THE VIRTUE OF A STAND-UP FIGHT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2531, 29 September 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE VIRTUE OF A STAND-UP FIGHT.

The following story, writes a correspondent in Bristol, illustrative of Irish character, was recounted to mo by an eye-witness of the event. Some tenants on an estate had quarrelled about a right of way which was claimed by one family aud which passed through the garden of another, who denied that the right of existed. As the path in question led to a well, common to all parties concerned, the daily bickerings which took place may easily be imagined, and not seldom a regular fight would ensue, resulting in the usual amount of broken heads, and leaving behind a bitter, revengeful feeling which was likely to lead to something worse. The agent, therefore, drove over one morning to meat the parties on the. spot and endeavour to settle the quarrel. He was well received, tor he was really popular with the tenants, and sitting on Fiis outside car heard, with many interruptions from both parties, first one side of the question and then the other. Each side made amusing attempts to cajole him into giving a decision in his favour, but it seemed perfectly hopeless to find a solution of the difficulty, as neither would give way. The priest who was there also failed to arrange matters, at length in despair the agent called out, " Well, boys, there's only one way left; you must fight it out amongst yourselves. I'll sit here and see fair play. No pitchforks or spades, mind, and whichever side wins gains his cause." " Right you are, your honour," and a wild whoop of delight testified to the alacrity with which both sides accepted the proposal. In a few minutes the male members of both families were hard at it, while the agent sat on a gate acting as umpire and judge. A short time sufficed for victory to declare itself unmistakably on the side of the deniers of the right-of-way, and their opponents withdrew into their cabins with bloody heads aud woebegone faces. " Shure, but your honour has more sinse in his little finger than all the judges in the land," was the encomium passed by one of the victors. " It's we who'll be drinking to his honour's health this night," was a gentle hint from another, which was liberally responded to by the agent, by whom also the vanquished were not forgotten. Meeting him some months afterwards, I asked whether his novel method of composing a quarrel had succeeded or whether the dispute still went on. He told me that they had abided loyally by the decision, and that the two families were now on the best of terms. He added that had he not acted as he had done he was convinced that the quarrel would eventually have resulted in murder.