Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-16

VINO mas oeen In the East during the last SIX
or seven months assured me the other day, a
little personal difference between the Sheriff
and the proprietors of the so-called Puritan
Club was the sole cause OF the stoppage of
the contest. This is the way in which the
dignity of the law is upheld. l refer to the
matter in this spirit because have. indeed,
very little admiration for these club contests.
II there is a law against them enforce it,
and II there is not, why in the name OF COM
mon sense cannot a bona fide encounter OF
the brave and manly kind be allowed as in
the days when boxing-glove hyppodroming
aid boxing frauds were unknown? If d
club room can be legalized for those boxing
glove prize fights, why cannot an open field?
Don't tell me that there is any more
brutality in the old method of set
tling the question of superiority on
the open turf than in small
ring in club room or saloon
room providing both encounters are bona
fde. In more than 80 per cent of the bona
hde glove encounters man is knocked
senseless with a blow; that blow may be
soon or late in the contest. but the blow
knocks the man "out." In how many in
stances has this occurred in historical bare
fist battles? The answer is very, very few.
Even when Tom King delivered his re-
markable one on Mace the latter was not
when the sponge went up he was still able
to respond. But time and time again it
happens among our glove fighters that one
blow temporarily knocks the senses out OF a
man. In view of these facts l think there
is little reason to talk about the brutality of
bare fist fighting while so MANY people are
upholding these glove contests. The latter
has, during the last decade, introduced more
frauds in pugilistic circles than existed dur
ing all the previous so years. 1t has en-
couraged club system that is question: BILE
from top to bottom, because these so-called
clubs are nothing more or less than schemes
to evade the law and make money by not
only an inferior method of fighting, but also
bv method that is the most brutal. All
that 1 argue for is to let us have an i'm
partial law regarding the TWO styles of fstic
encounters.
Fogarty and La Blanche.
According to reports there is once more a
prospect of Fogarty and La Blanche coming
together. AS far as nv information goes if
the contest between Smith, of Denver, and
Godfrey comes off all right, the Puritan
Club will offer good purse for contest be-
tween Fogarty and La Blanche. An en-
counter between these two middle weights,
they may be heavier, would be of very great
interest because they both have been ION
the shelf SO long. Fogartv's abilities as a
pugilist have always been respected by the
very best authorities, but it really is so long
since he appeared in the ring that it would
be exceedingly difficult to give anything like
a correct estimate OF his merits now. But
Fogarty's chances of getting into his best
form are just as good as the chances of La
Blanche. At any rate a battle between
them under the regulation club rules would
certainly be interesting.
X
General Events.
This week baseball really demands so
much attention that there is not space to
deal with matters that ordinarily should be
noticed. am glad to say that football
more than sustains the popularity that has
surrounded it since the opening OF the sea-
son. There are more players and clubs than
ever, and the players, generally speaking,
are of better quality. Pittsburg is now in
possession of several good teams. During
the week there has also been more than
usual interest DISPLAYED in almost all kinds
of amateur sports. Of course, we'll all be
glad of this, because l am inclined to be
lieve that the day is fast approaching when
amateur athletes will have tull sway. The
remarkable amateur events of this year will
most assuredly prompt more to try for
laurels next year than ever, and it is safe to
say that IRON now on it will be the only
ambition of all athletes to head the marks
made ty Owen and Baker. PRINGLE.