Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-12-20
WILMINGTON IN OUTRE MER
Paul Bourget Discovers Our
Prize-Fighter.
BY AGCIDENT--N0 NAMES GIVEN
The Frenchnlan Saw MORT
arity in Washington, D. c.
The Great French Writer. Paul I3ourget,
Happens to see u Prizp Fight IN WASH
instOn. u. e., When WiiminStonian
was one of tho Prin0ipnls-.NIorlarIty
photusraphieaily Described.
New York Herald.

In Paul Bourgeois delightful story
SQUIRE MGR" in the New York Herald
is the following, which, incidentally
describes q Wilmington prize-iighter:
1t must not he thought that such
fanuticism in regard to so brutal sport
(prize tighting) does not often raise lively
roVolts. The same spirit Of initiative
which urges entire crowds Of Americans
to bow down in front of those semi-
gladiators and to idolize this violent
display Of physical energy drives other
Americans to raise cAlnpaign against
this uncontrolled and uncomfortable
violence. Leagues have been formed
in favor Of and against the game. 1t is
very possible that too numerous acct
dents will cause certain States 10 pass
legislative restrictions against the terri
BILE game. When one has closely fol
lowed a really ardent game" with plenty
Of light and ginger" us the reporter OF
newspaper said, one can notice that ut
q certain. point of excitement the play
ers are no longer masters of themselves.
As | write these lines | see once more
the figure OF one of the champions of
Pennsylvania after a disputed point
and the gesture Of rage with which he
threw the ball which lie had to give up.
Between that display OF anger and bad
action there vas too little distance, too
little psychological breadth to employ
padantic and very exact scientific for
mula.
However such restrictions will no
more cure the American public Of the
passion for football than they hnve
cured them Of the passion for boxing.
When, last winter, Cor1ett and Mitchell
were 10 meet at Jacksonville it was
| necessary TO run special trains 10 carry
the partisans of one and the other boyer
10 that happy city of Florida. There
was not newspaper in which the
| physical condition of the two rivals was
not mentioned morning after morning,
| hour after hour. The names Of the
relatives and friends who assisted them,
| the furniture Of the hotel rooms in which
they resided, the menu of their meals,
their reading and their thoughts, what
/ details did one not find in the columns
Of the newspapers When passed
| Jacksonville few weeks later the tight
was still the subject Of every conyersa-
ton in the trains which ran through
the dainty little town, and people only
stopped speaking of it in order to dis
cuss the next fight, which was pro-
posed between the Californian champion
and jackson, of Australia. Even the
election of the new President will not
excite more popular feeling,
In order to obtain an idea of what
such encounters must be, these prize
fights, as they are called, wherein the
fight only ends when it becomes i'm
possible for one OF the boxers to con-
time it, it is necessary 10 he the witness
Of some contest regulated by an athletic
club, that Is to suy, in which the rounds
arc counted and the blows are limited.
The most Interesting among those, the
details Of which | followed, took place
in Washington. 1t was also the first at
which | was present,
On the third ilo0rof the club, in the
gymnasium, platform the height of a
man was raised, closed IN with ropes.
All around thousand spectators were
waiting, some seated or chairs, others
in the gallery. On the walls gymnastc
implements, fastened or hung, gave this
scene a really worthy framing. Tlc
electrlcty--it was 8 o'clcckin the even
ing-lighted and chiselled the outlines
OF the impatient faces OF the yotaries,
and on the square platform was n
silhouette 81 a man Rervoualy coming
and gong, the referee" the arbtcr Of
the fight. lie wore one Of those Jacket
that are made here which eXaggerate
the fashion and have cut so ample, so
round, that it makes them resemble the
she'll OF some vast coleGptera. At last
Il murmpr q satisfaction rises. The first
two boxers arrive with their trainers.
They are covered with big bath cOaRs,
which they cast aside ar soon "a they
get upon the platform, any. thoi" bodies
appear quite naked, thin and with
bumps Of muscles. They seat them.
selves upon chairs and give themselve:
over with singular pass,yencss 10 the
care OF their assistants, who wash them
comb them, rub them like animals
. while the parsonage clothed in the
ample Jacket announces the programme
: OF the fight, its rlur4tion, the number ol
rounds, the weight Of the champions
Z. their nHmes and their country.
The one is from Philadelphia and the
other from Wilmington. The frs
S shows black muAzie, almost that of /
mulatto, in the centre of which is flat
tened out hrokenand crooked nose. Tit
$ other is fair, with square face, The
/, nose also broken in two places, il
4 consequence Of which there is u mari
, on his face somewhat resembling
i. deaths head. lie has extended his 1--WE
( arms, which he rests on the two cord
s crossed behind him at an acute angle
Y Ills muscles Of marble bent beneath Tit
k massage, which does not even seem t,
s shake them, However, the toilet is fin
| ished. fheJ both draw the gloves on. \
G gong sounds. They rise, walk toward ON