 2
got along very nicely.
He PARTED the angry, excited don's
blows off with his left arm, meanwhile
larruping him about the hips In such a
manner as to mako him fairly howl with
pain. a very hard cut brought out a ter
rible yell, and at that moment, by a swift
upper cut, Belts caught his adversary IN
der the chin with a blow that fairly lifted
him from his feet. Dropping his weapon,
the Spaniard started off with a yell for the
woods, and Belts has never seen him
since, SO he presumed he must have been
fully satisfied.
The lieutenant then announced that he
was ready for No. 2, who by this time was
In anything but q satisfied frame of mind.
The gloves were denned and the two went
at it.
Here again the American was perfectly
at home, while.the Spaniard had no skill
whatever in boxing. Belts thumpedf him
several times in various portions Of his
anatomy until q good opening presented
itself when he shot a blow straight for the
nose, and the don went to the grass, the
blood fairly streaming from his proboscis.
His second announced that they were sat-
isfed, and the party separated.
Lieutenant Belts and his American
friends returned to the hotel for o late
breakfast and that evening attended q
swell social function, as though nothing
unusual had occurred.
Belts and his friends carefully guarded
the secret ofthe duels until, coming north
to join his command, he. told the adjutant
general of Ohio the entire story. For a
long time nothing was heard of it until
General Superintendent Whittlesey of the
Ohio Central lines got hold of it and gave
it to a newspaper a
Lieutenants Commander Belts is a we'll
educated man and amagnifcent specimen
Of manhood, is popular in society, a 80
degree Mason and Shriner, and has by his
own thrift accumulated q nice property.