The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-10-03
WITHIN THREE HOURS
THE LEGISLATURES FOREVER
ENDS PRIZE-FIGHTING
IN TEXAS.
GOV. CULBERSON'S GREATVICTORY

| NV. IULpEnouW , dnEN VIZ IuhT
! This Ends One OF the Hottest and One
of the Bitterest, as Well as Shortest,
Political Fights Ever Brought UP in
the Lone Star State on ANY One Sim
gle Man--Prize Fighting Made "A Fell
OnY Punishable by Imprisonment in
the Penitentiary from 2 to 5 Years.
AUSTIN, Tex, Oct. 2.-There will be
no prize fight at Dallas, October 81, be-
tween Corbett and Fitzsimmons. This
| fact was settled this afternoon by the
Texas Legislature in exactly three hours
| by the watch. The two committees, one
in the Senate and the other in the House,
gave an audience to the Dallas attorneys
all the morning to ascertain their objec-
tions and protests to the passage of the
! law.
After hearing the gentlemen until
! noon, the two committees adjourned.
| This afternoon when the two houses met
| at o'clock, 10th committees were ready
| to report and the Senae bill was very
promptly considered. From the time
| the bill was placed before the Sena uu-
! til it finally passed, was exactly fifty five
| minutes. During the time Senator Dean
! opposed the bill aud Senator Lasker
spoke in its favor. These were the only
| two gentlemen who spoke on the bill,
the balance satisfying themselves by
| voting The vote on the final passage
of the bill was 27 ayes and nay,
| Dean being the negative voter. The
| bill was Immediately sent over to the
| House and at 4 o'clock that body began
discussing it, substituting the Senate
bill for the House bill After several
| gentlemen had spoken on the bill and
emergency feature pro and con, final
vote was reached at o'clock precisely,
and the bill passed the House by vote
of 10 to 5. Thus, within three hours.
did the Texas Legislature forever put an
end to prize fighting in Texas.
This time yesterday it would have been
impossible to have passed bill with an
emergency clause. There were only
ninety-two members present yesterday,
and of that number fifteen were opposed
to the emergency clause. 1t was neces-
sary to have eighty-six votes to carry the
emergency clause. The administration
forces readily saw the minority would
"do" them if the matter came to vote;
so they Immediately wired all their
friends to come here Immediately and
| then set about to kill time until their
forces could arrive. They had 80 only
! last night, but the absentees came
| fockiDg in on to-day's trains. Each
additional arrival added to the admins
tratiOn forces, and when everything was
arranged, the rush for the vote was
made. The fight management were con-
fused at the way the solons swarmed in
! this morning, and practically gave up
| the fight by o'clock this afternoon. IL
was almost a certainty This morning that
the Populists would be called over to the
Dallas side of the question, but a cog
was slipped, and on the vote this even
| ing they voted wi b the administration
forces, which cinched the matter.
Gov. Culberson's friends consider it
great victory for him, aud lost no oppOr-
! tunity to congratulate his EXcellency on
| the outcome of one of the hottest and, it
might be safely termed, one of the Bit
terest, as well as shortest, political fights
ever brought up in the Lone Star State
on any one single man.
The bill that will prohibit prize fight
! ilg in Texas in the future, and passed
to-day, reads as follows:
''Section /. Be it enacted by the Legis-
lature of the State of Texas
THAT any person who shall voluntarily
engage in pugilistic encounter between
man and mao, or a fight between man
and bull or any other animal, for
money or other thing of value, or for
any championship, or upon the result OF
which any money or anything Of value is
| bet or wagered or to see which any admis
sion fee is charged, either directly or in
| directly, shall b9 deemed guilty of fell
! ony, and, upon conviction, shall be pun
ished by Imprisonment in the peniten-
tiary not less than two or more than five
| years.
'Section2 2. BY the term 'pugilistic en-
counter as used in this act, is meant
any voluntary fight or personal encoun-
ter by blows, by means of the fists or
| otherwise, whether with or without
gloves, between two men for money or
any championship, or for any other thing
of value which is bet or wagered.
"S3ction 3. That all laws and parts of
laws 10 conflict herewith be and the same
are hereby repealed.
| ''Section 4. The fact that there is now no
adequate penalty against prize fighting
or pugllism, or against fights b9tween
man and beasts, creates an imperative
public necessity and emergency requir-
| ing the suspension of the constitutional
rule requiring bills to be read on three
separate days, and that this law should
be effective and be in force from this
| passage, and it is hereby so enacted.
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