The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-31

On all three occasions the referee was
behind Miller's back, when he should
have been in front. Without as much
as waiting or counting one the referee
claimed Miller the winner. l have let
tiers from Mr.. I. o. Mcbride, the pres
ident of the club, which claims the de-
cision to be an outrage, which was the
sentiment of all those present who have
the welfare of the game at heart. To
show l was victim of a skin game
l offered to box Miller on April l for
charity, before the same club, II they
would choose another referee, but this
the manager would not stand for, so
Mr.. Eckhardt, my manager, whose rep
utation as to honesty is beyond re-
preach, refused to let me bite twice
at the same hook and made me pack
my grip and leave for home. Any time
the Savannah club can assure me
square deal I will only be too glad to
go down and prove 1 am Hermans
superior"
That Barrett arrived here shortly he
fore the fight, six hours, is fact, but
that il was his own fault is more
important fa2.. The manager of the
Savannah Athletic Club possesses
letter from him dated Baltimore, Feb
IA, eleven days before the match, ac-
knowledging the receipt of travelling
expenses anu ANNOUNCING lUdI he hOulQ
leave on the 18th for Savannah. That
he did not leave in time to be prepared
for his bout is nobody's fault but bis
own, the club points out. That there
was any chance of anything being fix
ed against him is Indignantly denied
by the management and referee of the
club, both the manager and the referee
defying anybody to name match upon
which either of them bet or one which
x1-aS conducted n hSn11IfaIV ralU
In that, the patrons of the club will
have to bear them out That Barrett
ever had Miller anywhere near out is
pointed out by those who saw the
match as absolutely absurd. The one
time, for which Barrett claims the
credit, that Miller went to the mat was
when he slipped in a breakaway from
a mix-up in which Barrett got the
worst of it. The referee went between
them and pushed Barrett back because
the latter rushed up to and stood over
Miller while he was down, instead of
retiring to his corner, as the Queens
bury rule prescribe, or, at least, retir-
ing to a reasonable distance. Very
unlike Miller, who helped Barrett up
when he was down.
AS to the foul blows Referee Shorty
Jenkins, whose conscientious use of his
judgment in all matches of the club
nobody questions, said yesterday, when
the above article was shown him:
After Barretts first claim of a low
blow from which no damage was done
I watched Miller's body blows partic-
ularly close, standing most of the time
in crouching position that 1 might
see under their guards. Not one of
Miller's blows which Barrett claimed
as foul struck low enough to be de-
clared foul. Barrett deliberately push
cd hIOu down a Id
lcgitimately that it might look like a
foul blow. His belt was too low any,
how. L could easily see that he was
trying to lay down. AS / have said
before l would have declared him the
loser after his first baby fall to the
mat, if he had not put up a pretty
good fight up to that time"
A prominent physician who examin-
ed Barrett after the bout, said: IF
Barrett was struck a foul blow it did
no damage. There was no sign of in
jury when I examined him." Some few
who sat near the ring said that two of
the blows in question looked a little
low, but it was apparent to even them
that Barrett wanted to take advant-
age of something to end the match
Mr.. 7. o. Mcbride, president of the
club, said he had written Barrett no
letters and only remarked after the
bout that two of the blows did look a
little low, but Barrett's belt was so
low that the judgment of the other
fighter could have easily been misled
in leading. Miller offered every in
ducement after the bout for another
| match, and Barrett appeared perfect
ly satisfied. His sudden departure was
a surprise.
In a letter to the club he requests
another match. The club stands ready
to give him another match for April
29 or the 9Th of May to meet Miller at
1875 pounds, but he must post a forfeit
of 500 with the Morning News, and
post it before April the Sth. AS the
matter now stands it is up to- Bar
| rett.