The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-09

Although Chief of Police Devery was
present when Corbett and Sharkey
knocked one another around the ring.
and when Sharkey lambasted Mccoy,
both at the Lenox Athletic club. con-
trolled by Timothy Sullivan, he made
no arrests. He denies that any polit-
ical job is responsible for his action.
His attitude is explained by some people
as due to the Mazet investigation. and
the desire of Tammany TO impress upon
the sporting public that the Republicans
are the ones who deprive them of prize
fights. poolrooms and other such amuse-
nlents.
Mr.. Devery said that if the same con-
titiops prevailed at other clubs now. in
Guiding the LenoX. he would stop the
fight as soon as 1t passed the limits of
sparIing match Referring to the COM
ing fight the chief of New York's thief
catchers declared vehemently:
Il want you to understand that there
are no Tim Sullivanss- no O'Rourkes. no
Martin Julians and no politicians con-
nected with my action in regard to the
fight. | made that statement on my own
responsibility. | made it because 1t look
ed as if the fight was not to be anything
of a boxing exhibition, but an out-and
out smuggling match.
when a man weighing 155 pounds goes
up against another man over the 200
pound limit it looks as if some one was
going to get hurt wish there were no
prize-ring contests at all. But there are,
and | am going to enforce the law, Which
is specific. Ill be at the ringside myself.
and I'll judge whether the blows are too
hard.
''If FitzsimmonS knocks Jeffries down
or Jeffries knocks Fitzsimmons down.
to the lookup they'll go. No smuggling
will be allowed. I'm chief of police. and
as such will enforce the law
CHIEF IS EXCORIATED.
The press, irrespective Of its likes and
dislikes to pugilism. does not take kind
ly to Devery's edict. One paper has this
TO, say about the matter:
I'VE notice that Mr.. Devery, chief of
police, is suddenly excited about fight
between Fitzsimmons and Jeffries. Mr.
DeVery, in a more or less excited state
ment, says he hears that heavy blows
may be struck.
This newspaper is opposed to prize
fighting.
but Chief Devery knows perfectly
wei that prize fights have gone on in
New York almost every week for months
past. He has seen some of the fights
himself, and his men have seen more Of
them He is also aware that certain
Democratic politician has a monopoly
on the prize lighting business in this
city The said politician failed to get
hold of this particular big fight and the
profits in it
eff Devery stops this fight after letting
the others go on it will be to oblige his
friend the politician. 1t will be neees-
sary for him, too, as he will find out. to
stop subsequent fights in which his
friend, the politician, may have arranged
to secure the profits"
1t has been argued that Chief Devery
cannot, after seeing Corbett and Sharkey
fight. and the latter and Mccoy, and nu-
merouS other glove contests, interfere
with this one. Sporting men who stand
close to the inside, politically, say that
it is a scheme to knock the box office re-
ce:ptS into SmithereenS.
The police board issued license to the
Coney Island Sporting club to hold box
ing matches, as they are termed under
the Horton law, and that, those upon the
inside say. lets the Chief of police out.
There Is no doubt that politics is play
Ing an important part in pugilism in this
city, Senator Tim Sullivan, a power in
Tammany hall, is the chief mogul of the
Lenox club. where a number of import
ant battles have been fought, some Of
which according to the local press, were
the most brutal in the history of the ring.
These battles were all held supposedly &C
cording to law and nothing was said
about stopping them. No later than Tues
day night two knock-outs occurred at the
Lenox club. Not a murmur from head
quarters was heard.
Il is said the tardy action of the police
board In granting a license to the Coney
Island club was due to the fact the Len
OK club thought 1t would get the con-
test. and that, failing to secure 1t, would
do it's utmost to prevent the Coney ISL
ard club from making it a financial sue
cess Men about town who have no in
terest either one way or the other say
now that the Coney Island club has Sc
cured the license it has as much right
to let Jeffries knock out Fitzsimmons, or
vice versa, as the Lenox- club had to per-
nit kid Mccoy being sent to the land
of dreams by Tom Sharkey.
MADE FITZ GRIN.
Chief Devery's statement that he would
permit no hard hitting in the Jeffries-
FitZsimmons fight did not disturb the
champion training camp. FitZsimmons
grinned as he read it, and said he would
leave it for Jeffries to say whether there
had been any hard hitting when Jeffries
woke up after the finish.
1.-THE fight will come off according to
schedule said Martin Julian. These
men are experts at glove fighting, and, Of
course. they will give clean cut, scien-
tific exhibition, and the public need have
no fear that it will be interfered with
Certain people tired to prevent the
CCney Island Sporting club getting a IL
cense when 'Fitz and Jeffries decided
to fight there We beat them. Now
they are seeking through Devery to stop
the fight, and we will beat them again
The chief has watched and enjoyed many
contests in the past. Fridays affair will
differ from these only in being more in
teresting."
When asked about Bradys statement
that Jeffries would beat MIN In one round
FftZSimmOnS said:
well, of course. / have my own opin-
ion about that. Jeffries never was a won
der. He Is certainly not so good as Cor
bett, who was the best fighter 1 ever
fought. think, perhaps, that 1 may put
him out in one round myself.
To-day began to ease up on my work
No amount Of training could make me
any better than [ am now, so all there
Is to do Is to keep as I am. People might
think because l am sure of winning this
fight might not have trained faithful
ly. They are fooled If they think so.
l know my business too we'll ever to neg
lect training. / have fought all kinds
of men. the best In the business. and
beaten them all. and never yet had to do
all could do. So Jeffries might be better
than anybody 1 ever met, and yet I'd win.
or course, know he's big. strong young
fellow, but it's my business to beat big.
strong fellows, and he's the next Gus
toner. that's ALL"
When asked about the discussion az To
the breakaway, Fitzsimmons said ooh.
don't care about that. Jeffrfes and his
managers can arrange all that If they
want to. All I want to do is to fight.
For almost two months Fitz has been
hard at work preparing to beat the man
who has disputed his right to the cham
plonship title. And work it has been.
for the lanky champion has followed the
routine labor laid out for him like a
hound on the trail