New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-31
JOURNALISM IN ENGLAND.
SPORTING NEWSPAPERS.

III
to, of ord Macauay and seeks for hlStorylh car
icotprcs eonrs. squibs. and broadSheets' nc can
eosilv find how great space the senior OF H"s'''
snortnc newspapers occupied IN the )ouri''"'" i'
gerry life of the people some thirty or lot'y So'
oyo There has been, Of course, the oiu HPoI'"9
1fc,.;yc and there is the excellent Bdiiys hGgd-
zine INIT these good as they are OF their Elhh' can
hardly be calico newspapers RcmafSa"o pcoP'o
$780, yr,ttan and stiu write for The Sporting MdqG-
kline In its old form il numbered among MS contt'p
ptors the clever writer WHO'S recoilcctei by nav
inc beeD the father of Miss Bradd0n MrS. Max
velD The delightful article called " Our van 10
which rea Ter. of Bailys turn ut once, IL by hr.
Corvus Cole the " Bras de Fer OF TIE O0rid an
excellent SPORTSMAN rs well keen theatncai
critic in short one of those wellbaanced organisms
in which the dramatic and equestrian clements arc
tremendously blended. But monthly MAGAZINE
is not a newspaper and ut the period referred u
there was only one genuine sporting newspaper III
Enqlanl-BclrS Life in london. II was esS'nua"y
mart of the life Of the English nation, when hau
only lust emerged from hull and bear batting BAD
gerdrawing and cOckightlng, and stu chung roma
ly 70 the ropes and stakes of the prizc-rng Ihcre
were men living who had heard the Right honor
able William Windham declare in the House OF
Commons that 70 imrue cruelty to the ancient and
manly English sport of bull batting was 10 insult at
once 1.-The bu /. the dogs, and the spectators
There was still sitting in the House of Commons
the last defender within its walls, OF the nooe art
of self-defence" Lord Drumlanrig, afterwatd that
MARQUIS of Queensberry who died while out rabbit
shooting Just after Sauuterer non the GoodWood
CUP From peer to peasant every countrylnah TOOK
an interest in sport the nobeman from hunting
and shooting or generally fox or gaine-prcscrVhg
point of view the peasant from that OF a poacheF.
The "volelr or "ioskinp rs cockncys call him. OF
C4v fcliI "
Reading to Yeovil is born sportsman-tha Is TO say
in his condition of life. poacher--and the cock
nev made I'D for the want of rabbits to net mares
and pheosants TO WIRE and trout streams TO drag,
by rat-kiling, dog-fghting, pigeon-iiyng ana pug'
lism. The whole country had sporting tone
and that tone was expressed by one organ-Be'FS
life in London This remarkable journal was not
only . ne spaper but referee aud stakeholder OF Ia
numerable matches and the nfableiudgc OF every
doubt and difference of sporting nature
Thinning over old caricatures and the like | find
annie testimony to the importance OF BeiFs LVc
Ono represents two youngsters Of the country-gcn-
tleman type meeting at Christmastide One asks
the other how he liked Christmas Day. mot at
oIIn is the reply; cit is like Sunday without BcFS
JiJev 4 well-known sportsman, fac old English
Gentleman if there ever was one, told me III my
youth that his idea of perfect happiness was to
"hunt three DAYS week, shoot three days andread
Bells Life on Sunday" 1t was a very serious mat
fer 10 offend the omnipoten Journal as the persons
known cencrically as sporting characters" some
times found ont to their cost. There was not only
no appeal from the oracle hut no means of protest.
inc or even ycntilating "A grievance against IT,
Hence Bel rcigned supreme over the rougheSt OF
Gg5tinc roughs who completely changed their de-
,neanor when they entered the old office under the
shadow of st. Clement Danes. Once and once |
7 lii fba oonctitv of the rpDrpgputl- !
tive of Bell assaulted, and that was in the
heat Of wrangle in the przc-ring.
Once previously, on the occasion Of fight near
Nottingham Mr.. Dowlings watch had been stolen.
an outrage on his sacred person which provoked
some severe remarks and decision never to have
ANYTHING to do with NOTTINGHAM fights for the flu
ture his was fearful thing. for no matter how
well man fought within the Nottingham
circnit his deeds would remain unknown.
BeH lust if severe. relaxed its rgor and re-
admitted Nottingham within its pale. but not very
long afterwarl vas constrained to make an exam
ple which long remained terror 10 wr0ng-dOera,
beacon to warn the ungodiy
The representative of Bciis Life had, not
unfrequently the agreed to act as referee at
cut-u prize-ight. A wranG.e occurred. the men,
their seconds and bottle-hollers, waXcd furious.
Imnerturbable Bell gave his decision. Wnereupon
fearful tumult occurel. The side against which
he had given his rrevocabc nod became frantic
and actually threatened him. More than this one
'Bos Tyler actually struck him in the eve, raising
a distinct "mouso" as the bruise then called,
around that sleeplesS gan. | may observe that
"BosD with one "s" is slang for onc-eycd or
souintinq ard that Tyler was so called because he
had only one eye the other having been gouged
ont bitten ont or otherwise abolished. But the |
one-eved man was good boxer nevertheless. 1t
should also be Iecolleced that the mark and motto
Of Bells Life. printed Immediately after the heading,
ere an eve wide awake and conspcuOuslv Open and
the words NunQuaBs dorm.o" Thus both actual
" and fguratiyely the oracle had been inSultcd.
Its representative had been struck and one AT least
of his slecpless optics Obscurcd In the highly pic
turcsque Language employed by him in writing his
vivid descriptive accounts of prize-ights he would
have said that "peeper was close1'"a winking-
trap bunged up" can ogr put mourning or hat
the shutters were up on one side OF the snuff
shopD But it was no time for tri1ing with mic,
arrangements of epitaphs." Something had to be
done anda council was called TO decide on the fate
of the one-eyed Ajax who had def@d the thunder of
Bel and struck 1t even to bruisng. All looked
aghast. Brltons. be their names NOkes or Stokes,
Bull or Bell looked first for a precc lent. But there
was none Such unspeakable deed had never be-
fore been pcrpetrated. So the sad and solemn con-
clave, with the gentleman with the "mouse in the
midst sat and smoked till the doom of the den-
ouent was decided upon. Ii was awful 1t was
then and there decreed that hencefOrIh the man
WAS dead that under no consideration should his
name ever agein appear in BelPs Life. He might
fight but no record of that battle would be read in
its columns He might train other men and second
them. but his name would be blOtted from the rec
ord He might spar at benefits but no token of
his existence would be given. He might send vast
advertisements backed with ready money but they
would not he accepted. Henceforth he was to the
srortiuo world and the st ohc mind rs dead as Mar