New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1899-07-12
IT WAS & REA. [. DU Ell.


TWO DANISH OFFICERS FOUGHT IT
OUT WITH BRoADsWoRDs.
The Furious Confiict Took Place Be-
fore an Audience In Gymnasium
In Washington In Building Which
Adjoined the Police Station.
st have figured in quite number of
varied events during over quarter of
a century Of active newspaper roper
forial life, :" explained an old newspaper
writer to Star reporter, but never
! got in but one duel when it was to a
finish, and in the instance refer to it
| was to finish, assure you. was
| only an onlooker, 1t is true, but saw
| more than l wanted to see, and more
than would willingly again see. It
was nearly 20 years ago, but I have
not forgotten it.
"At the time there was gymnasium
ION Louisiana avenue, between Ninth
| land Tenth streets. The building adj
Joining was the old central guardhouse,
the police station.
! zone evening 1 was invited by
man, but afterward a patent attorney,
and who also acted as the resident
Danish consul, to attend the gym
| nasium to witness a sword combat, in
(which two of his friends were to take
part. I was told that three or four
fothers would be present, and the COM
bat would be rather lively. realized
that part of it fully, to my complete
satisfaction.
with the others, three newspaper
writers, couple of actors and couple
Of sporting men, we got to the gym
fnasium about 8 O'clock, but were told
that the combat would not take place
| until the gymnasium classes had been
dismissed. as it was desired that the
| onlookers should be as few as possible.
I 'None of us had any idea as to who
ticular reason for 1T. but we were told
that it was desired that we should be
present to see that everything was con-
Quoted properly. From this we inferred
that there was stake or something at
! issue, and we were to be the judges as
we'll as referees, as it were.
! AT 10 o'clock two carriages arrived,
in each Of which was single occupant,
each having a sword, what is common
ly known as a broadsword, like that
which men-of-wars men have. They
had but little to say, and in a few min
utes they were properly attired in the
gymnasium suits and announced that
they were ready for the battle.
! 81 had seen some professional broad
sword combats and rather looked for
some heavy work, but in less than
minute we all realized that there SEEM
ed to be more earnestness about the
combat than was customary in meet
ings of professionals: it mattered not
how large the stakes were.
''The men wore the customary wire
head covering, and it was well they did
so, otherwise there would have been
one or two heads scattered about on
the floor, for the fight was fast and
furious. At the expiration of ten min
utes these was halt called so that
terrible cash on the sword arm of one
of the combatants could be bandaged
by a physician who conveniently drop
! ped in.
"Then the fighters started in hammer
and tongs at each other, and in - min
! utes one Of the men was lying on the
! floor with a terrible cash in his Shout
der and a rap on his head which sound
| ed so loud that it was heard in the po-
lice station adjoining. The clothing Of
the men was as fully covered with
blood as if they had been painted with
! it.
| ''That ended it. Both men had re-
| ceived at least a dozen wounds and
] the victor fell in faint in less than a
minute after he was declared the con-
queror My friend, on behalf of the
participants, thanked us for our at
! tendance, and we left after seeing the
men lifted into carriages and taken
| away.
at was several weeks before we
knew to a certainty what it all meant
and were not told then until both men
had fully recovered. It transpired that
| the participants were both Danish Off
| GERS; that they had quarreled in New
York in regard to an official matter,
| and that challenge passed and was
! accepted, and that all the details of the
settlement had been left to the Danish
consul, and that the whole party of us
had ~innocently presided over a real
duel. . azg s- ..z
''The strange part of it was that it
took place within sound of the police
station. ''-Washington Star.
.> - ------
Cause and Eject.
| Several years ago the inmates Of a
small, respectable dwelling house in