Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-10-02


tFrom the London Daily Telegraph
Nat. Lan&hnm.
Fifty or sixty years ago the death of Nat.
Langham, the greatest fstic celebrity of the
prize ring, would have stirred society in England
to its deepest foundations. Men-ay, and women
too-Of the bluest blood would have We'd in
narrating how the most scientific of pugilists
had fought indecisiyely with Ben Caunt, and
forced Tom Savers to throw up the sponge. His
height and weight, his length of arm the mar
yellous force and skill of his left-handed blows,
the shape of his nose, the color of his eyes
would have been discussed and rehearsed with
precision and interest. In letter written at the
commencement of George Tvs reign, Charles
Williams Wynn tells us that one night while
Europe was still reeing from the shock of
Waterloo, he was invited to dine with Yelling
ton Visions of interesting revelations about the
tortuOus designs of Russia or the secret policy
of Austria foated before the delighted eyes, as
he anticipated that Pozzo iii Borgo and Meter
mich would be among the chosen guests. He
found none of Europes historical diplomatists
assembled to meet him, but only humdrum
party of English noblemen and their wives.
During dinner conversation tagged; but no
sooner had the servants retired from the dining
room than an animated discussion arrested gen.
eral attention. Women no less than men Joined
eagerly in the debate, nor did the Iron Duke
himself disdain to take keen interest in the con-
troyersy. Bets flew backwards and forwards be-
tween the excited disputants and the fate of Eu-
rope seemed to hang upon the wordY strife; but,
to the infinite disgust of Mr.. Wynn, the point
at issue proved to be the question whether, in
an approaching fistic encounter, some bruiSer-
Young Dutch Sam by name, if we remember
right, would or would not defeat the Chicken!
In 1920, when Nat Langham was born, prize
fighters were often the guests of noblemen and
the friends of princes. Lord Byron took great
er pleasure in dining with Mr.. John Jackson
than with his noble relative, the earl of Carlisle;
and shortly before his coronation, George w.
passed hours in arranging with the same worthy
pugilist the names of the heroes who were to as
slSt IN preserving order during the ceremonial,
Mt the doors of Westminster Abbey itself In
this present 1871, when Nat l.angham dies not
dozen men or women, outside of the sporting
community, have heard of his name. When, in
the middle Of the last century, Dr. Johnson
wrote the famous prologue recited by Garrck at
the opening of the Drury Lane theatre, he be-
walled the degeneracy of the stage and the sub
stitution of boxing matches aud the tricks of
the conjurors for the dramas of Shakespeare
perhaps" he made Garrick exclaim, "where
Lear has raved or Hamlet died on flying cars
new sorcerers may ride; perhaps-for who can
tell the effects of chance-here Hunt may box,
or Mahomet may dance" From 1747, when
these lines were written, until 1926 pugilism
was undoubtedly our favorite national sport
Not without lively interest in the wild vicis-
STUDIES of public taste can we mark the change
of fashions in England between the birth and
death of the pugilist who has just expired. The
prize ring seemed to MIR. Windham in 1902 no
less than to Lord Byron and Tommy Moore
few years LATER as sacred an institution of Great
Britain as trial by jury or habeas corpus itself.
All the earlier volumes of the old Sporting
Magazine, Of which the initial number was pub
lished in 1902, TEEN with protracted descriptions
OF puglstic trays between Mendoza and Ward
BeIcher and Old Dutch Sam, Gully and Grioson
and hundred other famous professors of the
noble art of Sel-defence. The prince regent him
self was present at prize fight in which one of
the combatants was killed; and, in regard to
that catastrophe, Mr.. Windham wrote long
apologize letter to the Morning Chronicle. "In
walking down TO the cabinet council" writes
this same statesman, who was then secretary at
war under MIR. Pitt, 81 took an opportunity of
stealing to SEE battle, of which mad Just had
notice, between Joseph Ward and a man named
Startling, whom l had seen fight when a boy,
many years ago" In Moore's "memOrial to the
congress of Vienna" the poet speaks of John
Jackson as ga gentleman-for thus, from the
correctness of his conduct and the peculiar ur-
banity of his manners, he well deserves to be
caled-who forms that useful link be-
tween the professors aud amateurs
of pugilism, which when broken it
will be difficult, If not wholly impossible, to re-
place." During the first quarter of this CEN
fury the Elves Court in st. James's was the
fashionable resort where public exhibitions of
boxing were often got up in the interest of
popular charities. In 1911, the sufferers in
Portugal who had lost everything by the vim
dctive devastations of Massena, in retreatinr
from Torres Yedras, had "sparring benefit"
at the Elves Court. In 1872, John Jackson
organized a similar exhibition on behalf of the
British prisoners in France and collected some
f130 for their relief In 1920, a cotempOrary
writer speaks of "Kings, Emperors, Field
Marshas, foreign potentates, and the cream of
the English nobility" as patronizing this then
popular gymnasium. But it was reserved for
Chief Justice Best, afterwards Lord Wynford,
to use language upon the bench which now
sounds strangely startling to our ears. "The
practice of boxing" said this eminent Judge in
his charge to the grand Jury of Wiltshire, "has
often been subject Of discussion in this cOun-
try. / must say that it seems to me custom
that may advantageously be encouraged. 1t is
IN some sort law of peace, for it discOurages
the use OF unfair means Of attack TO prevent
mahclouS retaliation; it enables men to employ
the advantages they naturally possess, and in
the use OF which they are restrained by laws of
honor; and while it encourages proper Eng
lsh spirit, 1t secures men from treachery and
malignity."
Perhaps there are lnglishmen still living who
will mourn the decline and fall of the prize
ring, and imagine that the England of the
Third and Fourth Georges had more honorable
manly and sturdy sons than the England Of
Victoria; Eor was such decline unprophcsed.
In 1883, the well known sporting writer, MN
rod, complained that "to the absurd and mis-
chievOus interference of the county magistracy
with the proceedings in the ring is the increase
of unmany crime Of stabbing among English
men 10 be attributed" He boosted that the
bowiefinife was unknown upon the soil of
Britain, and prophesie1 that, in consequence of
the almost total abolition of prize lighting,
"iairly and honorably conducted, the knife and
shletto would generally be employed TO avenge
the quarrels OF the vulgar" Has the experience
OIL the last thirty years, within which time
prize hghting has grown less and less popular,
justified these gloomy vaticinations2 1t is no
torious that in England the stiletto and the re-
VolVer have never been employed, and that in
every other civilized country they are becoming
less and less popular. The assassinations for
whlch Italy was once so infamous are yearly be-
coming more rare; and the bowie knife and re-
yolyer are only used nowadays in the widest
and least settled territories of the
American Union. Many of England's
most thriving colonies, especially those
of the Australian group are as free from
the odiOus crime of stabbng aud shooting ms
Kent or Yorkshire. Even in Ireland the das-
tardly practice OF firing upon landlords agents
from behind a hedge is-as the readers of Mr.
Trenchs books well knOw-now happily on the
decrease. All over the world manners have be-
come more humane; and without losing their
courage, men have gained in seli-cOmmand and
in respect for others. We could no more en-.
dure in these times to see men fight with
out any real cause of disagreement, but sole