Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-10
Danger of Boosting.

bpIuHks o.
Danger of Boosting.
One night, about eight years ago, three
American men-o'.war's men dropped into A
saloon in Hakodate -Jspan, kept by a former
United States blue Jacket. Already in the
saloon we're about a dozen strapping Ger
man men-o'-war's men from a ship that
had been safeguarding German interests in
Samoa. These German sailors had a few
months before formed part Of a liberty
party from their ship that had received a
hard trouncing in Apia at the hands OF a
liberty party from the American war ship
In the harbor, and so, naturally enough,
they had no use for the American deep
water uniform. TIT biggest man among
the German sailors had one English word
in his vocabulary. That word was "rassle.'
and he kept repeating 1t sneeringly to the
three American tars, who wtSe talking To
the ex-tar behind the bar and behaving
themselves.
One Of the Americans, who hi been a
lumberman in a Michigan lumber camp,
where wrestling was the rough mems great
game, finally fonnd that the German sailors
"rassle' taunt was getting him on the raw
and he walked up to the German and told
him that he'd "rassle" him for money.
marbles or chalk. but all in good nature
and no hard feeling to follow. The saloon
man, who knew German, translated the
Americans words and the German sailor, a
giant, smiled CONTEMPORARY at the United
States tar, whom he greatly overmatched
in size.
The two men stripped to their drawers
and shoes and went at II In the center Of
the spacious barroom. The German wasn't
In 1t at any stage Of the journey, big and
strong as he was. After three minutes Of
wrestling. catch-as-catch-can style, the
agile, muscular and wrestling-schooled
American tar bridged the vast German with
a crotch hold, and then, applying a full
Nelson, he forced the German bluejacket's
great shoulders to the sawdust. II had
really been something easy for the Ameri-
can and the German was enraged, as were
his companions. The German wrestler
stiffened the first and middle fingers Of his
right hand, forming a two-pronged fork of
them, and made a deliberate effort to lab
the eyes out of his victorious opponents
head. The American lodged in the nick OF
time, grabbed a stone schnapps bottle from
the bar, let the big German have 1t full
In the forehead-and the battle was on.
There we're 300 American bluejackets
from various American ships on shore lib
oiby III HdhOudte tudJ ulBnI ana more tnan
that number from the two big German war
ships in the harbor. "Hey Rubei" is as
much the ~rallying yell of menaced Ameri-
can sailors as 1t is Of threatened American
circus men, and the Hey. Rube!" yell
Issued from the threats of those three
American tars as soon as the dozen German
sailors hoped them, as they Immediately
did. The yell was taken up by half a dozen
American bluejackets a bit up the street
and passed on like the night call Of SEN
tries until all Hakodate rang with It.
The German tars started their cry agoing.
too, and inside Of five minutes the barroom
of that ex-United States sailor looked as II
it had been hit by a derailed freight train.
The American and German fatfeet came
%scampering to the saloon from all the points
of the compass. They fought all night and
would have fought all the next day but
that the American and German shippers
wisely ordered their marine guards ashore
and the sea soldiers charged upon the COM
batants with fixed bayonets.
When the smoke lifted and the debris
was cleared away none OF the Americans
was found to be in such shape as to require
a detail Of stretcher carriers. More than
twenty OF the Germans had TO be thus
lightered TO their ships and most Of them
were limping.