Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-23
GOSSIP ABOUT THE BOXERS.
Why the Marquis Of Queensberry VIII
Now Come Forward.

Why the Marquis Of Queensberry VIII
Now Come Forward.
THE DANGER or rIaHrISa UNDER THE LONDON
PRIZE RING RULEs-KISe PIN SULLIVAN
JEM SMITH NEVER INFANT IT AT ALL
| From the New York sun
John L. Sullivan appears to be the Alpha
and the Omega of the American ring Prior to
his advent in it it was in a very low way. But
| a few years before a couple of bald-headed old
men, Tom Allen and Joe Goss, had fought for
| the American championship. Then big
second-rate fighter from Troy, named Paddy
| Ryan, came on the scene and he took the title
from Goss by the merest fuke, as Joe wore
himself out on him beating him. Sullivan did
Ryan in a canter and shortly after startled the
fistic world by announcing that he would pay
sum of money 10 any man he could not stop
| with the gloves in four rounds. Nothing 80
| bold had ever been heard of before. and many
predicted that the bold Boston lad would soon
regret his temerity, but he didn't. For years
| he wandered up and down the face Of the land,
knocking out a fresh victim in every city and
| town in which he gave exhibition. Three
| men only escaped him-Tug Wilson, Dominick
| McCaffrey and Patsy Cardiff-and neither of
| them dared to stand up to him according to
| the spirit of the rules
Then he went to England. His reception
| was such as no fighter in that land of fighters
| ever received. In an evil hour he made
match according to the old rules with Charley
| Mitchell, and, unfit for a contest. he fought
him in France. There the fortune of war was
| against him. For few rounds he hammered
| Mitchell at will. Then he injured his right
| arm, and afterward cold rain fell which
chilled him to the bone. After two hours and
over OF houndering in the mud and rain he
was content to have the affair called a draw.
This was virtual victory for Mitchell, and
Sullivan took it much to heart. He returned
to this country almost broken hearted and
gave way In his sorrow to excuses to which,
unfortunately, he is only too prone. Then fol-
lowed terrible fit of sickness, which fairly
| brought him to deaths door, When he conva-
lesced he was SO weak that many thought his
| lighting days were over. He did not so be-
lieve, however, and he found others who had
faith In him. Three men who had been Kill
| rains friends, but who had been ill-treated by
him and Charley Mitchell in France, where
| they had gone to see him fight Jem Smith,
| sought revenge. and they pitted Sullivan
| against him. They were assisted by sport
| ing paper, which wanted to down a rival and
| get a good advertisement. The story of the
| trouble experienced in preparing Sullivan for
| the fray and his victory over Kilrain is too
fresh to need retelling. Once more Sullivan
stands forth the champion of champions; but
after him comes the deluge.
| When the match was preached opposed its
being fought under London ring rules, but Kill
rains hacker would have no other The diff
| Guilty that would be experienced in pulling it
on was pooh-poohed by the men who were in
| strumental in getting it up. Many good friends
| of pugilism suggested that the men meet in
| San Francisco under the auspices of the Cali
fornia athletic club, which stood ready to offer
| a $4,000 purse for a contention between the
| men; but no, that could not be- We were told
| that no championship was valid which was not
| won under London ring rules. as though the
| world did not advance and change, and as
though public opinion in this country did not,
after all. settle all questions of fstc as well as
of political supremacy. Kilrain, by virtue of the
possession of belt and clubbing was called by
the paper of his hacker ''the champion of
America" but the American people never reg
| onized the validity of his title, and he was
hooted, jeered at, and even rotten-egged for
| assuming it. The result of the fight of July 8
| showed that the American people knew who
| was the champion.
There is no doubt that Sullivan, Kilrain,
and their seconds and hackers now wish they
| had listened to good advice and had had the
| fight under Queensberry rules The result
would have been the same only it would have
| been more quickly arrived at. Sullivan would
| have won, and to-day he could be walking
| Broadway free man. and SO could Kilrain and
| all their seconds and hackers, without having
the fear of arrest in their hearts or of the pun
ishment which may follow Instead the prin-
! clpals and their seconds are in hiding, and all
| parties except Sullivan are money out of
| pocket.
The upshot of the matter is sure to be the
abandonment of fighting in this country under
London ring rules, and 1 for one am glad of it.
| 1t Is savage and brutal method of fighting,
| especially when an inexperienced man is Sc
lected to be the referee Mr.. Fitzpatrick, who
| held the place in the last fight, stands as high
| in reputation for honesty as any man in New
| Orleans, and yet in his desire to have the fight
| decided not on fouls, but on the real merits of
| the men, he permitted acts which were exceed
ingly brutal Time and again Kirain pur-
| posely and deliberately trod on Sullivans feet
with his spiked shoes, puncturing them so that
| they bled over the grass which he stood
| Time and time again did Kilrain strike Sulli-
van far below the belt, and the persistency
with which he struck at a particularly sensitive
portion of his anatomy his groin, showed that
| there was malicious purpose in his endeavors.
At last Sullivan attempted retaliatory meas
| ures. Once he sat down on Kilrain's shoulders
with fearful force, and again he attempted to
jump on him with both knees. 1t was very
fortunate for Kilrain well as himself that the
result was not equal to his intentions His
knees merely grazed Jake's head and one
| shoulder. Had he fallen on his breast or
stomach he might have killed him, and then
| there wonld have been a terrible time.
| There will hardly be another London ring
rule fight, at least east of the Rocky Mountains.
| No fighter with good sense will engage in one,
| and the man willing to back pugulist IN such
a contest is fit subject for legal guardian.
Hereafter championships will be decided by
| glove contests fought under Queensberry rules
| or rules even more humane. Sullivan himself
has said that he will never engage in another
| prize-ring battle, and he sets fistic fashions
here just as absolutely as the Prince of Wales
sets mems dress fashions in England.
The talk of fight between Jem Smith and
Sullivan is all bosh. Smith knew when he
| issued the challenge that Sullivan would not
| accept It, or he would not have made it.