Incident at the Barracks 

Cowhided

Private Hoff, of the US Barracks

Gets a Dressing Up That He Will Not Soon Forget

A Plucky Female Defends Her Good Name

There was a lively time down at the Newport Barracks yesterday, shortly after noon.  The soldiers had just finished dining a little while before, when an unknown woman stepped within the enclosure and asked for Private Hoff.  One of the men found him in his bunk, enjoying an after dinner nap, and, waking him up, informed him that there was a party down stairs who desired to see him.  Hoff jumped up and, pulling on his shoes, ran down the stairs about half awake.  On reaching the bottom he was confronted by the woman who asked him if his name was Hoff.  He replied in the affirmative, whereupon she asked, “What do you know about me?”

At the same moment she drew a cowhide that she had concealed in the folds of her dress, and commenced raining terrific blows upon the face and head of the private, who turned as quickly as he could and got upstairs to his room, where he locked the doors,  He received a terrific thumping, and his face and head were covered with welts as large as one's fingers. The blood was brought in several places. The woman then started out, remarking that Mr. Hoff had better make himself scarce about these diggins or she would make it much warmer for him.

Hoff is very sore over the matter and hasn't anything to say, neither would he tell the woman's name but is very plain that he has gone beyond the limit in the improper use of the unknown's name, and that she desired to impress the fact upon his memory that she was able to look after her own affairs.

from the Kentucky Journal, May 25, 1892