Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-08-12
WEST POINT FIST FIGHTS.
Rules of the Military Academy Cannot
SUPPRESS Cadets.


ished by the government and is frown-
ed upon by the officers in charge, but
every few weeks West Point hears
with bated breaths the story Of clan
destine boxing matches as ferocious
and almost as formal as the old ones
used to be with their time keepers ana
circles of spectators.
A story of this-the latest to be told
about a fight-loving army officers son
who is a cadet at the academy, and
who seems to inherit his fathers tastes
-oozed out fortnight ago. The on-
GERS son is described by his fellow ca
diets as having plenty Of sand but
not very much muck" At West Point
muck" means the same thing as mus
Gle. Well, somehow the superfluity
of sand" has made up for the lack OF
the other attribute thus far and the
"scrapping" scion behaved himself IN
the last fight in a way that would have
| made his father ashamed Of him.
Somebody reflected on his veracity
after he had taken his turn at spinning
a yarn during the recreation hour one
eyening-that was the way the trouble
began.
Knowing the academy's new rule,
and remembering the fate of the only
two cadets who ventured to have an
open fight after the congressional COM
mittee 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 ano'
with only two spectators, they started
in to batter each others faces.
Though the officers son had peen
very successful in his few previous
fights, he met more than his match this
time. The other cadet outweighed him
and had the muck" 1t was only
few moments before the challenger lay
prone upon the floor. In winking OF
an eve, however, he was on his feet ana
at It anew. A few passes resulted IN
second crash and this time his lip was
covered with blood when he got up
Then he was down a third and fourth
time. Every fall, though he began to
look weaker and to show more bruises
added to his combatitiveness and When
the final knock -out 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, ana
It was only due to the victors courtesy
that the officers son got well on MS
feet after each blow. At last when the
finishing blow was struck the victim
couldn't rise. He tried to, but his
knees gave way under him.
WELL" said the enemy. II guess I'll
count"
mo you won't" groaned the fallen
warrior viciously. making another vain
attempt to stand.
YES, we've yabout finished it. l
guess" the victor continued. "One,
two, three, four five, six, seven, eight
nineteen. You're licked!"
That was the end of 1t, and despite
the protest of the vanquished that ne
was ready to continue the matter he
was lifted into bed by the other three.
A. couple of days later he was III the
hospital, where, 1t was said on the pa
rade ground, he had been taken TO re-
cover from neuralgia
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, how
ever, the culprits have escaped punish
ment. AS yet none Of them has been
detected officially. Their cadet off,
GERS wink at infractions when the
fights are not prearranged, failing to
report them on the ground that they
were spontaneous outbreaks.
One of the fights that became IA
nous early In the past spring was
between two cadets on the eve OF
dinner party to which both had been
invited and at the end Of it neither
was in a condition to appear, where
upon there was great trouble and the
fighters had to exercise all the diplo-
macy they. and their friends could
muster to avoid detection.
. The two cadets had been dressing
for the dinner party and were resplen-
dent in their proudest uniforms. One
of them, having completed his prepar-
ations ahead Of the other, was walt
ing impatiently. He began to make
remarks about the others clumsiness.
There was a retort, another shaft and
still another retort. Somehow or
other No. 1 gave No. 2 a love stroke
that knocked half the teeth loose. A
minute later they were at 1t tooth
and nail and third cadet, the sole
spectator, had retired to a corner,
whence he was able to look on with
out getting in the way.
The table clattered over on its side,
chair was broken to pieces, an un-
breakable West Point wash basin rat
tied 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 drODS of