The morning call., 1890-06-18
MUST BE STOPPED.
Chief Crowley Declares Against
Prize Fights.
The City Must Be Rid of Pugilists and the
Thieves and Gamblers in Their Foul
Train-The Clubs Combative.

Chief of Police Crowley has decided to
put on the gloyes-hard ones will be used
and fight the prZe-fighting pens, called ath-
Ietic clubs, TO finish.
-. He is reported to be in splendid condition,
and the betting is in his favor He is being
heavily backed by public sentiment that
indorses decency and order, and is opposed
TO brutality of the most debas ing kind, ana
which recently resulted in murder at one OF
the hives of physical and mental deprayity.
The first contest is announced to take
place at the California Club on the 9th
inst. The Chief will be seconded by Cap
~tains John Short and w. Y. Douglas. Ii
he wins the purse will go to the citizens,
and will consist of the removal Of foul
blot that has long rested on the fair fame
Of San Francisco.
WAR DECLARED.
.'Prize-fghting must be stopped in this
city"
At least, that is what Chief Of Police
Crowley said about it yesterday. He has
decided to institute open warfare against
slOgging matches, and such disreputa6le ex-
hibitons as the fatal affray in the Golden
Gate Club recently, and will give the courts
. an opportunity to sustain his action. Pfinel-
pals, seconds, officials, and likely the spec
LOIS W III NC dlLCoNCu At tAlC Ia oL SOAbSob 40
this city.
q am determined now to put a stop to
these exhibitions il | can and the courts
sustain me.
Tie Golden Gate Club 1 see has post
pOned the fight advertised to take place,
which would have been the first since the
killing Of Mcbride. The managers Of the
club did so of their own accord. They did
not consult me and l gave them no intima-
tiOn Of what steps | intended taking They
were prophetic, probably. am sorry they
are not going to have the tight, as adyer-
=. tised. ! had intended making number Of
arrests when the contest took place and
making a test case Of it. l want to stop
:: this. prlze-hghtng as much as anybody"
COUNTS WITHOUT LAW.
The Chief brought his hand down with
considerable force upon his desk, and in
voice full of determination repeated his re-
mark with emphasis, Il will do my share
III The matter and hope the courts will do
: the rest.
Il will make no distinction between the
Golden Gate Club and the other athletic
clGbS-none. There will no difference.
Steps Will be taken by the police to raid
g. them if they attempt anything of the kind.
. The people arrested Will be prosecuted I'M
der tine State law, which makes prIze-fght-
ing felony"
Then the courts do not prosecute nor
lrelp you out in these eases?"
no, sir, by no means. In the last four
or five years we have arrested over thirty
persons for pTiZe-ighting, or for attending
fights, and, although we tried our best, we
could not secure the conviction of a single
man. l am going to try again though, but
/ honestly believe that our efforts will re-
=sult as before. Yet | am more hopeful
that they will do their duty now. The
public have been awakened now, and if the
press VIII stand by the police l have no
doubt but that prize-fghting will be put
down in the city. The papers were not on
our side when we interfered before, but l
think II will be different this time"
THE PUG PESTILENCE.
Tire Chief said that he was glad to see
that the Attorney General had received in
.sTuctions TO interfere, as that would have
q good effect and materially assist the po-
lice in the effort to rid the city of gamblers,
lTize-fghters and others of their ilk.
He believed that sparring as an exercise
SHOULD be encouraged, as il tended to lessen
thenumber of ShOOtings and Standings in
the CITY; but these so-called contests for al
lrged trophies ought to be stopped.