Peacock Alley Plumage Flies in 1859 Fight

While collecting historical notes from old papers, I occasionally come across stories that are a bit too long to condense for the This Day In History feature, but are fun nonetheless. This morning provides a fine axample with a story of a fight between two well-to-do women in town, in 1859.

It jumped out at me for a few reasons. One was the colorful reporting and choice of words to describe the fight in great detail. Another was that it was really quite a brawl if this description is correct. Imagine two of our most notable women going at it like this today. Charges would be pressed!

 From the October 22, 1859 Phoenix

“Squaw Fight” – Last Friday about “high twelve,” a terrible squalling was heard on “Peacock Alley,” which startled the denizens of that sober quarter of the village out of their accustomed propriety. 

A rush was made for the scene of the hubbub, when lo and behold! two she-males were letting their fists into each other a-la Tom Hyer, and calling out liar, beast, brute, slut, and sundry other sweet sounding epithets, too numerous to mention.

It seems that A. No. 1 challenged B No. 2 to “come out of her den, and she would tear her skullcap off!” Whereat B No. 2 walked boldly out and threw herself into an attitude, squaring herself for a fight.

A No. 1 “came up to the scratch,” and let fly her left with the force of a sledge hammer, the blow taking effect upon the beautiful smeller of B No. 2, which caused the claret to flow copiously.

B No. 2 nothing daunted, brought round her right with a tremendous sweep, which fell plump into the bread-basket of A No. 1, when down she went with B No. 2 on top, the spectators crying “foul,” “foul!”

They both struggled hard for the mastery, but B No 2 got a grip on the weasand of A No. 1 and endeavored to throttle her; but A No. 1 hit B No. 2 a terrible dig under the fifth rib, which caused her to relinquish her hold of the weasand, and A No. 1 recovered her perpendicular.

B No. 2 made another demonstration with her right, whereat A No. 1 brought round an axe-helve, which she has seized in rising, and down it went plump into the cocoanut of B No. 2, cutting a gash in her scalp, and disarranging her pretty curls most essentially, and caused her to yell like half a dozen caterwauling cats. 

Down came the Doctor off the hill, supposing somebody was dead, or just about to die. Cider-brandy was applied to the gash in the cocoanut, and order again reigns in “Peacock Alley.”