The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-02-29

NJ. III.
PUGMISM PASSING.
sonsthine About the Past History
Of tho Prise Hing.
Iaf4eg.pav Legaslntion Il Driving Out
tAo rroessssounl Punslsr aad the
spsst - NaaelH Iesine- TIA
PrPalartt1.
It would seem that what is called the
manly art Of self-defense is being leg
islated out Of existence, and the latest
blow administered the sport came from
the governor Of Louisiana, WHO swung
on the metaphorical jaw OF the Olympic
club Of New Orleans for it's recent effort
to revive boxing in the Crescent City.
Six years ago the sport of Figg and
Cribb was popular institution In
America, and recognized by the laws OF
almost every state from California to
Massachusetts.
San Francisco was then the Mecca OF
the boxer, and there drifted hither to
the orient every pug who could raise
the car fare, and most Of them found
employment. The Olympic club Of that
city-the oldest boxing institution in
the country and founded by the veteran
boxer, Prof. Bill Clark, in 1858-and the
California Athletic club gave boxing
entertainments three or four evenings
. week, with star bill once or twice
month, in which purses ranging from
$500 to $1,000 were hung up for finish
mills between such bif1ng luminariee
aa Jack Dempsey, Jack McAuliffe, Joe
McAuliffe, James Fleming Carroll, Ike
Weir, George La Blanche. Peter Jack
son, Jim Corbett and Joe Choynski.
The lesser lights, who furnished the
curtain raisers, received 500 or $500,
and often $500, for limited-round con-
tests, the losers end being seldom less
than 500. In New Orleans the Olympic
club, composed of the wealthiest sports
men in the city, hung up voluptuous
sums of money for contests. For the
Dempsey -Fitzsimmons, Fitzsimmons-
Maher, McAullffe-M Meyer, Skelly Dixon
and Sullivan-C Corbett fights the Olympic
club paid $5S,O00, this being a sample
of the liberality of the club. In Boston,
New York, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Chi
cago and, in fact, all the large cities, to
say nothing of the numerous Tom, Dick
and Harry cities that supported the sec
ond and third rate boxing attractions,
the sport was doomed and everybody
was boxing mad. At the boxers shoe
latches these clubs slumped themselves
and the bird and wine existence of the
''pug" in those days is a strong con-
trast and commentary, perhaps, on an
Improvement in the morals of the peo-
PIE, when you think of the hand-to-
mouth struggle of the boxer of to-day.
The competition between the big
clubs for star attractions became so
spirited that the Olympic of New Orleans
and the California clubs in particular
jostled each other in their chase for the
coveted prizes, raising their bids in
blocks of $500, and allowing the 'pugs"
a sum for training expenses that was
counted mint of money for q winners
end in the old days of the London ring,
when the Stayley Bridge Infant Sayers
ard the Upton Slasher battled on the
open.
The climax to the fancy purses came
when the Crescent club Of New Orleans,
composed of seeding wing from the
Olympic club. offered $4,000 for the
Fitzsimmons-M Mayer fight.
Tickets of admission to this brief null
ranged from three dollars per head to
five. But the public failed to indulge
il the luxury of witnessing red-head-
ed blacksmith performing narcotic
operation on the person of long,
legged plasterer. This fight bankrrpted
the club, and Fitzsimmons received but
5000 for discovering the Morpheus
point on Jim Halls jaw. This fiasco,
the attacks Of the newspapers on box
ing and boxers, and the action Of the
California and Olympic clubs soon
brought the sport In bod repute and un-
der the ban OF the INV, and day by day
the Legislative and municipal authori-
ties all over the country put on the
gloves with the pugs and the clubs, and
won every mill in one-round bouts.
The action OF the Arkansas and
Texas authorities was the latest and
most powerful blow at, the sport, and
1t has redched that desperate pass
where II is impossible to arrange q
glove contest in this country between
men Of such notoriety a. Corbett, Fitz-