The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1902-07-30
A Duel Fought With Fists.
CORTLAND TELEGRAM

A Duel Fought With Fists.
(PoRTLAND TELEGRAM
Frank Carlson and George W.
Baldwin fought duel with bare
fists On Nicolai street near Tweaty-
fourth, Saturday night, and as a
result CarlaDt.s body is at the
morgre, while Baldwin is confined
to a cell ii the city jail. A charge
of manslaughtec has been placed
against him. The prisoner declares
he acted in self defense. The duel
was fought opposite the woodward
of the Banfeld-Veysey Fuel Com
pany, which is some distance re-
moved from the main thoroughfare
and Travelled by few after dusk. The
fight was prearranged and was 10
tended to settle once fer all claim
which each is said to have had up
on the affections Of two girls, Jose
phine Smith and Ida Fiddler, en-
ployed as mattresses at the Willard
Hotel On North Front street.
1t seems that young Bald win had
first become acquainted with the
girls, and resented the attentions
Carlson had been paying them of
late. The two had their first al
tercation about a week ago, and
they seemed only to embitter the
jealousy and i'll feeling between
them. The girls, it is said, finally
told Carlson that Baldwin had been
rude to them, and the former de-
nanded that an apology be made.
Baldwin's reply was in the nature
of a challenge to fight with barred
fists.
The relatives and intimate friends
of the two young men tried to per
suade them not to fight, but to no
avail. Both principals were on the
ground soon after 7 O'Clock Satur-
day evening, together with crowd
of about IS or 40 men, including
William Baldwin, father of Geo.
Baldwin, and one OF his brothers.
The clothes of both men were
searched before the fighting began,
and their penkniyes were taken
from them to make it certain that
they should not hurt each other too
seriously. Both men had friends
in the crowd. and they were divid-
ed into two hostile camps, each jeal-
Gus of the other. The fighters went
at it, nip and tuck, landing blow
after blow upon each other with
ferceness made possible by thejeal-
Gus hatred of each toward the other.
Finally Carlson appeared to be weak
ening and hestepped back, his hand
on his stomach, gasped few times
and fell. 1t was over. Baldwin
was the victor. The crowd thought
the whipped man had tainted. He
was taken by his friends to a near
by house, where it was found that
he was dead.
Coroner Finley removed the body
to the morgue, The police were
notified and Detectives Day and
Weiner arrested young Baldwin as
he was about TO enter his home af-
ter spending sometime downtown.
Baldwin expressed regret that the
fight had eIded SO disastrously.
''It was a fair fight" he said,
"and I fought Carlson because he
fought me. [ simply defended my
self. He must have been weak
physically"
Some of the evidence adduced at
the coroner's inquest Sunday night
in the case was rather conflicting.
The verdict of the jury states that
death was due to a solar plexus
blow, in other words. the blow
which caused death was one struck
in the stomach, in the region of the
solar plexus. There was no attempt
to censure anyone in the verdict.
The evidence showed that both men
were in good physical condition.
DR.. O. S. Binswauger, who per-
formed the autopsy, said he found
the organs in a normal condition,
and was satisfied Carlson did not
die of any heart trouble. He said
the victim died as the result of a
blow in the region of the solar plex-
us. He found that Carlson's nose
had been broken and other minor
bruises OF no Importance. William
Baldwin, father of the prisoner, bet
ST with deceased on the result Of
the fight.
For Sale