Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-05
BOXERS And PUGILISTS.
UHERE THEY SPRING FROM, IND
WHAT BECOMES OF THEN.
The 5 sc at Which Ring Hero is in His
Prime-Length of Days of Some of the
Old Champions.

Every little while some new-fedged fol-
lower of Pollux who has won the admira-
ton of his fellows by ebility shown in Of
fensive and defensive execution with the
arms and hands which nature intended
should be more usefully employed, aspires
| to position in the constellation of such
pugilistic stars as have won notoriety
in the squared circle" The wonder is
where they come from and what becomes
of them when they have reached the limit
of their ambitions or suffer reverse and
| fall back into the obscurity from which
they attempted to emerge Those who
| fail to reach the goal of their ambitions
are far more numerous than the success
full ones. Nearly all the pugilists of
prominence in the country began their
career with gloves and fists in England.
John l.. Sullivan is almost the only one
| whose earlier years were spent in this
country who holds leading position
as an athlete of the ring; but there are
| thousands of young men who pos
sess a fair knowledge of the rules
of boxing, and who can counter and cross
! bullock in The most scientific manner.
Very few schools of boxing exist, yet many
a youth, whose knowledge of grammar,
history and arithmetic is limited, and
whose diploma of graduation from the
grammar school is yet to be given him,can
throw himself back into fighting attitude,
present a full chest and put himself ION
guard" in the most scientific manner. The
knowledge Boston lads have of the laws of
boxing comes largely from older brothers
or associates, who have practiced with the
gloves in the social club-rooms with which
Boston, and, perhaps, other large
cities, abound. Young men who
after labor feel like throwing off the re-
straints of the day naturally gravitate tc-
ward one another at night, and, the ordi-
nances of the city forbidding them to
meet in crowds or loiter on the thorough
fares, they associate, organize clubs and
procure places of indoor resort. The club
rooms are prolific source Of knowledge
in athletics, for, in addition to the
pleasures of reading, smoking and social
intercourse, many of the clubs are sup
piled with dumb bells, pulley weights, In
dian clubs and boxing gloves, which their
members may use when they loose interest
in cribbage, whist Or any other occupation
that abrevIates time. In this manner the
club rooms serve the purpose of feeders to
the constituencies of pugilistic champions,
and
INTEREST IN BOXING
is thereby kept alive. In England the
public houses were formerly great incu-
bators of pugilists, but, with the decline
of the ring" expert fighters also degener- |
ated, and boxing as an exercise grew less |
in favor every year. Pugilism being con- |
sidered ''lost art" in Albion, the expon-
ents of fstic science sought occupation in |
America and many of them have pros
pered here. Joe Goss, Patsey Shepard, |
Tom Farley and others are residents of |
Boston. Arthur Chambers and a large |
following have homes in Philadelphia. |
Billy Edwards and many others get liv-
ing in New York. 1t goes without saying
that prize fighters are not intelligent |
men, even though they may succeed in
climbing a congressional hill or an alder |
manic ladder, or may get county clerk
ship; but,as they become prominent as ex-
ponents of pugilism and are lionized by
men who possess intelligence, association
with such people generates a dislike for
the old life they once enjoyed and some of
them renounce the brutal features of
pugiiism. After his retirement from the
ring and election to congress John Nor
rissey, who died a few years ago, preferred |
to talk on topics other than those ascot |
ated with his career, and inyf ri bly, t1rned |
the subject of prize-fghting to a more
agreeable one, unless by so doing he |
might give offence. John Dryer, of |
Brooklyn, brother of an alderman
OF that city, always regretted that he had |
fought in the ring. When in this city, |
after his retir N ,bt fran pugilisn, he said |
IN his last fight, when he had given his OPP
ponent terrific blow that staggered, |
blinded and felled him as an OK might fall |
under the axe of the butcher, and while the
crowd around the ring e1ulted in cheers
and cries of approval, he looked on the |
form of his PROSTATE opponent, wondered |
if the man was dead, and the awful conse-
quences of such an event in an instant |
dawned upon him. Looking around upon
the crowd of shrieking spectators, made up |
largely of the worst elements of society, |
though sprinkled with men who walk the |
paths of responsibility, he asked himself |
what all, or any of the men around the |
ring would do to help him in his extremity |
if he killed his fellow gladiator. His bet
ter self answered the question, and, while |
termined that the fight he was engaged in |
should be his last and that he no longer
would be a puppet to
Crafty BRITISH PASSION.
The formal announcement Of his retire |
ment from the ring, and subsequent ap-
pointmsn mt to a position in the Brooklyn |
court house, followed soon afterward. AS !
rule, the feather weight, light weight and
middle weight pugilists have ftful ex-
perience in the ring, getting |
much Fictitious reputation (notoriety, |
perha rs, would be better) from long drawn
out controversies in the newspapers. They |
spring from ths machine and blacksmith |
shops, the slaughter house and stoneyard. !
and, unless they are more than clever and |
win many battles they soon lose caste and |
find life difficult to live until they get back |
to the old level, o.. launch with the earn
ings of success into some bar-room ven
ture. Paddy Ryan made big mistake
when he fought Sullivan" said one of
them few days since. He had big
reputation, and he should have KEEP it.
There wasn't no need O. fighting, don't you
see; an he could have KEEP up his newspa-
per arguments till now. He gave himself |
away for nothing. Pll tell you how it
=