Year: 1877

A0EAAbM natMs


st. Louis Republican


One Of the funniest fights in all
the history of personal encounters
took place on Thursday afternoon,
and occurred-of all places in the
world-at the Turkish bath, on
Seventh street. The parties en-
gagged were a well known bank
cashier and an equally well known
physician, and the battle was not
decided altogether in favor of either,
the issue being very similar to that
of the late fight about Plevna-
considerable bloodshed, with very
little advantage to anybody.


The story of the encounter, as
nearly as can be learned, is as fol-
lows: On Thursday afternoon the
bank cashier already referred to
visited the Turkish bath of DR..
Adams, No. 211 North Seventh
street, and was soon disrobed and
stretched upon a couch, enjoying
the pleasures of the hottest room
of all. At about the same time
there entered the bath the well
known physician mentioned, who,
as well as the other, was soon riot
ing in the comfort of an extremely
high temperature. They might
have continued to enjoy themselves
if they hadn't noticed each other /;
but the cashier soon saw the doc
tor, and the doctor soon saw the
cashier, and then there was trouble.
The cashier demanded sternly that
the doctor should apologize for Il
mysterious something in the past,
and the doctor didn't seem disposed
to accommodate him. DIR. Adams,
the proprietor of the baths, came in
and informed the belligerents that
they were not in place where
brawls were allowed, but the infor-
nation produced no effect. Harsh
words became harsher between the
two, ard finally one of the men
slid something not to be listened
to quietly; there was quick blow
and then a desperate struggle.


The hottest room of the Turkish
bath is out where the tile Of the
floor is so heated that bare feet
must be burned which come in con-
tact with it, and where strips of
thick carpet protect the feet Of the
bathers. Along the front of the
row Of couches in the room heavy
strip of carpet ran; here it was
that the battle was carried on. The
doctor struck his opponent a blow
in the face, cutting open a little
vein in the forehead filling one eye
Of the cashier with blood. At the
same time the cashier returned the
blow, and, snatching a hold upon
the doctors flowing beard, tore out
what "Con," one of the attendants,
calls ga double handful. At the
same time in the struggles Of the
men the long, broad strip of carpet
beneath them, was pushed aside by
their feet, and the next instant the
two men were capering about upon
the heated floor. 1t was an aston
ishing spectacle, The men were
naked, they were perspiring violent
ly and they could not clutch each
other to retain a hold. They could
strike, however, and they mauled
away, leaping up and down in
agony as they did SO. No livelier
moments ever occurred in all the
history of the prize ring. Imagine
two men dancing about barefooted
on a blistering floor and hitting at
each others faces in a fine frenzy.
Each man forced the fighting, for
each felt that something had to be
done quickly. The doctor capered
about like a balletmaster from over
the sea, and the cashier seemed to
be on springs, 1t was q wilder
dance than ever cannihals had about
q toasting victim, for here the dane
ers were the toasted. There was
the same fantastic leaping in the