The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1909-12-10
THE WORD OF A COWARD.

When Evan Bancroft, a youne yir.
glnian. went to study at the Univer-
slty OF Heidelberg he promised his
mother that he would never fight a
ouel. But Bancroft did not consider
II necessary to refrain from Joining
the hShting corps and engaging In
harmless encounters. Indeed there
was plenty OF fighting material in
MIN inherited from his progenitors,
and this was why his mother had ex-
acted the promise. Her father had
peen Killed In a duel, one of her
brothers through reckless exposure
In the civil war. while another had
been shot attempting to defend
prisoner from a mob. These shafts
or death. striking so near her. caused
her to brood and induced a fear that
Eer only son should fall through a
similar cause.
Banci oft at Heidelberg proved so
mandy With all sorts OF weapons as
10 distance all competitors save one.
youl Englishman named Horcut
The two held the record for being the
best Tcrdsmen at the university.
and T. re was a desire among the
students that they should fight for
the ampionship.
Whom the terms Of the fight for the
champ .0nship came 10 be arranged
liorc2t in.isted on certain innova-
uons rendering the affair dangerous
II ~GS suspected by q few that he
conSidC.ed Bancroft the better swords
man and, judging him to be timid,
wished to force him TO decline the
comb-t. This would give Horcut the
chan: 'onship without fighting for it
or ria.. nS to lose It, He would then
return to England to enjoy his hon
ors.
Whether or no this was his object,
1t was accomplished Bancroft de-
clined 10 fight except under the rules
for friendly contests. Horcut accus-
ed him of cowardice. and there was
now nothing for him to do but chal-
lenge the Britisher TO an "unprotect-
ed" fight or be cut by the members
OF his corps. He declined TO fight
either for the championship or to
yindicate his courage, but he wrote
his mother the facts and bagged her
to release him. She declined TO do
SO. Besides, friends at home assur-
ed him that she was In a critical ply
sical condition. and II anything hap
pened to him 1t would kill her.
Bancroft neither cared to give his
true reason for not fighting nor be-
lieved that II would be accepted. 1t
would have been accepted and he
would have been respected for 1t II he
could have satisfied the students OF
its truth. In no country in the world
are parents more beloved and respect
ed than in Germany. But to convince
couple OF thousand of young men
that lie was not hiding behind his
mothers skirts was out OF the ques-
ton.
SO Bancroft finished his university
career a cut man. though he was
burning TO meet his adversary. When
he went home to Virginia, finding
that the story had preceded him and
prcjudiced some people against him,
he went to the farther west and en-
gaged in sheep raising. Soon after
this his mother died.
Several years passed. One day Ban
croft was treading his way on a path
barely a foot wide around the side OF
a procipice. While doing so he saw
I party OF tourists coming. Persons
meeting on the path must pass care
IL. the one taking the outside, the =.
other the inside. Bancroft was eX.
pecting TO take the outside when sud
ienly he recognized in the leading (
mLn in the line OF tourists his old
enemy at the university. He was also
recoepizAo.