San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-09-21
PUGILISTIC KNIGHTS!
HOW THEY SOMETIMES FIGHT OUT
SIDE THE RING.
Mike Donovan's Defense of a Lady-A
Safe Rule-Jack Dempsey's Control of
Temper The Man Who Knew Billy
Edwards-The Truckman.

There could be no more interesting story
than that told by Thackery, that veracious
and delightful chronicler, of how the homely
Dobbins Unexpectedly licked the gilt edged
Reginald Cuff, the bully of DR.. Swishtairs
school, rescued little Osborne from his ty-
ranny and established a new order of things
among the boys. And no reader of Bulwer's
books has failed to follow with absorbing in
terest the scientific fashion in which Kenelm
Chillingly disposed of the hulking swaggerer
of the village and relieved the surrounding
country from a reign Of terror under which
it had been living And there are stories of
today in real life where the man handy with
his fists appearing on the scene has straight
ened matters out as they should be straight
ened, as was amply demonstrated by Demp-
sey recently at Rockaway beach when a
gang Of toughs and roughs got into hotel
down there and began to run things to suit
themselves.
Dempsey, Mike Donovan and Billy Ed
wards have written some of their experiences
where they have come in on time like the
hero in the melodrama, and we print them
here.
MIKE DoNovAN'S EXPERIENCE.
Whether man is pugillat or preacher
he has lots of opportunity to Use his fists.
Wrongs are often righted this way and in
justice prevented The CONSCIOUSNESS that
man is master of the art of self defense is ap.
to inspire the possessor with a nerve and as
sertion that frequently prevent actual fsti-
cuffs. A case of t1s kind occurred to me The
other day in going up town in a Sixth avenue
elevated train. While we were getting
aboard at down town station a big over
dressed fellow attempted TO push past little,
pale faced lady and force his way into the car
ahead of her. prevented his doing 50. He
got very angry all at once and gave me
push. l confess it angered me, and when he
followed it up inside the car with an unpleas-
ant epithet took hold of himIand slammed
him into a corner seat in a manner meant to
be Enthusiastically emphatic He began to
buster and a crowd of his friends didn't help
matters any by egging him on. l addressed
myself to the whole crowd and said: Gen
tlemen, / want you to understand that I'm 4
peaceful man, but if it's necessary in order
to secure peace to have fight you can count
me in every time. Your friend was rude to
a lady and interfered to protect her, just as
any other gentleman would"
l would have doubtless had to fight the
whole crowd right there if a man who was
personally unknown to me hadn't jumped up
and said: "Mr. Donovan, if there's going to
be fight I'm with YOU Two or three other
gentlemen at once followed his lead and the
bully subsidized.
1t can be laid down as safe rule that in
ninety-nine cases out of a hundred in what
are known as street fights the aggressor is a
larger man physically than his opponent If
this is not plain enough proof that the ag-
greSsor is coward l don't know what it is.
1t is very seldom you see small man walk
up to big one and strike him in the face.
STORIES BY JACK DEMPSEY.
Fighting in the ring is business with me,
but fighting outside of it is not. If occa-
sionally am forced intp little unpleasant
ness here and there, l am keeping myself
inside the truth when say the fault is not
mine do it either for the purpose OF
assisting the weak, who are being imposed
upon, or to defend myself.
r. l was once sitting in my place in Front
sheet discussing the question as to whether
or not pugilists are easily provoked into
fighting, when a man came up and insulted
me in the most aagraRt way. If eyes paE