The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-05-10
THE PRIZE RING.' -

81 "" THE PRIZE RING.' ~
A Reformed Prize Fighter Tells sonethinE
About It. ,..n! .f.4..
Just think how cruel and beastike q
thing it is to be q professional fighter,
says Howell Gardner, once in the bust
ness, now out of it. Suppose here are
myself and another man. both in the
business, and he is the best friend I
have in the world. We love each other
like brothers. Well, some night man
SAYS to another man: @" I'll bet 81 900
Howell Gardner can whip so-and 80, |"
my friend, mind You. ~ don't believe
he can," says the other. "Dollars
talks" says the first man, and, to make q
long story short, they make up match
or us to fight, we not knowing anything
about it, and having no reason for fight
ing. The next morning We are told OF
it, and put in training, and all tho while
we are In training we meet every week,
like enough, and have talk over it
friends still, mind you-and we each
seek to get ourselves in the best possi-
bic condition, for what9 Why, each to
beat the life ont, or nearly out, OF the
best and dearest friend he has got. s
Gardner, goes on to say: When men
come to enter the ring they find rules
for everything there, and all the forms
of etiquette already provided. Each
man comes forward, well say, in perfect
condition, clean as q whistle, IN the
highest health, with an eye Ike hawk,
Just as pretty as if he was fresh out OF
bandbox.. There are two rings, an IN
ner and an outer one, made IT ropes.
Outside the latter are the spectators.
The referees and timekeeper's places
are between the ropes. One man comes
up and throws his cap over into the
ring, as his challenge like, and follows it
himself. Than the other THROWS in his
cap-an acceptance of the challenge
and follows Il, amid the shouts and
cheers of the mulitude-for by that
time, let me tell you, everybody around
is pretty full of excitemept. The four
seconds next enter the ring, two for each
man. Generally each mans trainer Is
his head second. When "ime" ia
called the men about to fight w.lk for
ward to the center of the ring and shake
hands. The two head seconds also step
forward, and, crossing their hands over
those Of their principals, 60 through the
SAME friendly form. Then all step
back to corners, choice for which has
been decided by TOSS, each head SEQ
ond kneels on one knee and takes his
man on the other, and there he sitsuntil
"time" is called. A timekeeper, q
referee, and o doctor are chosen by mn-
tual consent. Suddenly J" "time" is
called, and each fighter, leaving his
seconds knee, advancesGo the center OF
the ring and puts his hands up. II
they only wouldn It hurt each other, the
prettiest sights man ever saw, OF any
kind of machinery,is to see two men,
well trained and stripped for battle -
each with eyes like hawks, looking as
if their keen, concentrated gaze would
pierce through his antagonist; each with
finely-deveIoped muscles and skin like
tin-sparring for an opening. Great
caution is exercised here, for often
there is a great deal of money bet on
first blood, as on first knock down and
first fall; and the least incautious look
or movement, and you are gone. That
is why the opening is always so, slow
and the men stand so long, moving their
arms with the precision and grace OF
beautiful machines, but after first blood,
and frat knock down, and first fall are
decided, then the battle, the quick, des.
perate, merciless hard work COM
mences. Then there is not so much
beauty. Then it is give and take, swift
and cruel, from the moment " time " is
called until one or the other man is fell
ed to the earth. As quick as man falls
his seconds step forward and pick him
up, with one hand under his shoulder,
the other under his thigh, and carry
him back to his corner. BE is not al
lowed to move hand to help himself.
All his strength must be reserved for
the combat. He is handled as if he was
a child. In his corner they have brandy.
linen, O sponge, and some water. II his
eye is badly bruised it is lanced, and
perhaps the clotted blood sucked out by
one Of his seconds. They. sponge him
off. give him little water if his throat
is parched, and if the fight is going hard
with him little brandy. Now the fight
is horrible in its ybrutalities, and I need
not pursue the subject further to the
last moment, when sponge tossed IN
the air is the confession Of defeat OF one
or the other poor battered, disfgured, ,
hideous, bloody wrecks Of the two beau;
tiful machines. I saw in, paper. the
other day that two men had fought q
battle of eighty-seyen rounds. g Wei,
that must have been desperate fight.
It is sickening to think Of it. I know
one of these men. He's an unfortunate
fellow-never wins; serves him right, he
has no business to fight. .st......