The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-23


i stopped the bout and gave the de-
oision to Sharkey. because McVey, one of
Corbett's seconds, in violation of all
rules, jumped into the ring.
called all bets off, because believe
the action of McVey was paid by some-
body who had. bet on Sharkey, and l did
not propose to decide public money on a
palpable fake. / would not be party te
suoh fraud.
No one can tell me McVey lost his
head. He has been behind fighters for
years and there was some fraudulent deal
behind his movement. So far as I can
see. the fighters were on about even terms
when l stopped the bout On the ninth
round"
McVey said:
IT jumped into the ring because J saw
Sharkey hitting in almost every clinch
and sometimes SO low that any body ought
to have been able to see it. l called out
to the referee time after time In the last
round and then could stand it no longer
and / stuck my head through the ropes,
but Kelley did not see me. And then l
saw Sharkey hit Jim in another cltnch. I
guess lost my head and put my foot
over the ropes and they gave the fight to
Sharkey.
81 am sorry that I am the cause of the
decision being given against Corbstt He
had Sharkey whipped, but l could not
stand seeing Jim get fouled without
making protest.
Corbett said:
q. ~., II think that those who saw the fight
will agree that had Sharkey whipped
and could have had the decision in an
other round or two. 1t was my misfor-
tune that McVey jumped into the ring to
call the referees attention to Sharkey's
foul fighting. He did tight foul He hit
me low once in the second round AMI
again in the seventh. l did not see Nc
Vey jump into the ring and when Kelley
said You win | though he meant me,
becnuss I knew had the best of it.
"After l realized that the decision was
against me, offered TO fight 1t out with
him then and there but he walked away.
| ought to have gone right after my man
and whipped him in four rounds. I will
leave the decision to those who saw the
fight. -
Sharkey said:
~ regret that Corbett's second got into
the ring for in a few more rounds, per-
haps the Next, would have put him out.
! fought fair. Corbett struck too low once
or twice. Not blow that was delivered
hurt me. have not a scratch or mark on
me.
ST believe I can whip Corbett or any
one else ana stand ready to fight him or
anybody In the world, Fitzsimmons pre-
ferred. Coz belts cleverness counted for
nothing. Here stand tonight without
ever having lost fight on foul and
having just sSood Corbett off with all his
much yauntTtl cleverness for eight rounds
without scratch on me. can best any
man III the world"
TIE PRELIMINARIES.
The twenty round glove fight between
James j. Corkett of California, the ex-
champion heavy weight boxer of the
world and Tom Sharkey of Ireland. who
first showed his prowesS as a fighter while
serving in the United States navy as
blue Jacket, drkw an enormous crowd of
sporting men TO the Lenox Athletic club.
In fact such representative gathering CT
the sporting eleIaent from all over the
country was never within The city limits
at one time before.
Nearly every city of any Importance in
the United States was represented by
parties of at least dozen and tfsre were
many delegations Numbering over hum
drsd each in charge of we'll known men
from different sporting centres. Weeks
ago when the tickets for seats were first
nut on sale, shrewd people who lived it "a
distance from this city each wrote or
wired for seats to he reserved and so they
saved themselves a lot OF trouble on their
arrival here. Those who saw far enough
ahead to do this, were comparatively few,
however, and during the past few days
there was a lively scramble to secure good
seats.
Today not seat was to be had at the
club house after one o'clock and those
who had not made early provision had to
pay exhorbitant prices to the speculators
who snapped up the best seats early IN
the game. Tickets for seats in the i1nme-
diate vicinity of the ring brought
fabulous prices tonight. The original
cost of these pasteboards was twenty dol
lars each, but tonight twice that sum
could not purchase one of them and In
two instances they brought $lG0 apiece.
The other tickets costing from So TO Sl5
brought prices increased two and three
fold and the club management did not
put any of the So admission tickets on
sale. Anxious sports elamering for adj
mission GLADLY paid So and in cases IS for
the privilege of standing up at the ex-
sreme ends of the building. The club
house is not very well adapted for
pugilistic encounter as it is long and
narrow, having been built for an ice
skating rink. The ring is pitched in the
center of the house and the boxes are
built around it. On each end of the box
enclosure tier upon tier of chairs are ar
ranged on a gradually inclined structure,
which very nearly touches the roof at
both ends of the building. Along each
sids of the structure are long galleries
running nearly the entire length OF the
house and these were psrtitioned into
small boxes which were considered the
best possible places of vantage. The view
from any part Of the building was unob-
structed.
The doors of the big building were
thrown open shortly after five O'Clock.
At that early hour hundreds of people
were waiting patiently in front of the
club house on Lexington avenue. AS soon
as the first comers proceeded through the
tslrnstiles others took their places on the
outside and this continued for over three
hours. The crowds were kept in order by
a large force of police under Inspector
Mclaughlin and Captain Brown.
Inside the building all was hustle and
excitement, but at eight O'Clock the house
was scarcely half filed. This was ac-
counted for by the fact that the big event
was not scheduled to take place until
about ten O'Clock. The gambling instinct
was in evidence IS soon as the sports be-
gan to gather in the boxes
Corbett's stock was always in preference
and the odds on the big Californian
opened at 500 to $50. The betting was
not as lively as on former occasions when
fighters of less note have met in this
arena. So much betting has been done
during the past 4S hours, however, In the