Such incidents are mentioned again and again by Watson, Milfort, Doddridge, Carr, and other writers.
36.

McClung's "Western Adventures." All eastern and European observers comment with horror on the border brawls, especially the eye-gouging.
Englishmen, of course, in true provincial spirit, complacently contrasted them with their own boxing fights; Frenchmen, equally of course, were more struck by the resemblances than the differences between the two forms of combat.

Milfort gives a very amusing account of the "Anglo-Americains d'une espece particuliere," whom he calls "crakeurs ou gaugeurs," (crackers or gougers).

He remarks that he found them "tous borgnes," (as a result of their pleasant fashion of eye-gouging--a backwoods bully in speaking of another would often threaten to "measure the length of his eye-strings,") and that he doubts if there can exist in the world "des hommes plus mechants que ces habitants." These fights were among the numerous backwoods habits that showed Scotch rather than English ancestry.

"I attempted to keep him down, in order to improve my success, after the manner of my own country." ("Roderick Random").
37.