The San Francisco call., 1897-02-24
Insists That Each Man Be Made
to Break Away With.
out Striking.
DAN STUART SUFFERING FROM
PNEUMONIA.
Has Been Very IL, but Is Now Declared
Out of Danger-Corbett's
Improved Form.

| CARSON, New, Feb. 23.-The path of
the management of the approaching
worlds cham pionship battle is not slrewn
and springy with roses after all.
| True, there is no evidence OF a possible
hitch in the new law or q clash with the
| authorities, but there are internal troubles
and serious troubles they are at that.
First and foremost among these is the TACT
that the tall and sunny-headed Cornish
man, who for years has professed hunger
for chance to cut nimble Jim Corbett
into ribbons, has grown sulky. He does
not want to play in any backyard appar-
emily. While L do not believe that Bob is
troubled with anything like premoni-
tions of chilly sensation in the neighbor-
hood of his pedal extremities, still he has
begun to quibble over trifes in such
manner that somebody is apt to cast as.
persions in his direction ere long His
complaint is tina. the Marquis of Queens
berry rules, as interpreted by Referee
George Siler, are not to his liking. The
| particular subdivision which permits
either pugilist to thump away with free
nand while in clinch and to dash in
after breakaway is the stumbling block.
When the big match was made both
Corbett and Fitz decided to indulge in no
hitting in the clinohes or breaks but after
/ both had thought it over they concluded
that what would be sauce for the goose
would be sauce for the gander, SO to
| speak, and the agreement between them
was altered to the extent that the time
! honored Queensberry rules should be al
lowed to stand without amendment, thus
permitting the clinch hitting This un-
derstanding pleased Siler immensely, for
he Immediately saw where he was going
to be relieved of great deal of labor and
responsibility and where the danger of
foul claiming was to be in great measure
avoided.
| S1ler was by no means exclusive in his
announcement that both men showed a
manly spirit by agreeing to play the en-
tire gamut in their mill. The old-time
referee explained to me shortly after his
arrival here that he never knew of two
| fighters to stand by pledge not to hit in
the breakaways. They invariably forgot
all about the agreement in the excitement
of the bout and unintentionally fouled.
This always LETT the referee in ticklish
position, for in reality he should give the
decision against the man who first broke
the agreement.
was just congratulating himself on the
| easy time he was going to have in the
ring with the big fighters when he ran
against the Fitzsimmons snag. For some
reason or other Bob does not now want
the clause which permits hitting in the
clinches to stand. Up till to-day everv-
body has been under the impression that
he heartily approved of this privilege, for
fa,1
nishmans ring tactics and with his abiI-
ity to get in such wonderful execution at
close quarters it seemed plain that the
rule would operate far more to his advan-
tage than to Corbett's.
Siler did not know that trouble was in
store for him until to-day, and the new
was quite a shock to him. a strenuous
effort has been made by all who have
knowledge of this new stumbling block to
keep the matter quiet in the hope that the
difficulty will be adjusted before it can
reach any serious state.
1t appears that Sier provided both Cor
bett and Fitzsimmons last night with
copies of the unadulterated Marquis of
Queensberry rules. He explained 10 them
that in his opinion the public would be
better satisfied and the fighters them
selve If there were no amendments or spe-
cial provisions of radical nature incor-
porated in the list of regulations. The
battle was to be for the championship of
the world and be decided strictly accord
ing to rules. so that neither of the men or
their hackers could say after the contest
that any unfairness had been INDUCED in
or any special privilege allowed.
Corbett read the rules over carefully
and said he could see nothing in them to
which be could find objection. They