The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-06-08
Athletic Carnival for Tonight
Is Stopped.
County Attorney Says They Are
Too Bold.
0 CLUB THIS TINT.
Meeting an Open One
for Everybody.
Probably Means an End of Box
ing Matches Here.

The ban has been put on boxing
matches in Topeka, and it may ef-
fectually wipe out the game in To-
peka. The matter came to a focus this
morning when County Attorney Otis
Hungate sent word to the promoters
of the Teddy Williams Bobby Walker
fight, scheduled for tonight at Metro
politan hall. that they. shall not pull
off the affair Ready acauiescence
was given to Mr.. Hungate's orders.
The reason for official interference
with the so-called boxing matches
which have been pulled off, in To-
peka during the past few months, Is
that they are becoming too numerous,
promiscuous. and are being operated
in entire violation of the law. When
the craze commenced in Topeka last
winter the contests were at first pulled
off under the auspices of some recog-
nized club. Only members were ao-
mitted to see the mills. This or
course was a subterfuge but it eased
the conscience of the officers. The
statute says specifically that prize
fights, at which the participants re
ceive a prize or compensation, and to
which admission is charged, are VIOLA
tons of the law. But the promoters
mere were S0lOOln enough 10 dROlQ q
conflict with the authorities. They
formed clubs charging each member a
fee of so much per monitor pre-
tended to. The membership tickets
then admitted the persons holding
them to the fights The promoters
gave out nothing to the public con-
corning the receipts Of the fighters.
No one knew anything about this part
of the programme. So in that manner
there was no likelihood for the an-
80
contests, or get out warrants against
the participants afterwards and they
didn't want to anyway.
This ran along nicely for a time.
Jack Johnson, Pete Everett, Jim Me-
COrmick, Bob Watkins. Jimmie Sullf-
van, Billy Murphy. Bob Kerns. and a
raft of other lights of the roped arena,
both great and small, drifted into To-
peka and were given mills The box
ing game got to be the popular thing
in Topeka.
TWO clubs were formed. the Kansas
State Athletic association, of which
Herman Crow was the high grand
priest. and the North Shawnee opera
Metropolitan hall was fitted up with q
ring and lot of seats, at a big eX-
pense. The North siders fixed up a
hall over there, and spent good many
hard iron dolars1ia in that direction.
When the weather got warmer this
spring, Herman Grow pulled off one
big contest at the Associa ton park, The
air was full of fight talk. But every
thing was being run on the square. -
Secretary VanHooix pulled off a num-
Der of boxing contests" at the Topeka
1 Athletic association But all of the
I promoters were wise enough to run
their progra mines on the membership
plan No one knew whether the Drin-
cipals got any proceeds or not. 1t would
probably be correct to surmise that
/ they did Knockouts were eliminated
wherever possible. Four ounce gloves
were discarded and put under the ban,
! and the use of eight ounce mits insist
ed VSon.
Things went along smoothly enough
But of late the promoters are getting
! too bold They are beginning to pull
off matches, with simply an announce
ment, and with a certain charge of adj
mission. That is where the game is
falling down in Topeka. It Is running
up against the law. So County Attor-
ney Otis Hungate got a spasm of vir.
tue and very promptly informed the
! Williams-Walke hackers, that They
! could not have their athletic carnival