Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-19

:
your opponents ribs with the right hand;
fifth, on the right side OF his ribs with your
eft hand; sixth, directly at the center of
he face, covering, if the fist is sufficiently
large, the chin, throat, nose and both eyes.
This is considered what the boys call
''daisy" blow when well given. Seventh,
the upper cut with the right. This blow
strikes under the chin, and II the other man
carries his tongue between his teeth it is
bad for the tongue There is another blow
called the ''chopper''-raising the right
hand up and bringing it down with crush
ing force on the bridge of your antagonists
"smeller." 1t would take too long to give a
description of the parries.
Speaking of pugilism generally, would
say that men are, you may say, forced into
| prize-fghting. The outside public are not
satisfied with exhibitions with the gloves,
which become too tame, and they force
| good man to fight with bare fists. Many
people seem to think boxer cannot be at
the top Of the heap unless he fights with
bare knuckles, although man can do Just
as fine work with the gloves, as 1 think L
have shown heretofore. think there are
very few fighters who would not just as soon
| fight with the gloves as without them, but,
as say, the sporting public and the gen.
er3l PUBIC 1QLefeSt6Q III dtu46b1V AudbL6rb
force men into matches.
PUGILIsTs IN PRIVATE LIFE.
In private life prizs-fghters, as a rule, are
quiet welI-behaved men. Quarrelsome
people often try to force them into disturb
ances, but it will be noticed that they sell
dom use their strength in private rows; on
the contrary, they continually try to avoid
disturbances. If prize-fghters were brutal
l. Il. oil h.
gagged in such disturbances. Of course,
they may occasionally show their weak
nesses and display convivial spirit, but I
suppose merchants and brokers do the same
thing every day in the week, only, the
people not being we'll known, sueh things
are not considered of sufficient importance
to get into the papers.
Pugilism has had late and eloquent de-
fender in the Hon. Chauncey M. Depew.
In his speech at the reception to the Ameri-
can ball players, he said:
"I have read with some interest lately
the writings of a philosopher who sometimes
approaches the truth, that this year can
mark the march of civilization of race or
a decadence by the interest which any na-
tiohality takes in puglIism. Then it is said
that the civilization Of the East is despot-
ism because they have no pugilism. Ire
land can never be crushed, no matter what
her adversity, for among her sons there are
not only men of eloquence and genius but
great pugilists. And England, too, with
her literature and progress, has also some
good pugilists. But when we come to the
home of genius and culture in American
Boston we find the great pugilist."
He added that the nations of the world
which are most interested in manly sports
are the English speaking. race, and they
tn in, III.
institutions. There is considerable interest
in pugilism in England. The Prince of
Wales, Lord Clifford, the Marquis of
Queensberry and the majority Of the young
lords who travel around with the Prince
like to see good stand-up fight. But do
not think pugilism is any more popular
over there than it is here; don't think they
have as many fights there. The majority Of
the fights they have take place in London;
they are glove contests and are limited to IL
rounds. liked the Prince of Wales
There were no "airs" about him and he
seemed to be a man of the people. On the
race track where met him he looked and
acted like an ordinary, brisk business man.
THE SATURDAY REVIEWS" IDEA.
A certain English paper not long ago
made such fair statement on the general
subject of pugilism that 1 thought it worthy
of keeping, and would like the item put
in print. 1t is from the London Saturday
ReUie,o, which, believe, is paper that
stands high in the newspaper world. The
writer says:
''There has been q great deal of nonsense
talked about prize fighting ever since the
time it was practically otracised in England.
Nothingea for instance, be more absurd
than to suppose that the physical pain or
torture suffered by pugilists in the ring is
materially greater than that endured by
men who engage in other severe bodily COM
petitions. When one man is pitted against
another in any prolonged trial of strength
and endurance, combined with skill, the
evil which he fears and which eventually
makes him or his opponent succumb, is
purely and simply the feeling OF utter ex-
haustion by which he is precluded from
continuing the struggle. No one, of course,
likes to be smitten on the nose or in the
mouth. The sensation is unpleasant even to
the most hardened pugilist; for the theory
that familiarity breeds contempt is hardly
more true of the prize fighter and his
wounds than it is of the storied eels and
their sufierings while undergoing the pro-
cess of haying. But to suppose that the
pugilist strikes his flag, or, more properly
speaking, throws up his sponge, because he
thinks that his nose is becoming sore, or be-
cause he feels pain in his ribs, is to mistake
altogether the whole character of contest
of strength between two highly trained
pugilists. The punishment received in the
ring differs in kind, but not in essence from
the punishment suffered by running man,
when, after doing all he knows, he feels his
strength ebbing away and falls out of the
race because nature refuses him the force
necessary to retain the lead. The best
judges of the inhumanity of fight, as far
as the principles are concerned, must surely
be the principals themselves, and not one of
these will say that they see any more in
humanity in it than in long-distance
race"
RUINED BY OPPOSITION.
People sometimes say, the same paper
argues, that the prize ring is a resort for
roughs and blacklegs Suppose you should
try to crush any other athletic sport-make
fencing or baseball playing an indictable
offense-you would find that such contests
would be frequented by an inferior class OF
people.
deny, however, that prize fights are only
witnessed by roughs and bad characters;
there are very large number OF solid, SUBJ
stantial men-bankers, brokers, merchants
and editors of prominent newspapers-who
like to be on hand when there is a good
"milI" coming off,
How long prize fighter may retain his
strength depends very much on his constitu-
tion. A man may remain good one until
he is 30 or 40 years of age. Prize fighters
live to pretty fair age, as is proved by the
list of some of the famous men in that line:
Born. Died. Aged
John Broughton. ...........-1703 17S9 IS
Tom johnson. 1850 1877 II
Daniel Mendoza. ..l7G3 1885 70
John Jackson. 1859 l845 78
Jem Beleher.. .l7SI 1911 so
Tom Belcher ---- 1763 1254 II