Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-12-10
KILLING The GAhE.
How the New York Sports Are Stand
ing in Their Own Light.
THE HORTON LAW WILL PROB
ABLY BE REPEALED - TWO
WELL KNOWN PUGILISTS WHO
HAVE BROKEN DOWN - THE
DEMAND FOR HIGH CLASS
TROTTERS - COLLEGE ATH-
LETICS-OTHER SPORTS.

called Horton law, which Allows poA-
ing bouts OF limited number OF
rounds to take place in regularly Ii
censed clubs, the short haired fratern-
ity has had things pretty much its own
way in New York State. The law.
when framed, was intended to allow
only scientific contests for points and
to do away with the brutality OF the
ring.
Had the men who run the clubs
been alive to their own interests they
would have kept within these bounds
and boxing would not only have -four
ished in the Empire State, but other
legislatures would probably have come
around to the view that it is possible to
regulate boxing by law so that only
the science and none of the bad fea-
tres of the sport shall be evident.
The recent Jeffries-Sharkey encoun-
ter and others like it have shown,
however, that the hoped for result has
not been attained, and now, owing to
the shortsightedness of the men in
control, it is very likely that the Hor-
ton law will be repealed at the next
meeting of the State Legislature, or, if
not repealed, will be so modified that
the sport will be practically killed.
Two well known pugilists have re-
Gently broken down, though from alto
gether different causes. KID Nc
Coy, the clever middleweight, came
down with heavy cold which develop
ed fever and other complications
while training for his enconter with
Peter Maher. This illness of Mccoy
was not altogether surprise to those
who are followers of boxing.
Once before, soon after being knock
ed out by Tom Sharkey, the kid"
broke down in the same manner. He
declared at that time that he would
not fight again for year. While it is
not believed that McCoy's retirement
will be permanent, still it is doubtful
if he will ever be in as good physical
condition as that which he has pre-
viously enjoyed. Mccoy never was
very robust, and his great success has
been mainly due to his wonderful box
ing ability, combined with his mar
velous quickness and the stiffness of
| his leg work.
Another fighter who will apparently
never again engage in contest in the
ring is the former lightweight cham
pion, kid" Lavigne. Ever since he
was knocked out by George McFadden
he has been trying to drown his sor
rows in the flowing bowl, with the in
evitable result.
Several matches were arranged for
| him, his manager and friends hoping
| by this means to induce him to train,
| thinking that possibly the hard work
preliminary to ans encounter would oc-
| cupy his mind and that he would come
around all right. All of these matches
| had to be postponed, however, as he
still continued in his misguided course,
so that now it is feared that his consti-
! tuition is irretrievably impaired.
| In this day of the automobile, when
it would seem that the days of the
horse in cities are well nigh numbered,
the new boom in the market for trot-
tiers is extremely significant. The re-
cent sale of high bred harness horses
in New York, following the very sue
| cessful horse show, proves that really
good horse is more valuable now than
| it ever has been and that our horse
men are willing to pay big money to
of roads and the building of speedways
and other places where horses can be
driven at speed it is likely that the
prices given for well known and fast
animals will go even higher.
The prospects for return set of
games between the athletes of Cam
! bridge and Oxford on the one hand and
Harvard and Yale on the other now
| seem very bright. 1t is said that the
authorities at the British universities
will give their consent for the athletes
to go into residence a week or ten days
earlier than usual for the summer term
| TO enable them to take part in the
| games. There is a rule in the British
universities that man must sleep a
certain number of nights in the college
town during each term, and if they
should start in at the regular time the
athletes would not complete their resi-
dence in time to compete.
| A committee of Harvard and Yale
men has already been appointed to
manage the meet, which will probably
be held at Boston, and the athletes are
| all expecting the affair to come off No
| date has yet been settled on, but some
time in May or June will probably be
| selected.
| The foot ball season is now ever,
XsonS t. ~-~ 49,