Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-16
GOVERNOR ORDERS
ATTY, CEN. WEBB
TO STOP BIC FIGHT
Chief Executive HarkenS to State
Wide Protest Against
JeffrieS-JohnSon Go
PROMOTERS ARE CONFIDENT
Jim JeffrieS, After Hearing News,
RetireS to Cottage and
Goes to Sleep
PROMOTERS ARE CONFIDENT
Associated Pressl

| ASSOCIATED Press1
SAN FRANCISCO, June 15.-T have
nothing to add to my letter to Attorney
General Webb. My position is fully set
forth therein."-GOvernor Gillett.
81 shall file a petition with the superior
court within two or three days, asking for
a temporary restraining order against the
JOhnsOn-Jeffries fight, principals and pro-
moters. 1 will do this 1 have
gathered sufficient data which to base
the itiOn."-AttOrney General U. S. Webb.
I'VE will not contest the action of the
court If the first ruling goes against If
compelled to move the fight, we will go to
Reno, Ely or Salt Lake."-Tex Rickard.
81 will fight wherever they get us to-
gether. 1 will fight johnson tomorrow down
| here on the river bank."-James j. Jeffries.
81 ready to go any place to fight. 1t
makes no difference to me."-Jack johnson.
"It looks like the game Is Off here, but
may hold the LangfOrd- Kaufman fight next
Saturday for all that."-PromOter Louis
| Blot.
1T looks like the finish. L can see
way to contest it, The governor represents
both the civil and military authority of the
state. They have put crimp in the game
in California. Jimmy COffrOth
IT'S all off now. The game is a dead one
Ia California. STANLEY Ketchel.
The utterances epitOmize tonight tho ex-
preston of what sporting circles believe is
a final farewell to pugilism In California.
| They are hopeless since Governor Gillett di-
rected the attorney general to proceed
against the JohnsOn-Jeffries match, and are
figuring cut transportation to Reno, Ely or
| Salt Lake.
The fight will be held In of those
three places. 1t certainly will not be held
in California, if the governor can prevent 1t,
and sportdom believes he can.
SAN FRANCISCO. June 15.-Forced
to action by insistent protests from all
parts of the state, Governor James N
| Gillett took steps today to prevent the
championship fight between James }.
Jeffries and Jack Johnson, scheduled
to be held in this city July 4. In
| letter of instruction to Attorney Cen
eral u. S. Webb, the governor expresses
his disapproval of prize fighting in un-
measured terms, directs that the aid or
the courts be invoked to prevent the
match, and concludes with a positive
| order that in case the plea for re-
Straining order is granted and the fight
| is carried out, the attorney general
proceed to gather evidence and prose-
cute the principals and those interested
IN the ngnL lot NlOldllOH VI TIC pOAoA
| code of the state.
| The letter declares that the supreme
court of California has never defined
| a prize fight, and suggests that an op-
portunity be given it to do so. This is
taken to indicate the governors inten-
ton to press his opposition to the end,
| While the status of the Jeffr1eS-
Johnson fight is in an unsettled condi-
ton tonight, the sporting fraternity is
much cast down. and it is generally
believed that the death knell of prize
fighting in California, the mecca of
prize lighters" according to the gov
ernor's letter, has been sounded.
AFFECTS KAUFMAN-LANGFORD GO
This is borne out by the fact that the
| governor telegraphed to General Webb
later in the day to take similar action
In the matter of the fight between Sam
Langford and AL Kaufman, which was
| to have been fought here next Satur-
| day.
| Promoters Gleason and Rickard of
| the big fight were completely taken by
surprise. They had no whisper of the
governors intended action until the
letter was published. When the news
reached him Rickard rushed to the
office of Mr.. Webb and asked what that
official proposed to do. After confer
ence with Webb, Rickard said he be-
lieved the fight would be held in San
| Francisco and on the advertised date,
| despite the governors orders. He said
that he could not say positively what
he would do until Webb delivered an
opinion. Yet Rickard has no intention
! OF abandoning the effort to hold the
fight here Both he and Gleason de-
voted much time today to conferences
with their attorney, Herbert Choynski.
Whatever the course of legal defense
decided on, it probably will not be given
out until General Webb has made
statement.
Rickard said Webb had promised
| him, because of the great expense un-
der which the promoters have been in
erecting the arena and other matters
in connection with the fight, that his
opinion would be forthcoming without
DELAY. Rickard expected it within two
davs In the meantime, he said, he
was ready to take the fight to Nevada
or Utah If compelled to do so, and eN-
messed a preference in favor of Salt
Lake.
WEBB's COURSE UNDETERMINED
Just what will be the nature of the
legal proceedings instituted by the at
| torney general is not known. The gov
ernor's letter is positive in directing
that the courts be asked to intervene
and urges a definition of prize fighting
nv the supreme court. Because of this
II is believed that Webb will apply for
a writ OF mandamus before the states
highest tribunal, thus bringing all par
ties before that body for a hearing and
securing temporary writ of injunc-
tion pending decision
BY this step he would avoid delay,
since the promoters would have no ap-
peal if Judgment were rendered against
them.
The governor in his letter declares the
liberation of prize fighting in Califor-
mia to be disgrace to the state.
When word of the governors order
reached Ben Lomond Jim Jeffrles re-
fused to believe it. The camp was
thrown into an unroar by the message
and there was exciting conversation on