The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-11-30
SPORTS AND PASTIMES.
The Late Sullivan-Greenfield
Spar.
FROM THE RING TO THE COURT
police versus Pugilism-The Match
FINALLY Occurs but Ends in
Two Rounds.

iIistic fraternity, and who derive especial
pleasu e from the public displays in
which the mighty John L. Sullivan ng-
ures in the squared circle, were thrown
into q state of excitement by the publ
cation in the evening papers Of Novem-
her 18th OF the appended communication
from the Mayor to the Board OF Police
commissioners:
7 observe by the morning papers th??O
q boxing match occurred at the MSuI-
son-snu8re Garden on Monday evening.
between two persons, which partooE VI
ali the elements of prize-hght. 4 De
Teve that such exhibitions are dSgrace-
ful to the city in the highest dsgree, oe-
moralizing to young men, aiu Al 'Ie Gil
tendency leading to dlsreSPeCt VI LI"
and order. l therefore reSPectluny
request that yonr departlneht neIe 5
eI1cb aTbibitiels within the city. l am
oTTsre that It IS exclaimed that the
+ courts may compel you to permit exhi-
bitions of tEis character to be held, but
if snch is the fact / trust you will let
the courts take the responsibility.
This wasread at the meeting OF the
hoard on the above date, and in COM
DIisnce @ith the request contained
therein. that body promptly directed
the suDerjntendent to call the attention
of the captains to the following order,
promulgated in the summer OF 1882:
"In On official opinion given to this
department by the corporation counsei.
glove lights are declared violation OF
law You will. therefore not permit any
Cuch exhibitions to take place within
your precinct; or, if you have informa-
lion or reasonable grounds to believe
that q glove fight is about to take place,
YOU will obtain warrants for the arrest
of the persons interested and intending
to fight and also for those who lnstlgate,
abet, or do sny act toward the further
ance of any such tight.
Superintendent Walling was prompt
TO obey instructions, while those pecu-
niarily interested in the success OF the
SulliVan-Greenfeld contest, which, be-
ing fixed for the night OF the 18th, had
to bear the brunt OF this fresh onslaught
bv the authorities on fstlc sport. be-
stirred themselves in an effort TO check
mate move which threatened to spoil
their game. and prevent them from en-
riching themselves through the willing
ness of the sporting public TO give up
81 and 80 apiece to see the champion and
his latest foreign antagonist slug each
other. Col. Spencer was secured as coun-
sci, and when Sullivan, Greenfield and
their managers were taken TO Jefferson
Market police court on warrants served,
the following morning, he appeared ior
them before Justice Patterson, who ac-
corded them private examination
His argument vas the same as MADE by
him before the late Justice Gardner IN
the Maoe-Slade case two years ago,
he holding that the meeting TO take
place between Sullivan and Greenfield
in Madison Square Garden was not
prize-fght in any sense, but merely an
exhibition of scientific sparring, to be
decided by excess OF points scored, the
contestants making no attempt to
ssknock' out" or injure each other.
To those who had seen Sui
Ivan in previous similar en-
counters the ColOners utterances
afforded much amusement. Upon being
questioned both principals bore out the
statements made by counsel, who then
put in evidence the papers in the Mace
Slade case before the Supreme Court
and asked that this case, which he
claimed was a parallel TO that pre-
yiously dismissed, be sent to that Court,
and the prisoners remanded in custody
Of counsel. To this Justice Patterson
agreed, and all the parties left Court
and crossed Sixth Avenue to Johnny
Carman's for internal refreshments.
The appearance of Sullivan in the street
vas the signal for the gathering of a
crowd, and so great was the crush in
Carman's that the champion was forced |
to seek retirement in an upper room. |
The parties appeared in Supreme /
Court Chambers at 10 am. November |
18th, but postponement till 1.30 |
pm. was granted by Judge Bar I
rett upon request of District-attorney |
Gore, who said he had only just re-
celved the papers and had not had an
opportunity to read them and make
return 1t was expected that the case
would come before Judge Donohue,
who dismissed the Mace-Slade case, but
ne declined to hear it. In the afternoon
Assistant District-attorney Gore exam
med the principals and Pat Sheedy as
TO the nature of the proposed encoun-
ter, the testimony elected being to the
eject that &c was to be purely an exhibit
tan of skill with soft gloves, for which
sullivan was to receive Us per cent. and
greenfield 80 per cent. of the
receipts, aud that there was no written
agreement as to rules, etc. Judge Bar
rett took the testimony, retired to This
griyate room with counsel, and within
On heur rendered his decision in writ
Dg, as follows:
The question is whether the defend
ants, Sullivan and Greenfield, intended /
to engage in friendly sparring-match, /
not calculated to injure either party, or
in a serious physical contest. The latter
is illegal, whether with or without
gloves; the former, as a mere exhibition
Of skill, ID not Illegal. It is difficult to
determine the legality or illegality of
these exhibitions in advance. The
agreement in the present instance, if
strictly carried out, viii not produce the
spectacle of q prize-Gght, nor indeed of
any illegal contention. OF course there
is to be hitting, the same as there is
hitting in fencing, but the blows
are to have no relstion to the
injury or exhaustion of either
party. 1t is impossible to saw (
on this testimony, that priad facise ]
case OF intention to commit crime has
been made out. There is in reality no
evidence 0; any such intent. If the
agreement Ae sham to evade the law,
or i the paries go beyond the terms :
ana restnctisns of the agreement, the /,
ponce, being present, can instantly in
IeFteTe and rrest al fhe parties en-
gagged IN the commission of nisde-
lIeanor. That Il the true solution 1