The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-27
.BANDAG|NC HANDS
DANGEROUS TRICK
Over in England They Are Get
ting Ready to Prohibit
Practice.
---------------------
SOUTH TAKES TO BOXING
Crowds Attend Exhibitions in
Memphis, New Orleans
and Savannah.
SOUTH TAKES TO BOXING

Over in England they are trying TO
Introduce a reform in the manner or
bandaging tho hands of boxers VINO
engage in ring contests In tnhe coun-
try. 1t would be a good iaea u 90
something OF that kind in America,
and this city would be as good a
place to start as anywhere else. WHAT
was intended originally as ihere
protection to the hands has peen
greatly abused ind turned INTO "hal III
many cases amounts to afHins .he
boxers with dangerous weapon.
Instead of the proverbial light ban
cages Of soft material. which In them
selves would not be harmiui, thefe
are many boxers who so into the ring
with their knucklcs wrapped ushttS
with electric tire tape ill II makes
q wad when the hand is closed az
most as big as a baseball. and the
fighter who has the trick down zine
can hit blow with IL which Is al
most as bad as II 1t had been struck
with blackjack. Other boxers nave
been accused of packing the TIRE tape
with plaster paris, which, "nen ~
gets wet with the water the seconos
use and then hardens. which IL ooes
very quickly, makes the closed ils'
somewhat as nasty TO be hit win al
half-brick.
Still. again, one Boston manager
OF boxers used to carry In MS Ves'
pocket small strips of leather, 10
which Jumps of lead had been FAST
ened made to tit the fighters knucR-
les. These would be slipped under
the bandages after the latter mad been
examined by the referee or the otner
mans seconds, and then the grove
drawn over the mans hands. VIVA,
could be done with such weapon
can be better imagined than described
In England they are kicking for light
soft bandages and barring the TIRE
tape altogether. Some of the more
radical are for cutting out all KIND:
of bandages and there is good reason
for action In that direction. The
man who learns how to hit properly
need never have broken hands, ant
the man who keeps his hands In goot
condition is entitled to all the ad
vantages he has earned.
Boxing seems to be winning favor
in the Southern States. In TENNESSEE
it has become especially popular TIL,
experiment of allowing the sport IL
Memphis has been followed by TIL,
demand for its Introduction In othe
cities in the Commonwealth, an,
Nashville is to get in line with a biz
arena for glove contsts. There is NJ
more popular form of amusement any
where than modern boxing properly
conducted and 1t has been found tina
1t benefits the male portion of tn
population IN more ways than one
being especially favorable to temper
ance and one of the greatest enemie
of the saloon. Northern folks do no
get much details of the life In TIL
big cities of tho South, and they ar
not aware OF the fact that one of TIL
conditions Is the propensity to settl
disputes through the use OF the re
volver or by pulling a gun as tn
common expression down there ha
it In the North, when one man gen
orally feels offended at some relnar
made In G heated discussion. his frs
impulse 1t to take a punch at tn
other, fellow. y few exchanges Q
! blows usually follow and then friend
step in and tho thing is all ovel
No one pays particular attention t
such affairs, as they seldom result
| seriously. In the big cities of IL,
South in heated arguments one ma
whips out pistol and the other ma
who can do the Trick the quickes
comes out best with the other ma
dead or seriously wounded. 1t Is re
| ported that such scraps are not re
| garded any moro seriously in TIL
South than are fist fights In the Nortl
But as many of them are fatal and tn
deaths became so frequent some {
| the more sober minded folks though
| that perhaps II boxing was intro
| duced the use of natures weapon
might in time replace the revolver
settling such arguments. 1t was TIL
idea which was back of the Intro
duction of the bill in the Tennessee
Legislature which permits boxini
So far the result has shown the wi.
dom OF those who fathered tho plal