The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-01
FIRST ROUND OF THEFICHT.
The Athletic Club Faces the Law Full
Of Confidence.

Gov, Mitchell Grimly Waiting to
Leap Into. the Ring to Deliver the
Final Knockout Blow.
Jacksonville, Fla, Dec. 31.-Next
Tuesday, Gov. Mitchell, representing, as
he saws, 'eThe peace and dignity of the
state of Florida, ,"'and the Duval Athletic
Club. representing the lovers of the manly
art of self defense, are matched to meet
In the legal arena.
The athletic club would like for the
contest to be with gloves and for points
only. but Gov Mitchell, it Is said, has
blood in his eye and will make it bare
knuckle fight, and to finish at that
The occasion of the meeting of these
parties will be the habeas corpus proceed
ings instituted before Judge Call, in the
matter of the recent arrest of Corbett
and Mitchell, to test the Florida law in
relation to prize fights
The athletic club managers claim to be
absoutely certain of the result They
saw that Judge Cali will grant the writ of
habeas corpus and release Corbett and
Mitchell from arrest, declaring that there
is no law in Florida against glove con-
tests. After this decision the club officials
saw all will beplain sailing for the meet
ing of Corbett and Mitchell on the date
advertised, on Jan. %.
JUDGE CALL ON RECORD.
The promoters of the fight seem to have
some grounds for asserting that Judge
Call will decide the case in their favor.
They base their claim on Judge Calls
record when he was prosecuting attorney
for this county about three years ago. At
that time a glove contest took place at
the opera house in this city. The princi-
pals in the affair were promptly indicted
by the grand jury, but when the cases
were called, it is said that Judge Call, in
his capacity of prosecuting attorney,
moved to dismiss the indictments on the
ground that such contests were not in vio-
lation Of the laws of Florida.
This is the version of the affair given
by the sports of the community, but there
are others who say that, while Judge
Call did favor the dismissal of the indict-
ments, he did not state so clearly as the
lovers of pugilism claim that glove con-
tests were not violative of Florida laws.
THE CLUB COUNTING ON THE JUDGE.
However this may be, it is on Judge
Calls action in these cases that the
athletic clubs managers base their hopes
for favorable decision in the test case.
They say that it will never do for Call,
are prohibited, for it will be an admission
that Call, the prosecuting attorney, did
not know anything about the law. The
Judge, they say will never make himself
ridiculous in this way, but will as Judge
sustain the construction of the law he
made as prosecuting attorney three
years ago.
with Judge Calls decision In our
favor" say the members of the athletic
club Tho, for the fight on Jan. %, and
may the best man win,'
Now this is all very smooth sailing for
the contest from the clubs standpoint,
but 1t is leaving out the most important
factor in the situation and that factor is
Gov. Mitchell The governor as has been
announced in these dispatches, has
stated that he will not regard the decision
OF a lower court as final in this matter,
but will only be controlled by a decision
from the supreme court; the tribunal of
last resort in this state.
80, even if the club is sustained by
Judge Call in it's contention that glove
contests are not illegal in Florida, there
are still rocks ahead on which the pugil-
lstlc bark may be wrecked.
The managers of the club say that if
Judge Call sustains them the governor
cannot get the case before the supreme
court, as the right of appeal does not ex-
ISL Tor prosecutor.
THE GOVERNOR WON'T GIVE IN.
The claims of the club may all be true.
but nobody believes for a moment that
Ihe governor will accept the situation if
Judge Call decides in favor of the contest,
ana allow the contest to be pulled off
without interference. The governor has
reputation for being a determined man,
ana ne also knows that if he stops the
nght ne Will be praised by the law and
oruer element all over the country. He
IS also credited with saving that.
leaving out Duval county, an over
Whelmlng majority of the people
oI florlda are opposed to the fighl
taxing place in this state. The governor
Is LOO shrewd politician not to know that
ne can make himself 'solid" politically
Dg stopping the contest, and it is gener-
a. any Delleved that he will tind some way
W uo u IN spite of decisions in favor ofIthe
i,3da.o to9Gest from Judge Call, or from the
Euuges OF every inferior court in the state
@ An @IaGt the governor has already been
patches. ' - 'N''0 0A'
ONLY THE FIRST ROUND.
VI course, all this is on the theory that
Suuge Gall, on next Tuesday. will decide
~ ~ taVOr OF the club. If however. Call
cn9 Iuuge, should reverse Call, the prose-
cuUing attorney, and decide that glove
tISntesIs tInt are Illegal, then it would seem
pl,. TlaV u would be all up with the fight.
ioC,. Suo iet Judge Call decide in favor of the
ttIgahty of the contest, even then
sIs. sre cIuo will only have drawn
HIso ths blood in the contest with
vae governor. The executive will still be
boi{yn9cn n9cn IN the ring, and it is generally
~ tSdieteu eny that he will find means to make
sno,i.snU nsnU a very interesting one for the
az PViV tt' Vs. almost as interesting to the public
as e9e mill between Corbett and Mitchell
fn;aH fuiu oe II allowed to be fought 10 a
--it1sn E without gubernational Interference,
ar5 Soyi W., mitchell is still the storm center
cor1o clu VIII continue to be for some time to
nv" THE FIGHTERS PASSED THE DAY.
day Sor9e5t of 9S6 and Mitchell passed the last
te,.. toy oi Iog3 quietly at their training omar
is aI Mayport and st. Augustine Tbera
is trainilr Einior current here that neither man
nreferning sffelning very hard at present. each
dacisidr.l l1g TO wait for some definite legal
VOL tision .i before buckling down to the hard
the niriuI OIaI Is necessary to put a man i'm
TbaI, lA A.'?i, OF condition for fight.
to he VIII come to the citV to-morrovv
II ~ Se en present at the legal bont on Tnesdov
honse ItU ~ mat mat they will attend the opera
Boydis, morrow night to witness Archie
S1ggisss :, rendition of 'TThe Coint,,y 1ni otl.v
faitbfn, Zach Zach will be attended bv his
the CTS sq lures, and each will olare AZ
10 silSr from opposite hovae II Il -, e.