The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-31
SPORTING GOSSIP BY EXPERTS
OlLEK Pu gil
REVERIES OF A REFEREE
BY GEORGE sILER.

PuStlisrn, although decried. pulled
ABOUT by the hair of it's head, so 10
speak. Tor years, Killed and resuscitated
times without number for ten years,
will not down. II was in a degrading
lcondtfon when the style of milling was
under London prize ring rules. and had
The pugs not changed the style to mar
quls OF Queensberry with five ounce
mitts the game OF hit-stop-and-get-
away would have died a natural death
long before John L. Sullivan suffered
defeat at the hands of James. ]. Cor
bett. The Queensberry method of bat
Ting brought the sport on the same
FOOTING as other vigorous sports, de-
spite the hue and cry against it. It is
much cleaner and less dangerous than
college football and vies we'll with such
games as hockey and hurley.
The credit OF saving'~th sport and
hauling 1T out OF the mire of degrade
! ton belongs to the state of California,
the only state in the Union at present
where the game is in a healthy condi-
ltion and where championship battles
at any weight and over any distance
rs permissible by law. The California
club OF which Mr.. Fulda was presi-
fdent, built the foundation which now
fsustains the sport in this country. and
the followers of the game still glance
towards the Pacific coast for interest
ing matters pertaining to it
The change in the mode of milling
/ from bare knuckles to padded hands
end the money to be earned at it pro-
! duced hundreds of fighters of all ma
Conalities An italian, Swede. Dane,
or Bohemian pugilist would have
been freak in the olden days. as the
Irish and English, with a few Jews and
occasionally an American-born Ger
man. made up the rank and file of old
time fighters. Colored fighters were
few and far between, and the spiteful
feeling against them which now exists
was centered against the English pug,
and at times against a fighter who
hailed from a state foreign TO an east
ern fighter. In those days IT was not,
WHO is the better MANI" but 'Who
controlled the mob?" and the mob gen
orally controlled the referee.
One OF the rawest, downright ring
robberies during the civil war was that
which Owney Geoghegan and his band
of robbers handed to Con Orem, the
champion of Colorado. The battle took
place near South Amboy. n. J.. on
May 10. 1863. Owney. being a New
Yorker. had the gang with him. and
what he and his mob did not do to
Orem was a caution The Colorado
champion smelled a large size mouse
when he appeared at the ringside and
begged for a Square show" which of
course was promised. The promise,
however. lasted Just long enough for
him TO strip for action. as when he
went TO his corner his selected seconds
refused to act. stating they. had been
threatened with death. Nearly an hour
was wasted trying to induce two men
Of the thousand or more that had gath
cred TO see Owney win, when two Of
Geoghegan's stanchest admirers, rather
than see the mill fall through. agreed
TO take care Of Con between rounds.
While seeking. seconds the Geoghe
ganites emptied Orem's water buckets
and as the nearest we'll was fully a
mile from where the ring had been
pitched, which was farther than any
one volunteered to travel at the cost
of being riddled with bullets. Orem
was compelled TO fight without drop
Of water TO quench his thirst or 10
sponge with. The Westerner was game
TO the core. however. and took things
good naturally, as all he wanted was
a square show in the fight. He out
ciassed Owney in all departments of
the game. He was stronger hitter, a
better wrestler. and was gamer. OWney
was determined to win by fair means
or by foul, and the gang was there TO
see that he did win, even if it was nee
essary to stick ''chiv'' into the west
erner's back while seated in his corner.
1t was apparent at the end OF the
first round the methods the New York
er intended to pursue to win. which
was to drop down without being hit
and aggravate Con to hit him while on
his knees. OF course 0wney's tactics
were foul, but with the referee and the
crooks and murdeFers behind him he
knew ne could get away with anything.
The battle lasted eighteen rounds.
and every round ended with Geoghegan
either being knocked down or dropping
ito his knees. Orem repeatedly claimed
foul but always was told to fight. and
as the mob threatened to I'LL him full
of holes If he did not fight he contin-
ued. In the eighteenth and what proved
10 be the last round. he staggered
iGeoghegan with body blow
and as he was Keeling towards the
ropes ne sent in another pile driver,