Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-06-16

CUSTOM.
NEW YORK, June 5.-Chief of Po-
lice Devery was catechised before the
Mazet committee as to what he knows
about boxing matches as they are con-
Quoted in New York Devery said he
had taken an interest in the sport and
attended number, but had seen no
violation of the law. He did not know
he said that money was charged for
admission to the -Fitzsimmons
exhibition; he did not see any money
pass for tickets of admission.
(Under the Horton law boxing exhi-
billions may be given only before club
members, the contestants being also
members, and no fee may be charged)
He explained the difference between
Marquis of Queensbury and London
prize ring rules. He would interfere
in fight under the London prize ring
rules, but there was, he said, no bru-
taility in bouts according to the Mar
quis of Queensbury rules He had
wanted to prevent the Jeffries-Fitz-
simmons bout but deferred to the
wishes of the people who took the op-
posite view.
Did you see any heavy blows
struck was asked Chief Devery.
"They Jared a little. 1t was clean,
scientific contest. Neither of the men
complained that was struck heavily"
'Was there knockout blow?"
That | can't say. The man went
down. l can't say if he was knocked
out"
You saw him knocked unconscious
and carried from the ring?"
Il did not. l saw him put in
chair, recover Immediately and shake
hands with his antagonist"
MIR Moss quoted at length from
newspaper clippings regarding the fight
but the chief stuck to his position that
| under the law the police had no right
to interfere in a glove contest like that
Iof Jeffries and Fitzsimmons. Asked
how Jeffries comes to be champion if
the contest was not a fight for the
| championship of the world, the chief
said:
Under the law he is the Horton
champion"
The chief denied that he let the Fitz-
simmons-Jeff contest go on because
he was warned if he stopped that fight
he would have to stop all Others and
might thereby hurt the business of his
friend, Senator Sullivan.
WAS Fitzsimmons knocked down by
Jeffries?"
HE fell. A little tap might have
dropped him while he was side-step-
ping
at looked as if he fell as the result
of blown
''He might have. My personal opin-
ion was that he did. My official opin-
ion was that the law was not violated"
Mr.. Moss. still reading, referred to
two blows in the face that were like
the kick of a mule"
did you see those two blovs?"
Il saw those two scientific taps"
Chief Devery declared that he saw
nothing in the law to prevent such
fights in the future.
Chief Devery and Counsel Moss then
got into a fierce wrangle regarding a
friend of the chiefs and his connection
with pool rooms. and the chairman or
dered the chief of police from the COM
| mittee room. threatening at the same
time to have him elected by the SER
geant-at-arms. Chief Devery left.
The remainder of the testimony dur
ing the day was devoted to probing into
the dives ON the East Side and pool
rooms The committee then adjourned
to August l.
Committeeman Hoffman, on behalf of
the minority submitted a statement in
which he declared that the committee
/ had so far accomplished nothing; that
many witnesses essential to the inquiry
including Senator Thomas c. Platt,
his sons, and Elihu Root and BENJAMIN
B. Odell. had not been called and he
asked on behalf of the minority that
the iunuirv he adjourned uffhnut dafa