The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-28
FIGHTS WITH FISTS
BY FUTURE SOLDIERS.
An Occasional Lively Set-to mt Mill
tHry Academy Despite the Govern
ment's Abolition.

An Occasional Lively set-to ut Mill
tary Academy Despite the Govern
ment's Abolition.
From the Philadelphia Ledger.
That once recognized institution at
the United States Military Academy,
known as 'scrapping," has been abol-
ished by the government. and is frown-
ed upon by the officers in charge, but
every few weeks West Point hears with
bated breath the story of clandestine
boxing matches as ferocious and almost
as formal as the old ones used to be,
with their timekeepers and circles of
spectators.
A story of this sort-the latest to be
told about fight loving army officers
son who is cadet at the academy, and
who seems to inherit his fathers tastes
-oozed out fortnight ago. The Off
GERS son Is described by his fellow
cadets as having plenty of sand" but
not very much muck" At West
Point muck" means the same thing
as muscle. Well, somehow the super
fluffy of sand" has made up for the
lack of the other attribute thus far;
the "scrapplng" scion behaved himself
in the last fight in a way that would
not have made his father ashamed of
him.
Somebody reflected on his veracity
after he had taken his turn at spinning
a yarn during recreation hours one
evening-that was the way the trouble
began. Knowing the academy's new
rule, and remembering the fate of two
cadets who ventured to have an open
fight after the Congressional Commit
tee of Investigation ordered an end of
scraps on the grass, the officers son
bided his time, contenting himself with
announcing his intention of chastising
his opponent. When the suspicious
moment arrived, he managed to meet
the latter in a room in barracks, and
with only two spectators they started In
to batter each others faces.
Met His Match.
Though the officers son had been
very successful in his few previous
fights. he met more than his match
this time. The other cadet outweigh
ed him and had the muck" 1t was
only a few seconds before the chal-
lenger lay prone on the floor. In a
twinkling of an eye, however, he was
on his feet and at 1t anew. A few
passes resulted in a second crash, and
this time his LID was covered with
blood when he got up. Then he was
downed a third and fourth time. Ev-
cry fall though he began to look weak
err and to show more bruises, added to
his combativeness, and when the final
Knockout came he was as game as
ever
Although the two cadets who were
watching the fracas made themselves
useful at grabbing chairs and tables
out of the way, they kept no stop
watch nor called off the rounds, and
ii was only due to the victor's courte-
sy that the officers son got well on
his feet after eacn fall. At last, when
the finishing blow was struck, the vic
tim couldn't rise. He tried to, but his
knees gave way under him.
WELL" said the enemy, Il guess I'll
count"
mo, you won't" groaned the fallen
warrior, vicious'y. making another
vain attempt to stand.
Eyes, we've about finished 1t.
guess" the victor continued. zone,
two three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
nineteen. You're licked!"
That was the end of it and, despite
the protests of the vanquished that
he was ready to continue the matter
he was lifted into bed by the other
three. A couple of days later he was
in the hospital. where, 1t was said on
the parade ground. he had been taken
TO recover from neuralgia.
Usually Escape Punishment.
So it goes on at the Point, but the
fights in barracks are by no means as
frequent as those on the grass used
to be. When they have taken place,
however, the culprits have escaped
punishment. AS yet none of them has
been detected officially. Their cadet
officers wink at infractions when the
fights are not prearranged, failing to
report them on the ground that they
were spontaneous breaks.
One of the fights that became IA
nous early in the past spring was be-
tween two cadets on the eve of a din
ner party to which both had been in
vited, and at the end of it neither was
in condition to appear, whereupon
there was great trouble strengthening
out things with the hostess. and the
fighters had to exercise all the diplo-
macy they and their friends could mus
ter to avoid detection. =
The two cadets had been dressing for
the dinner party and were resplendent
in their proudest uniforms. One of
them, having completed his prepara-
lions ahead of the other was waiting
impatiently. He began to make re-
marks about the others clumsiness.
There was retort, another shaft, and
still another retort, another shaft, and
still another retort. Somehow or 9TH
er No. gave No. love stroke that
knocked half the teeth loose. A min
ute later they were at 1t tooth and
nail, and a third cadet, the sole spec
tator, had retired to a corner whence
he was able to look on without getting
in the way.
The table clattered over on It's side,
a chair was broken to pieces, an un-
breakable West Point wash basin rat
tied to the floor. Back and forth, the