Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-03-17

ist AS can be Imagined. IN July Frank
EQau killed Jcbn Mcdonald In = iumDer
ward glove contest 81 New York. but the
doctors decided that whisky really got II
the deadly blow. OF the four other men
killed not one had any standing IN tne r'hs.
Icannot recall q single Instance where
well known boxer has been kliIeh ny !"
blow Sullivan and Kilrain fought % ROUNDS
and neither man was injured. jackson ana
Corhett punched each other for over Tour
hours ana were .us good as ever the follow
IND dav Corbett knocked Sullivan out IN
o. youids. and both left the ring compara'
lively uniniured Cofbett gave Mitchell
his ouietus in three rounds, aid two hours
ufterward Mitchell was rs weli as ever.
George Dixon has whipped dozens OF men.
but he never killed one. and he Is as hard
as nails today himself. These men ana
scores of other well known pugiiists that
NAV be named are strong healthy, trained
fighters who can take any amount OF pun
ishment and not feel ii week aftcrward.
Physicians generally scout the idea that a
healthy, well trained man may be killed by
4 single blow or by numerous severe blows.
DIR. George +. Shrady, the famous special
ist. said recently: when two men train
faithfully for prize fight and enter the
ring in perfect condition, providing they
have no organic or even functional trouble,
I contend that it is improbable that one can
be killed instantly by the force Of q blow
from the others fist or that he may die later
from it's effects In a majority OF cases
where a blow from fist is the alleged cause
OF death the autopsy shows evidences OF dis
ease"
Much the same argument applies to the
deadly aspect Of football. OF the eight
PLAYERS killed in American games last sea
son not one belonged to even third rate
eleven. They were all crude, unframed,
scrub players, and mt least one OF them was
killed for the sole reason that he was play
ing on improper ground. He fell on a pro
jecting piece of rock and was so severely in
jured In the abdomen that he died. II is
hardly necessary to state that he might
have struck the rock while playing tag and
that football really was not responsible for
his death
Some OF the very toughest games of the
year were played By the eleyens Of Yale.
Harvard. Princeton, University OF Penn
sylvania. Wesleyan, Stanford. University
of Virginia and Chicago university. but
none OF the players on thea. teams was
killed. They were all strong, healthy, well
trained athletes, and '''midst the crowd.
tile hum, the shock Of men" they took their
medicine like gladiators Of old aud got out
of the melee alive Some of them were
somewhat disagercd, II is true. bnt they
ARE all still IN the ring
There il undoubtedly considerable room
for reform in both football and fighting.
bat mneh Of the brutality Of the latter has
alrpniy tTeQ dome away with arI fhe
chasers OF the pigskin are now hard nj work
humanizing their favorite game In Eight
ing the more humane small gloves have
taken the place OF bare knuekies. increased
science in boxing has made the contests
shorter and far less brutal, and the agony
that was usually prolonged 60 or 50 rounds
is now very frequently over in Xix or eight
or even less EARLE II. EATON.