The Fight

The Fight: as told by Coxie Minich

"It was Halloween evening in 1920 and Bob and Joe and their cousin, Charlie Daugherty, were in New Bethlehem at a bar. The place was full and there was a lot of tension between the town fellows and the farm boys. Charlie was wearing a clown hat because it was Halloween and Vince Radecker from Fairmount got pushy and knocked the hat off of Charlie's head. Well that was the beginning of the fight.

The Bartender told them to take it outside so the whole crowd went out and went up the street to the ball park to settle the fight. Well charlie and Radecker squared off and were about to fight when Bob saw Radecker slip on a set of knuckles. He said, 'Don't fight him Charlie. He has a set of knuckles on.' Well Charlie backed off and Radecker swung around to Bob. He said, 'Do you think you want do try me?' Bob didn't say a thing . He just stood there for a second and then swung a right uppercut. Well he hit Radecker on the jaw and knocked him out cold! They had to carry him off the field.

There was only one problem, Bob broke all the bones in the third joint in his right hand.

That should have been the end of it, but the next week Bob and Joe were back in town in the same bar. And Radecker was there. Bob's hand was in a cast and and Radecker started to mouth off saying he wanted to rerun the fight but Bob said he couldn't fight then but would as soon as his fist healed. Well Joe, who was wearing a new suit said. 'I'll settle it right now.' They went out in the back lot of the bar where Joe and Radecker got into a boxing and wrestling fight. When it was over Joe had ruined his new suit, but he had made Radecker give up and say uncle.

I guess that is one reason they called Bob and Joe the mean Reinsel boys."