Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-25


that originated with the English. 1t
remained for that sturdy old Briton, Mr..
Tom Figg. to invent the present-day pop
| ular form of biff. biff game. Mr.. Figg.
commonly spoken OF as the father OF
| boxing. fourished in England in the early
| part Of the eighteenth century. and rare
prints of this illustrious gentleman show
him to be an individual whose top Of the
| head apparently started to slope back
| from his eyebrows. which gave him the
singular look of one who had been over
| looked when foreheads were given out.
| A nose mashed fiat to the cheek bones
| and eyes that were ratlike in expression.
and with bullying chin that seemed as
| IL it might have been turned out at some
iron foundry. completes the picture OF this
| famous character. whom. we are inform
ed, was in his day the pet Of the nobil-
ity.
Mr.. Figg was the Jim Jeffries of his
| time and tits affirmed that he Travelled
the length and breadth of the British
| kingdom and never met defeat. When
his joints began to get bit stiff the no
Bile Figg. desiring to leave to posterity
his knowledge of the gentle game of
| boxing. opened a school for the instruc-
ton of the British youths. and when the
peaceful spirit of Mr. Figg passed on
to another sphere there was left behind
many an earnest character who deemed
| 1t his duty to keep up the good work
Since the days of Mr.. Figg the boxing
game has penetrated to most every
country under the globe, but, of course,
1t has never taken the hold on the people
to the extent that 1t has on the denizens
Of the countries where the English Ian
guage is spoken.
Yet in these same Englsh-speaking
countries the young natives of the foreign
climes soon become infatuated with the
boxing game, and in America today there
are hundreds Of professional scrappers
and ex-scrappers who hail from almost
every country under the sun.
Change Names.
In many cases these foreign-born fight
ers conceal their true identity under as
sumed names. and as it seems to be the
rule for them to choose names having
Hibernian flavor, you will find all ma
tionalities masquerading under the sig
nifcant appellations OF y Br1en, MCCARTHY,
Ryan and SO on.
To give them their just dues 1t must
be said that these foreign-born fighters
are in many cases tOp-notcherS ana
worthy to be called by any name. Wit
ness the good work that Tommy Burns
has been doing. He deserves whole lot
of credit because he is badly handicapped
on account Of his height. which is just
One-ndl1 1ncn greater tudn that VI luc
burly Mr.. Sharkey.
Burns is French-Canadian. and his
name isn't Burns at ALL 1t is question
whether he has drop of Irish blood in
his body. But for all that he is a great
fighter and certainly much moderated in
America at the present time.
The boxing game, while it has never
appealed much to the French. was re-
spOnsible for bringing into the limelight
of public notice q few years back a
uh "a
undoubtedly the greatest lightweight that
ever performed In America.
This was the famous Kid Lavigne.
whose father and mother were both
French. and when you take into con-
sideration the gameness, hitting powers
and the stamina of this reckless fellow,
together with his marvellous quickness
and his science, l think that it will be
conceded that Lavigne was the best Of all
the American lightweights. If there is
an exception to be made, then the ex-
ception is in favor of Jack McAuliffe; but
no comparison-at least correct COM
parison-can be drawn, for Jack was 60
ing when the Kid was just arriving.
McAuliffe's Superior.
Still for hard hitting powers and the
strength to stand punishment Lavigne had
the peerless Jack beaten, yet in science
Jack was perhaps the master while as to
quickness both men were equal. Lavigne
killed the clever Andy Bowen, the New
Orleans fighter. with one of his terrific
circular swings. The Kid, 1t is alleged,
after following the booze wagon for too
long time developed a crochet in his
brain. and It's claimed that he is now
irrational to a dangerous degree at times
While French parents produced
champion lightweight. Italian progenitors
brought into the world a champion BAN
tamweight In the person Of Casper Leon,
who came to America from Sicily. Cas-
NOR fro rycht Sr,r-
and he was the master Of his class and
the pride of all Italians. until he was
whipped by Terry McGovern.
Before this time Casper Leon was
spoken OF as the greatest bantamweight
then in the business. He was a genial
little fellow, with as much playfulness
about him as kitten. He was a hand
some lad, too, and had the soft. languor-
GUS eyes of troubadour, and tenor
voice that would have made his fortune
on the stage.
Casper looked to be anything save a
prizefighter. and when the writer was
talking to him few years ago In a box
ing club In Philadelphia, where he was
teaching the manly art to a crowd of
young Chestnut Hill nobles the game lit
tie Italian. as far as patrician looks
went. more than held his own with his
nursery bred pupils.
Switzerland also produced a worlds
champion in Frank Erne. who defeated
Kid Lavfgne for the lightweight honors
Erne was born in Zurich, but he was
reared in Buffalo. having come to this
| country when he was very young.
Erne Dandy.
Erne was a splendid looking fellow.
and had fine principles. and no scandal
was ever laid at his door His defeat
of Lavigne was one Of the sensations of
the time for no one thought for a mo-
ment that Erne had look-in with the
hardin hitting Frenchinan. Yet these peo-
pie who were shouting about the Kid be-
ing unbeatable failed to take into con-
sideration the fact that he had been
straying badly from the narrow path
ever since the fatal fight with Andy
Bowen.
Erne was one of those fighters who
took care of his money. and he is now
living on easy street He never lasted |
long as champion. and it is we'll I'M
derstood fact among followers of sport |
ing that had Lavigne been in any kind |
of condition when he went up against |
the handsome Swiss the latter would |
boxing as a one-time champion light
weight. |
The last heard of Frank he was teach |
ing the manly art of self defense to the /
athletically inclined students over at OK |
ford College in England.
A Swedish fighter. who many people |
think is either a Dutchman or a Ger |
man. is Gus Rubin, a one-time famous
old trial horse. and fellow who had |
championship material in his makeup. /
Unfortunately he was so unusually slow
when it came to using his knowledge /
box that he never arose to the heights