Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-07-07


half dozen young Spaniar!s who stood
but short distance from him conyersing
in loud tones
He soon became aware that the Young
dons were talking ut" him and were ut
tcring r:.cSinrlimcntary remarks about
She United states navy and about Ameri-
cans in general
Belts stood it rs long as he could; then,
suddenly stopping UP to them he slapped
one of them on the check smartly, follow
ing it by casting his glove at the fellows
feet. Before tho crowd could recover their
surprise lie had removed hi; cther glove,
strucl, the next nearest man In the face
and threw the glove at the man IS feet
The Spaniar.s SUNK away in confusion,
but early next morning he was waited on
III his room by two of the crowd, who pre-
sentcd to him formal challenges to fight q
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-
lengcrs could not refuse. In the first case
he named 80 inch rawhidcs of a certain
weight and thick ness, and buckskin gloves
in the other. The Spaniards protested
Belts insisted that he 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 II the terms were not COM
piled with at the expiration Of that time
he would publicly brand them us towards
After considerable parlcying they accepted
the young Americans terms.
Seven O'Clock the following morning
was named rs the hour, and Chapultepec
hill, about three miles outside the city,
was selected as the spot where the ducls
were to h. fought.
Promptly at the appointed hour the fol-
lowing morning the challengcrs and their
seconds, the lieutenant and his friends,
referee and physician, were at the APP
pointed spot. 4 stick three feet in length
was fastened in the ground. Lieutenant
Belts placed his toe against one end of ii,
the Spaniard No. taking the same posi-
ton at the opposite end Of the stick.
Both were armed with the Sc inch raw
hides and at the signal agreed upon went
at it. Belts is an expert swordsman, and
as the movements with the Mexican raw
hide and the sword are very nearly iden-
teal the young American was very much
at home. Add to this the fact that the
portion of his body We're nearly skin tight,
and it may well be imagined that Belts
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 make him fairly howl with
pain. A very hard cut brought out ter
ribe yell, and at that moment, by swift
L..
der the chin with q blow that fairly lifted
him from his feet. Dropping his weapon,
the Spaniard started off with 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 a satisfied frame of mind
The gloves were donned and the two went
at it.
Here again the American was perfectly
mt home, while the Sponiard had no skill
whatever in boxing. Belts thumped him
several times in various portions of his
anatomy until good opening presented
itself, when he shot blow straight for the
nose, and the con went 10 the grass, the
blood fairly streaming from his proboscis
His second announced that they were sat
isied and the party separated.
Lieutenant Belts and his American
friends returned to the hotel for n late
breakfast and that evening attended
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
1t to newspaper man.
Lieutenant Commander Betts is a well
educated man and a magnificent specimen
OF manhood, is popular in society, 80
degree Mason and Shrincr, and has by his
own thrift accumulated a nice property.
1.-THE Clang of the Wooden Shoon~