The Arizona sentinel., 1878-05-04
Power of the Left Hand.

[Charles Reade in the London Telegraph.
The greatest effort of the hulfian arm is
the knock-down blow Of the pugilist-fbr
here is combiner the greatest force with
extreme swiftness, since the opponent Is
guarded, skilful and eyasive as a shadow;
and tho masterpiece of manipulation is
the lingering of the violin 10y able perf6r-
mers. This last has no equal. The piano
forte las keys half an inch broad, and laid
down fldt 10 suit tlle hands: the violin has
to be conquered from first to last-held in
a cramped and painful position that strains
the left arm and wrist-nO keys nor frets
to guide the fingers; the flying digits Of
blindly flying hand must strike every
division to hair. Swift as lightning, yet
sure as clock work, Is the left hand of Ole
Hull. Sivori, Joachim, Neruda.
No evidence is required to prove this,
and little evidence to prove that in the
prize-ring the left arm plays the leading
part l do not mean to say it is the strong
er arm. The pugiiSt, like the rest of us, has
been mere right-hunded man for seven
teen or eighteen years before he begun his
partial cure. Probably if Il man of straw
were put up to be knocked down. many
prize-fighters would deal it a somewhat
heavier blow with the right than the left.
But I say the left IS the quick hitter and
the leading hand However, it is not for
me TO play the oracle nor 10 waste time
over single vein of evidence. / will call
the first authority IN England. l send his
name privately. as he is connected with
the press. He has been the referee in all
the leading prize-fghts for manv years
and attended them long before his first Of
fetal act. Such Il man, like an umpire at
cricket matches, sees more great games,
and with more yigilant eye than any
mere player Mr. y, authorizes me to say
that the left is the leading hand and the
greater the science the greater its superb
ority
The right is fer defense, and to get in
blows when the left hand has staggered
an opponent, or they come 20 close quart
erS in rally. Effective blows at full dis
tance are generally struck with the left.
The accomplished boxer, at the commence
mcnG Of fight, constantly delivers his
left and then gets away. There have been
bulldog fighters, such as Hudson, Cannon,
O'Neale; Hammer Lane, Crawley and Ma
son, who used to hit left and right aud
then rush to close quarters. These ,nen
mad their successes; but they could never
prevail in unbought fights against accom-
plished boxers. They never .ventured on
Tom Spring; and though Ward, Il scientific
fighter, sold fight to Hudson, who was Il
child in his hands, the same Ward, WHEN
on the square, disposed of Cannon in elev-
Ell minutes, and Cannon had defeated
Hudson twice. Two fatal blows struck by
Owen Swift were both with the left
Young Dutch Sam and Randall could
pever te got at with the right and Tom
Spring but rarely. Heenan knocked Say
ers down thirteen times with the left and
once with the right. Sayers lost the full
use of his right early in the fight and
| never struck genuine blow with it. He
fought with his left only and in the course
OF the fight administered many Keen hits,
and one or two blows so tremendous
owing to the dead res istance oftere& by
the weight and galantry Of his heroic op-
poncnt-that the very sound of them is
! described as sickening. This light weight
though he was knocked down fourteen
timee, one arm disabled, his face al cut to
: pieces. and his blood running away with
: out intermission though the whole fight
/ did nevertheless, with his left alone; raise
/ a bump on Heenars head as large as i
mans face, open his check in places and
close both his eyes so ef1ectually that tow
ards the close of the fight he spared first
| at the referee and then at one of the see
onds, taking them for Savers, and after
the fight, my informant, who went home
| with him. had to take hisleg with botf
hands and guide him~to the step OF the
carriage This was lcft-handed work, anc
a small man against Il biz one, rs brave as
he was big.
In the mysterious fight between IIeenar
and King, the superiority of Hecnar
was self-evident Yet he would not play
! Heeran. He would not hit. At last, he
ing taunted bit, he gave snarl at hl'
commentators, took IL spring, and knocked
! his opponent into the air so that in falling
his head struck the ground first and ht
Il IL 81