Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-09-02
NEW YORK LETTER.
TKs PUeILIsSs OF THH pAY-KILRArc
'MIrcHELJ. sMTTH, DEMPSEY.
frgilism Under sclOad-.The Want Of Youn q
Hen and the causs-Has
Every Man a Doublsf
Ecorr0spOndencs Of tho Richmond Dispatch,
NV YoRK, September l, 1888.

NEw YoRK, September l, 1888.
There Is vast amount of nonsense
published about pugilists at all times,
nut the romancing which has resulted
from the battles between Smith and Kill
rain, and Sullivan and Mitchell on the
other side OF the water, lie startling even
from the standpoint of professional blow
hards.
PuGilism in New York as q sensation,
calling, or paslme, is practically
dead. Many Of the more prosperous
boxing.masters complain OF an entire
falling of in the number OF devotees TO
the manly art of self-deience, and pu-
Gihsuc talk is rare where II was once in
cossant The man who made pu-
Flism triumphant has succeeded in
dragging II IN the dust. Sullivan
- blackgVard and bully. While
he was IN perfect trim-strong as lion,
fearless, full Of brute courage, and bent
On being the greatest fighter IN the
world, he was more or less OF hero.
hut Of late years lac has thrown decencv
snd courage 10 the winds. and his name
has been stain upon pugilism. / have
seen kIlrain and sullivan fight both here
and on the other side, and have not the
slightest doubt IN the world that Kilrain
con whip sullivan in square. stAnd.up
fight according TO London prize-ring
rules
KLRAIN's POPULARITY.
kilrain is the most popular sporting
meu Who ever went to London from
America. he was quiet and unobtru-
sive. gentlemsnly. and sincere. He
fought a great battle with Smith, and
Rll the talk Of Its being a put-up job is
moonshine. Every decision was in
Smiths favor, every slip on the part of
hilrain eagerly and unjusily punished.
There we're sixty or seventy Englishmen
and only five Americans Every Eng
hshmsn had bis money on Smith,
hud naturally the decision was a
draw. although Smith was clearly and
Ia.Tahlv whipped a dozen times during
tla tight On our WAY back to Rouen,
IN France, the EnRlishmen crowded
arounded kilrain and shook his hands a
hundred times. They praised him and
honized him for his magnificent and
thoroughly honest bearing during the
fight while Smith and his seconds tried
every foul known to debased and
cockney gang. The friends that Kilrain
made on this fight stuck to him through
oIt his visit to England. | Will say this
much for Englishmen-that when they
once make up their mind man is
ftraight, square, and honest, they back
him up like heroes.
Mitchell never did a better days work
than when he acted as Kilran's second
for he was obliged to fight his own conn
tryman 70 wari off the fouls, aud he did
il hike q major. As for Mitchell not
hacking Kilrsin | personally know tins
20 Doe untrue. for on two occasions | was
with Mitchell when he made bets on bis
principal in the Criterion.
THE sULIIyAN-MITCHELL FIGHT.
Concerning the Sullivan-Mitchell
fcht, it does not seem 30 me that the
most careless of the observers Of prize
fighting could be deceived by the re-
cord. II rsined hard, but the rain WAS
as bad for Mitchell as II was for Sullivan,
ana the ring was tweuty-four feet
SQUARE. but this IS the size in which all
heroes Of the sport have won
their honOrs. Both men were in
Good condition, and Sullivan had
trained carefully for months. Never
theless. the men fought for three hours,
and sullivan was not only unable to
whip his man despite his superior
strength, experience, and weight, but
was actually landed high and dry, and
vas willing to stop. Further than this,
the proof is almost absolute that Sulli-
vans seconds paid literally to have the
fght declared a draw so as to save the
Boston slugger from being whipped out
Yight by a man whom he had always pro-
fessed to despise.
TWO PLUcKY FIGHTERS.
America has to-day two remarkably
well-behaved, honest. straightforward,
scientific, and plucky fighters. They can
not be beaten by men III their class any
where in the world. Both Of them are
industrious, frugal, good family men,
and possessed OF moderate completeness.
Their names are Jake kilrain and Jack
Dempsey. Compared TO them the Bos-
ton pet is neither an eXh1arating nor an
entcins figure.
Ii is questionable, it seems to me,
whether the decline OF pugilism IN New
York Is good for the young men Of the
town. The reign Of slugglng-matches
nav have brought out the brutal IN
buncts Of our men TO certain extent, but
the other effect more than overDalanced
this-bv which / mean that the stimulA-
ton which the talk about prlze-hghtng
and pugiism gave 10 athletic exercises,
and particularly TO boxing, more than
overbalanced the alleged decline senti-
mentally. No man who has any ac-
ouaintance with athletic sports Will deny
that the most beneficial and fascinating
Of them all is sparring. 1t develops the
arms. legs. back, and courage OF csVed-
"a and Weak-kneed voungster with q de-
cree of celeritv that Is astonishing.
There is a rnonotOny about dumb-Dells,
climbs gymnasium work, and even row.
ing and running which pals on an attn
iete OF the most enthusiastic nature aiter
time. But sparring Is a new game
with every blow. The sport IS under
cloud now, however, and 1t IS doubtful
= hilrain and Dempsey can wash away
the stigma that John l.. Sullivan mas
p.aced upon It.
BUsBANDLEss YOUNG WOMEN.
"Tbe absence Of eligible young men
10 the summer resorts, although IL Is Nj
Nays melancholy lscI, h"S H0'0i
SD marked as during this season, sald a
veH-Enown newspaper-man, middle
ased bachelor Of wide experience, VINO
las lust returned from spending MS
tvo.1eeks' vacation at Lake George.
In the house / stayed at there were
forty-seyen manageable young women
the majority Of them pretty and attrac-
1--WE. 10 pay court to these fair crea-
lures were just eleven young men, iour
# them mere boys of eighteen OF nine-
teen. OF the remaining seven, inciu-
ding myself. only two could be strlctly
called eligible. The others were cierAs
aith slender salaries, who If they mar
red these girls could not for many years
% come hope 10 give them anything IKE
tie home 10 which they had been acc1s-
TONED. Their married life would De
et.1 a