The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-03-09
SPORTS:
WHEN THE GLADIATOR
FOUND HIS WATERLOO
Judge Hayes Gives Interesting
Recouections Of the Sullivan
Corbett Fight.
It Was the Beginning Of the Evo'
luton i'm Pugdlism- Science
Defeated Strength.

Ue1eaCeQ SCreugLu.
In the last issue Of the Labor World
Frank Hayes told of the arrangements
for the great Sullivan and Corbett fight
in New Orleans. He concluded the
story with a fine sentiment on the
ethics of scientific pugilism. He says,
In beginning this portion of the story
Of the great fight, that the quicker the
boxer comes back to the science OF
boxing as Corbett taught it the quick
er we shall get law that Will up
hold legitimate boxing. But this Will
never be done until the managing
editors of the daily papers take the
bull cons by the horns.
The betting on the Sullivan Corbett
fight was not very heavy, the prin-
cipal reason being the large majority
built it's hope on Sullivan, the champion
Of champions as strong 1aVoflte'
and in the pOOlrooms.
The odds were 1 to 4 Sullivan, and
3 to l Corbett The Sullivan men, al
though Wakeley, Johnston and the
leading hackers demurred at the Odds
did not delay to back their fav-
orite A rush Of Corbett money IN
the morning forced a drop in the odds
from to / to to 2. w. J. Ch1tten-
den bet 5000 even that Corbett would
not last fifteen rounds. Hoyte and
Thomas, proprietors Of the Madison
Square theater, bet $4,000 on Corbett,
which cut the odds down to to e The
Sullivan contigent was so conndent
Of the champions ability to win with
ease, that they made number OF
bets on the duration of the affair.
Billy Hurd bet $1,000 with Mike
Bradley that Sullivan would win In
fifteen rounds, and Jimmy Doherty bet
John Bittmer $500 that Sullivan
would win in thirteen rounds.
High Price for Admission.
Nobody would have thought that at
that time man would surrender fft-
cen simoleons to see fight, but they
did, and every seat was filled, with
rough pine boards elevated in midair,
with all the attendant discOmforts OF
being elbowed to ribaching soreness.
Every seat had been sold, and sold so
early in the action that they were held
at a premium and big money given in
exchange. The crowd was on hand be-
fore the doors opened, painting and per-
spring, jamming and wedging to be
first in and first into g. front seat.
And they got there and for three hours
waited patiently for the beginning Of
the greatest flstic event Of the age.
All Glasses Were There.
It was a case of "stay where you
are" To move for a second beyond
q stand up to stretch meant the loss
of hard earned seat, and with per-
sistency worthy of a better cause they
struck 1t out to the very end. The
people who had reserved seats took
their time in getting in, and the pro-
cess was as leisurely as could be imag-
ined, though as early as Z o'clock the
| tide of humanity began drifting in and
continued in a steady stream to the
call of time. The men of prominence
from distant cities came even earlier
! than the men who borrowed money to
go there, and depended on elbows to
do the rest. There were men of the
finest raiment alongside Of men who
wore no coats. Party differences and
sectional lines were obliterated, presi-
Dental candidates were forgotten, bus
mess was neglected, the races lost their
staunchest patrons, great enterprises
sacrificed their chiefs for week, bar
keepers were left in charge Of big sa-
looms, the police Of other cities lost their
best customers and felt relieved for a.
few days, and men Of national import
ance were mixed with men of notoriety
in their neighborhoods. AS to the local
attendance, it was much the same.
Prominent business men, leading in po-
litical and social life, capital, labor and
idleness, every strata of the city's life
went to make up the crowd. No one
looking upon the mass of faces could
fail to concede that such a thing as a.
glove contest could be considered an
event of national Importance. The
night before colored men had been adj
mitted. But this contest was a white
audience. with the single exception of
George Dixon, the champion feather
weight, and his host, ]. Madison Vance,
member of the local bar Of New Or
leans.
Ovation for Dixon.
Dixon's entry about O'Clock was
the first diversion to break the n1on-
otony Of the long and weary wait. The
featherweight champions entrance was
the signal for craning of necks In
his direction. He was taken in charge
by a committee and escorted to a. seat
just back of Corbett's corner, the same
one he had won in the previous night.
At about $3.50 Shelly entered looking
considerable the worse for his last
nights wear with Dixon. There was
a good-sized scab on his nose and his
lips were still swollen. Corbett had
the lucky corner If there was any cri-
terion. McAuliffe and Dixon having
won in it the two previous nights The
peculiar part Of the tournament was
that the three defeated men, Myers,