Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-18
coRpErT on PRIZE FIGHTING.
He Don't Think II Does Good-iss-
empIary nenefits OF His Career.


He Don't Think II Does Good-ix-
empiary Benefits OF His Career
When Corbe,t looks you full In the
face, the great gray eyes beamlns the
light OF a kindly, generous nature, no
one who Is sensitive 10 fine magnetism
can fail to realize that he Is more or
q gentleman than the public has IN
past years deemed consistent with the
character OF a professional pugiilst.
When he greets you In his CHEEKY way
you see that you have seldom mel
/ more natural easy. graceful man. The
touch OF the firm muscular hand which
sealed the fate OF Sullivan and has
since dehed the world, is nervous and
quick. and the grasp bespeaks the
warm heart and lmpulslve disposition
which radlates from the great athlete
before you in every motion ana every
pose, In every expression, by word or
otherwise
! 1t was therefore with feeling of
I great delicacy that tho great prize
fighter was asked his ralson detre.
I Every man must answer continually
the question, What right nave you IN
the world, or as 1t has been put by
comedian, Have you any excuse for
! llving7" So that question was put 70
! Champion COrbett In a carefully word
ed manner. He was asked;
What good does pugilism do society
at larger"
straight from the heart, bravely said
| but with a ring OF pathos In II.
at don't do good; II does harm. II
had a son he should never be prize
/ fighter"
Then, following this brave. straight
| forward answer, came deft and pleas
| ant change OF conversation by the
1 champion. to a point which he could
/ discuss with ease. 1t was the recent
occurrence Of death in two Instances
as the result OF sparring.
Corbett does not mince words. Lake
the muscles Of his arms or the quick
blows they send, his thoughts seem
to iiy straight at you in words which II
| quoted without their peculiar intona-
| ton and accompanying gestures might
/ convey different meaning from that
which was Intended and which was
/ apparent when engaged in conNersa-
| ton In brief, It may be said that he
I tnkes the position that the fact that
| there have been one or two accidents
Of late in sparring exhibitions does not
make against that species of sport
any more than the occasional death
1 OF jockey should against racing, lie
says these accidents VIII not weigh
| heavily In the unparalleled mind
against sparring exhibitions, against
the thousand and one events Of that
kind In which no accidents occur. He
says ne expects that people who are
naturally prejudced against boxing VIII
make use OF these occurrences as argu-
ment against 1t, though they are just
as much out Of place as 1t would be 10
stop racing because Jockey was KILL
ed now and then or to stop bunulnG
walls because a brick has been known
to fall on the top of one of them and
kill a man, As TO criminal RESPONSE
bility, he asserts with deep eaine8tncag
that 1t can In no way attach to the man
who knocks another out In boxing
match and thus causes his death. Such
person cannot be held liable in that
way, since 1t Is not his Intention 10
kill, or even hurt, an opponent,
Again 1t was sought to give him a
| cue, and this time he took 1t readily
| with agreeable results.
| His reply 20 the first question which
was put to HIN disoredlts prize fight
/ Ing more than Il great many people
| who are not prize fighters will admit
| more than will be countenanced by
| many gallant devotees of the mani.
/ art in this answer it seemed as II
| IN seeking to avoid bias on one hanG
[ he Lad gone to the extreme OF doing in
| it, ice to the prize fighter at least IN
| tine minds OF those who look up to
| the prize tlghter as an eXemplar OF eX
cellency in the manly art which few
| men at heart dcspise. In fact II is az
parent both from the words OF III
| champion and his manner Of sayiua
them that he feels peculiar repug
nance to the brutality of the ring. u
/ 1t sometimes appears aud an evideus
| desire to escape its associations.
Now he was asked
| Does the style of lighting which
4 you have inaugurated, together will
I the example Of abstemiuus living which
I You have set before young men who
I may choose to emulate you tend to
: benefit them or not?"
/ Yes, think it does good In this way
I 1t used TO be that a big brute Of A man
| the blacksmith sort or a man-war
the one who was looked up to. That
/ was the idea"
| Before n4y light with Sullivan the
notion was that the big man would
( WIN. Now It is not that way. II was
] seen that the right kind OF a man with
something here Indicating Ills fore-
head was 4 better man, even in
I physical light than the big brute Of q
Fellow. Now Its that way People
thlnk II and understand It, A young
/ man who watches me understands how
/ he can make himself more than
match for ourly bully. l could take
! a young man and have him travel with
/ me and do like 1 do and II he wasn't
/ too far gone with fast living, | could
! make pretty good man out of him.
Corhe;ts conversation ls withai mod
! est and unassuming. and fun o! apology
I for anything which seems like esotism
/ In speaking OF his own wonderful
proves.
He was handed dispatch received
last night by the Gazette from me As.
ISOLATED Press. Il contained some re-
I marks rejecting on the ability OF
/ o'ponnen to meet Fitssimmons. and
INVITING Corbett about Jackson.
"Oh he's a wiad-bag," laughed the
4 el ampion, referring to Davies. "au,l-
/ JaclSon-he's IN Eng and. II he wants
I 10 night me what's he ever there nnr9"
Continuing the conversation. Corbett
{ expressed a determination TO retire
from the ring soon, saying that hc
( had go % into prize lighting seeing thai
/ he CO u become best at II. and Thai
there was money IN IT, He said he
did hot care anything for the reputa.
lion of prize fighter and did NOT iLr
the associations which people attached
to H. He SAID man need mon be by,,'-
az because he was a prize fighter. nnd
there was evidence OF this in the fas-
chatting presence OF the champion
ROYALTY ENTERTAINED.
Corhctt Stays over for a .y,cis ~,
bit Hunt.
After the performance last night Mr.
Corbett accepted an Invitation fror,