The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-07-01
INSULTING A

louSul III the Slty Oh MEXICO Dy Lieu
tenant Commander Arlington U. Belts
of the First Battalion of Ohio Naval
Reserves, and a resident of Toledo for
several years, have leaked out. "he
story in full has been obtained .om
Mr.. Belts himself.
For many weeks, so far as Lieutenant
Belts knew, only one man, eX-Adjutant
General H. A. AXline of Columbus, O.,
was acquainted with the remarkable
incidents. Belts told him soon after
arriving in Ohio from the City of Mex
leo, whittier he had gone to loo after
his extensive lumber land interests, he
having received a government grant of
nearly 200, 900 acres of virgin rubber
land. He was contemplating the erection
OF a manufacturing plant on his prop
erty and spent much of his time in the
quaint old Mexican capital. While
there the fact was made known through
a few American friends, hat Belts was
in command of a battalion of Naval
Reserves up in the States.
One night he attended the Theatre
Principale, returning to his hotel about
midnight, after the performance had
closed. He was standing in front of the
hotel a few moments before retiring
to his room. Suddenly his attention
was directed to half a dozen young
Spaniards, who stood but a short dis
lance from him %conversing in loud
tones.
He soon became aware that the young
done We're talking att him and were
uttering uncomplimentary remarks
about the United States navy and about
Americans in general.
Belts stood it as long as he could,
then suddenly stepping up to them he
slapped one of them on the cheek
smartly, following it by casting his
glove at the fellows feet. Before the
crowd could recover their surprise he
had removed his other glove, struck
the next nearest nan in the face and
threw the glove at the mans feet.
Just then two gendarmes appeared,
and Belts sprang into the street, know
ing the treacherous nature of the men
with whom he was dealing, and feeling
assured if he could keep them in front
of him he would be perfectly safe.
Catching sight of the gendarmes the
young S%paniards quickly passed out of
sight. Belts entered his hotel n re-
tired.
He was satisfied he would hear from
the affair again, but kept his counsel.
Early next morning he was waited on
in his room by two Spaniards, who pre-
sented letters to him which, although
written in Spanish, did not require q
second guess as to their contents. Belts
called an interpreter and sent for three
American friends. The letters proved
~ Dc CldlleHSeS W lSuI d. uucl
with each of the men whom he a met
the night before.
Lieutenant Belts, who Is a practised
athlete, recognized his rights as the
challenged party and demanded the
choice of weapons, which the friends of
the challengers could not refuse. In
the first case he named 36-inch rawhides
of a certain weight and thickness. This
raised a storm of protests from the
Spaniards' friends, who insisted that
this was no child's play, but a chal-
lenge to avenge an insult to n of the
members of a leading Spanish family.
Belts insisted that he was in earnest.
and Furthermore, told the interpreter
to say to them hat he Would give them
just one hour in which to comply with
his demands, and if the terms were not
complied with at the expiration Of that
time he would publicly brand them as
towards. After considerable parleying,
they accepted the young Americans
terms.
the friend of No. 2, and informed him
that he should again insist upon his
~prerogative as the challenged party,
and named buckskin gloves as the wea-
pons. There was another prolonged
howl about questions Of honor, child's
play and other similar talk, but a SIM
liar threat to the one employed with
Nv Va w l. O1ou6AS SLV poi SiOS
to terms, and the matter was consid-
cred settled, although very much to the
dissatisfaction of the Spaniards. Seven
o'clock the following morning was
named as the hour Inc Chepultepec
Hill, about three miles outside the city,
was selected as the spot where the
duelS were to be fought.
Promptly at the appointed hour the
following morning the challengers and
their seconds, the lieutenant and his
friends, a referee and physician, were
at the appointed spot. A stick three
feet in length was fastened in the
ground, Lieutenant Belts placed his toe
against one end of it, the Spaniard No.
l taking the same position at the oppo-
site end of the stick. Both were armed
with 36-inch rawhides, and at the sig-
nal agreed upon went at it. Belts Is
an expert swordsman, and as the move-
ments with the Mexican rawhide and
the sword are very nearly identical, 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, and it may we'll 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
r with pain. A very hard cut brought out
a terrible yell, and at that moment, by
5 a swift upper cut, Belts caught his
adversary under the chin with a blow
: that fairly lifted him from his feet.
Dropping his weapon the Spaniard
5 started off with a yell for the woods,
] and Belts has never seen him since.
The lieutenat her 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
at home. while the Spaniard had M