The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1902-05-07
Mayor and Police officers Were on
Hand to Prevent the Exhibition.
Manager English not Pleased at the
Enforced Closing Of HIS Theater by the
Authorities Last Night.
BOUT MAY BE GIVEN YET

The sparring exhibition at The Ken
lucky last night between Australian
Jimmy" Ryan and Jack Pierce was
not pulled off, as Mayor Yeiser had
Captain Bailey and Acting Marshal
James Collins, with several other
officers, ON hand to prevent it.
There was quite crowd of people
around the theater, hotels and on the
streets waiting to go II the bout took
place, but Manager English was
forced to close the house, and the
crowd left disappointed.
1t has not yet been decided what
will he done about the manner in
which the exhibition was prevented,
but it is probable that there will be
trouble over it. Manager English,
who, while not q promoter Of the
affair, had contract with the Ken
tuoky Athletic club to flrnish the
theater, is out considerable, and has
been informed by his attorney can sue
for the capacity of the house.
In speaking Of it today he said:
Understand, I'm no promoter of ex-
hibitions Ct any kind, but l have a
licensed tbeater, and pay to do le-
ultimate business. II I do not do it,
as soon as violate the law | am liable
| to arrest ard punishment. Until do
violate the law, shall stand on my
rights, and when anyone exceeds his
authority by interfering with my
legitimate business, ] am going to
resort to the courts for damages.
"Ill say now that had it been my
own affair, the exhibition would have
been pulled of. City officials are to
enforce the law, not interpret it.
They have no right to presume that
an exhibition is going to be something
prohibited by law. II it takes place
and proves at any stage of the game
to DO violation of the law, thvn il
the time for the executive officers of
the law to step in and stop it. They
have no right to say that an exhibit
ton they know nothing about is go
ing to be prize fight The author.
titles would have as much right to stop
the performance Of Miss Viola Allen
tomorrow night en- some fiimsy pre-
text as they had to stop the exhibition
last night.
Understand me, am not DESTROYS
Of antagonizing any class Of people in
Paducah, but they must not attempt
to interfere with my business. I
won't stand for 1t. II l violate the
law the Jaw prescribes the penalty,
and until I do cfficious people must
keep hands off.
II have no defense to make Of any
exhibition of any description except
in so far as it involves my own bust
ness. These sparring exhibitions are
given in Louisville every few days,
and the same state law applies in
Louisville that applies here. The
courts there. presided over by as able
judges as there are here, have decided
that sparring exhibitions are not
prize fights, and cannot be touched by
the law, and this was only sparring
exhibition intended to be given here
in my house. II they can be given
there under the law they can be given
here, and I should not have signed q
contract to have it in my house IL 1t
were q violation of the law. l don't
propose to have the city officials or
anyone else decide the state law gov
erning my own business, and to do it
IN an arbitrary, unwarranted manner.