Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-08
A FIGHT OR FIzzLE.
Continued from First Paqe.
morning, and will remain on duty until
after the fight comes off.
80

diIcf Tic uSut COLucS Oh.
The Military Preparations
in Louisiana are on smaller scale. But
two companies, the Louisiana Field Artil-
lery and the Louisiana Rifles were called
out. The first made a meager show
ing at the armory, most of the
men being reported out of town,
whereas as it is known that a majority
of them want to go to the fight themselves.
Forty of the Louisiana Rifles reported.
Both companies are ordered to be on duty
for service in the field and to report at 1890
p. NJ. at the depot of the
Queen and Crescent Railroad. Gov
ernor Nichols this morning issued a
proclamation, which was served on the rail-
road, calling its attention to an act of Legis-
lature which requires any railroad to fur
nish transportation for the State troops
when required to do so by the
Governor. A demand for a special
was made which, it is understood, is
to leave here ten minutes after the prize
fight special. Adjutaut General Fairies
says that he has received no orders from the
Governor. He is awaiting them, and will
do nothing until he has received instruc-
tlons. He understood that the fight
wouldn't take place in Louisiana.
The Outcome in Doubt.
What will be the outcome of all this no
one can say, because no one knows what are
the instructions to the militia, whether to
stop the fight, to see no disturbance oc-
sion to the Mississippi line and see
that the battle does not come off
in Louisiana. 1t is thought that the latter
is the plan most likely to be pursued, but
the great question is whether the militia
train will ever reach the grounds. The i'm
preston prevails that it will be sidetracked
or that the pugilists or those who go to
see the fight will slip away from the troops
in some way and have the affair over before
the latter can come up with them. The
necessity for secrecy has induced the man
ayers of the mill to refuse to allow
any telegraphic communication with
the ring. There is to be no
wire there, and the correspondents will not
way stations on the route. They will have
to come back to New Orleans to reach a
telegraph station, when there will be nice
rush for it.
The Scene of the Battle.
1t became known tonight that the place
finally selected for the fight was Richburg,
or Rich's Mills, in Marion county, Miss,
103 miles from New Orleans, in the midst of
dense pine forest This fact leaked out, and
the Sheriff of that county and the comman-
dant of the Mississippi troops at Nicholson
telegraphed to Governor Lowry for instruc-
tions, asking whether they were authorized
to tear up the track to prevent the passage
of the prize fight train. He answered, telling
them to take any steps that were necessary to
prevent the fight occurring in Mississippi;
not TO tear up the track, but to place such
distractions on it as to prevent the passage
of trains, if necessary, and to notify the
railroad authorities of what had been done.
This is the plight those in New Orleans
find themselves at midnight. The fighters
are safe in Mississippi, beyond the troops,
and are now at Richburg, where the battle
will take place. The troops, by constant
marching, cannot hope to reach Richburg
before noon tomorrow.
Caught In a Trap.
Should the authorities interpret the
Governors instructions to obstruct the
track as meaning the stoppage of
the trains containing the thousands
on the way to the fight, there
will be great many disappointed men and
the battle may be decided without any eye
witnesses at the regular time, but those
hopeful of getting through to Richburg
without any interference, claiming that, as
they are not principals, they are not amen
able to the law.
Its raining heavily up the road at Hat
tiesburg, and even lower down. The un-
certainty of a battle was never greater than
now, and how Sullivan and Kilrain can
escape arrest Is something that will take
considerable figuring to get around. It
looks as though they were caught like rats
in trap.