New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-01
A PRIzE-FIGHT THAT DID NOT COME OFF

n
Several thousand men paid ~ or more each
for admission to Madison Square Garden last
evening. expecting TO see the champion
pugilist OF the world beat and bruise into
nscnsbility much younger weaker smaller
man, who had risen from sick bed n few days
before. Some Of these men came from Boston,
some from Philadelphia aud other Eastern
cities, some from Chicago and few
even from San Francisco, but the great
majority, of course. were New Workers.
They did not come from swarming tenement
houses or dark alleys, the slums and the dens
of the great cities. The price of admission was
put so high that comparatively few of the
rIfiians who infe5t the vile quarters OF the
town could get III. The gathering was made
up largely of well dressed and well-mannered
people, of club men, pr0fe ssional men, young
merchants and brokers, clerks, bo0kkeepers
and statesmen. They were all looking eagerly
for a desperate aud brutal struggle, in which
the tremendous blows OF the giant prize
fighter should crush and stun his feeble an
tagOnist until breath and sense should both be
gone.
The seekers after tins refined and elevatinS
entertainment were disappointed and de-
frau1cd. Instead of an exhibition of prize
fighting in all its fury AMI cruelty they were
forced to content themselves with some broken
words of half defiant apology hon the Keeling
champion, who was 80 soaked with brandy that
he could hlrdly stand. His boyish lOOLin. nd
vcrsary. pale and haggard, weak and worI his
eses unnaturally bright with fever, and every
feature and every movement showing
the effects of his recent attack WAS
in the ring with him. and declared him
self ready to fight. 1t WAS the champion
VINO cheated tne house of its promised
joy. The nature of the affair which the spccta
tors had come to admire was betrayed in the
words of the puglist himself You didn't
come here to see no friendly set-tO," he growled.
They did not. indeed. They came to see a
"knOcb out" and any one who has over seen
rival hurled down in quiyerng heap by one of
John l.. Suivan's crashing blows understands
thoroughly what that means.
The admirers OF prize-ighiing were
swindled out of that thrilling qualification.
They paid their money to see our modern sub
stiutc for the old Hadinlors' games, with all
the savage delight in fighting in its rudest
and cOarsest form, which any Roman Of NerO's
time might have felt. They got absolutely
nothing in return. That they did not rise in
their wrath and fall upon the men who had 80
gued and robbed them was simply due to the
fact that they were not crowd easily inllamcd
to rioting. If the host within the Garden
had been OF the sort OF stuif that
was seen there when Sullivan fought Tug Viii
son, the police wOuid have had warm work.
At that earlier day tickets were cheap and the
Irish blood was up. The yociicrous, turbulent
man who had dared to break faitl with and
fleece the people, IA they were lied to and plum
dered last night, would have been fortunate to
escape with his life. Last night there was no
disorder, no outbreak, only Unreasonable dis
gust and restrained rage. II was 81 crowd.
But though the thousands in the Garden were
unhappy, this fraud and swindle will result in
good. 1t will open the eyes OF certain classes
TO the fact that even a champion prize fighter
may he anything but IA hero. 1t will
convince a great many people, who needed
convincing, that these matches are wholly
and unjustihablc, and ought
never 10 be permitted. 1t will give a
staggering blow to the whole pestilential bust
ness of prize-f fighting and &" knocking-out." 1t
will check ruiIianism and lessen lawlessness.
1t will give our police force more time to attend
to their proper duties. and it will permit John
J.. Sullivan to devote himself with uninter-
rupted zeal to his Boston bar.