The Indianapolis journal., 1903-09-06

Ave. six. seven. eight. nineteen. You're
This was the end of IT, and. despite the
protests OF the vaDquished that he was
ready to continue the matter. he was lifted
into bed by the other three. 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
SELDOM REPORTED.
AS rule, the cadet officer does not take
an official cognizance of the fight. provided
the drill goes on smoothly. He considers
meetings of this kind outbreaks spontane-
Gus in their character" But it is a differ
ent matter in the case of a prearranged
h3ht. Tor one which takes place in the OPEN
on the grass around old Fort Clinton the.
scene of so many desperate battles lit was
worth the cadet officers shoulder straps not
10 report affairs of this kind.
a FAMOUS SCRAP"
One Of the fights that became famous
early in the past spring was between two
CADETS on the eve of a dinner party to
which both had been invited, and at the
end of it neither was in condition to ap-
pear, whereupon there was great trouble
strengthening out things with the hostess
and the fighters he'd TO exercise all the
diplomacy they and their friends could mus
ter TO avoid detection.
The two cadets had been dressing for the
ohner party and We're resplendent in their
proudest uniforms. One OF them, having
completed his preparations ahead of the
other, was waiting impatiently. He began
10 make remarks about the others clumsi-
ness There was retort. another shaft
and still another retort. Somehow or other
NO. gave No. love stroke that knocked
haiI the teeth loose y minute later they
were at it. tooth and naii. and third ca
det, the sole spectator. had retired TO a
corner, whence he could look on without
getting in the way.
The table clatfprpd over on ffa eli %
chair was broken to pieces. an unbreakable
West Point washbasin ratified to the floor.
Back and forth, the blood now streaming
from their lips and noses, the fighters tore
from one side OF the room to the other. The
fine new collars melted until they were
nothing more than rags, drops of red
trlckled own the brass S-buJIoned boSomS of
the coats All the while, however, not a
word was said. and when the onlooker
shouted:
quiet, Don't make such a rowv'
AT this the fighters would move with one
accord out of the way of the furniture and
tread softly for a few moments until the
warning had been forgot in a new heat. 1t
kept up this way for ten or fifteen minutes.
The cadets were evenly matched that
neither one could down the other, and they
might be fighting yet If they had not
dropped exhausted at last on the Two beds
ranged along opposite walls.
SIGNED THE PROTOCOL
Then-ard this is most characteristic of
the Point-the third cadet did some talking,
and the fighters. soon as they recovered
breath, shook hands with new respect, de-
claring a permanent truce which has yet
| to be broken.
But the truce did not take the blood
stains off the clothes, and there was much
scurrying about before the next inspection
to eradicate the marks with a preparation
| that a barracks watchman was paid well
to secure. Nor did il appease the disap-
pointed hostess, whose dinner hour had
come and gone before the "scrappers'
awoke from their war-like reverie. 1t took
| them good month to square" themselves,
and then they accomplished the feat only
by taking the matron into their confidence.
Though an officers wife, 1t is said she
promised never 10 breathe a word about
the fight.
If you ask a cadet about the scraps"
he is more than apt to forget all he
knows, and declare there hasn't been any
thing of the sort the Point for ages.
~ matter OF fact, there aren't very
Luany. Inc oIficers son aforementioned
| is the only member OF the corps who is
known to have figured in more than one
| encounter during the last year. Conserva-
| tive estimates place his record at six fights
and three separate sojourns i'm the hospital.