Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-16

Burke. Why should not Slavin, for instance.
break his journey to Australia, if he, intends
returning there shortly, as hear he does? Why
not stop here and arrange fight with the
"Irish lad?' can guarantee both big stakes,
and what is of even greater importance-as
what is the use of big stakes If you. don't get
fair chance to win them-a fair field
and no favor. But it must be night with
nothing bigger than skin gloves: South Afri-
caus don't go cent? on a limited number of
rounds with soft gloves. law has been lately
passed in the Transvaal prohibiting both box
ing and fighting which might make some
difference to gate money, but / do not think
very much. The most of the inhabitants Of
Johannesburg, the principal town in the
Transvaal and the headquarters Of sport in
South Africa. are Europeans. The sporting
division is large, generous, and wealthy.
Fighters would be literally backed and their
contests satisfactorily arranged. There is an
almost unaccountable absence of the rough
element in these parts and never is there the
slightest apprehension of "mflr' being inter-
rupted by the partisans of either contestant
We used to bring of all our combats under P.
R. rules in q theater in johannesburg. The
men always fought with skin gloves These
events were duly advertised and reported in
detail in the daily papers; were patrOnized BY
nearly all the leading spectators, stockbrok-
ers, merchants, professional men, and 9en-
orally by the chief and officers of the police
force. On no occasion was there the least dis
turbauce of any kind" This certainly ought
to be indueement enough for two or three lead
ing performers to go to telds and pastures new
and make fortune. If Couper is correct
jackson and Sullivan would become million
aires there in day.
That FarnI Contest.
Everybody interested in sporting affairs must
regret the unfortunate occurrence at Dallas
Tex, on Thursday night whereby youngJames
lost his life. The effects of sad events of this
kind are always damaging to sports, and unnec-
essarily so. 1 won't be- surprised to find hun
dreds of people railing their utmost against
boxing, and holding the event in question up
as frightful example Matters of this kind
are, as a rule, misunderstood by the public, and
by many alleged sporting writers as well; in
deed, some of the latter know less about mat
ters of the kind in question than do the public.
Not long ago local luminary in his wisdom
presumed to tell the public of a tremendous
battle between John L. Sullivan and John
Dwyer, and also of another terrible contest be-
tween Ned O'Baldwin and Tom Hyer. Well,
posters the public have to deal with, and also
to point out that we may expect to hear some
very curious conclusions drawn from Thurs
day nights accident. Now in all fairness
would like to know why there
should be any more noise made about the
death of James than about a man who dies
on the football field. baseball ground or in
foot race or boat racer Men have died sud-
denly in all these branches of sport through
excitement chiefly. Is boat racing brutal be-
cause Renforth died in his boat while in des-
perate contest? Is football brutal sport be-
cause already this year several players have
been killed while playing! And SO we might
go on. Then claim that we ought in all fair
ness to apply the same logic and rule to a box
ing contest with big gloves. think it would
be safe to bet million dollars that Bezenah's
blow was not the sole cause of the death of
James. Bezenah could not kill man with a
large glove at one blow, but the blow may affect
other physical failIngs and cause death. But
any kind of sport at all might do the same to
the victim. We all know now that it was not
entirely the blow of Carney that killed High
land, The latter had heart trouble. and that
was The great cause of death, aided, of course,
by Carney's blow. Therefore, 1 don't see why
boxing should be in any way censured because
of the accidents that occur in connection with
it: at any rate it should not be censured any
more than any other sport. PRNGLE.S