New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-31
WILD DISORDER At
BIG GARDEN FIGHT
Thousands Swarm Streets Unable
to See First important Ring
Battle Under New Law.
TICKETS REFUSED AT DOOR
Prices Raised After Doors Are
Opened and Holders of Cheap
Seats Are Barred-Spec-
ulators Work Openly.

Under the newly passed Tammany
boxing law the fight game opened with
roar and a bang at Madison Square Gar
den last night, where two gentlemen,
Messrs. K. O.-these same initials stand
ing for knock Out" a delicate cOmpli-
n1ent to the gentlemans hitting ability
Brown and Matt Wells tried to do each
other as much damage as time and abil-
ity permitted.
Fully eighteen thousand persons were
packed and jammed into the Garden
which is considered the largest crowd
that ever gathered there At $50 o'clock
the order was sent out to stop selling
standing room, and at that time there
were three or four thousand persons
madly surging around the entrance on
the Madison avenue side, and the crowd
was steadily increasing. this. too. de-
spite the fact that there was steady
rain falling all the time.
Old police officers estimated that from
forty thousand 10 forty-fve thousand
persons attempted to gain admission to
the fight during the course of the even
ing The prices of tickets started 10 soar
early in the evening. and kept going
steadily upward Spectators got
number of the best seats and reaped
harvest inside the Garden, where they
were permitted to operate without the
slightest interference on the part of the
police. The latter did manage to pick
up one or two who were bold enough TO
do business out in the streets They
were told of the work Of the spectators
inside and admitted unhesitatingly that
they knew what was going on, but said
they were not at liberty to interfere-in
fact, could not enter the building
Later. at the request of Harry Pol
lcck and other officers OF the Madison
Square Athletic Club which had charge
Of the fight, they did enter the lobbies
and forcibly eject every one inside with
out tickets. This performance was car
ried out time and again during the
course of the evening.
The cluo must have reaped a golden
harvest The receipts. old fight experts
said would probably exceed those Of
any fight held heretofore except the JEFF
fries-Johnson battle in Reno.
Club Reaps Golden Harvest.
Evidently the club officials realized
early in the evening what golden har-
vest there was ready for the reaping
Their first act was TO close the 26th
street entrance. the only place where
dollar admission seats could be pur-
chased and where the holders Of these
seats could gain admittance to the Car
den When This entrance was closed
there We're scores Of persons who had
bought dollar seats in advance waiting
10 get in.
The police shooed these unfortunates
around to the Madison avenue entrance.
They were kept in a long line and had
10 stand in the rain for from half an
hour TO an hour waiting their turn 10 get
In. once inside the lobby a large sign,
standing room. S." confronted them
and they were emphatically told that
they could not enter on their dollar seats
Pass up five bones and in you GO" the
gentlemanly ticket takers informed them
Naturally the holders OF the dollar
tickets were somewhat peeved and
voiced their grievances in a forcible
manner. There was nothing doing"
however. as the edict had gone forth,
and the police. paid by the city of New
York. were the first TO enforce IL and
hustle them out into the street.
A Tribune reporter asked the man who
seemed to be in charge Of the ticket
gates why the holders Of the dollar
tickets were refused admission. He said
he knew nothing and cared less about it.
"Oh. they can go around to Harry
Pollock some time and get back their
dollar" volunteered a gatekeeper.
DO you think that is giving them
square deal?'
"Now. don't you try TO tell us what
We ought to do; we know our business
Rightly expecting that there would be
large crowds to handle and scenes of
turbulence. the club applied 70 the Po-
lice Department for heavy force, and
got il. Inspector Lcchy, at the head OF
some TWO hundred captains, lieutenants.
sergeants and ordinary patrolmen, went
dawn. These men came from the third
and fourth inspection districts, and be-
low 42d street the city was pretty well
stripped Of its emergency force Of po-
hcemen.
Streets Around Garden Closed.
The doors were thrown open shortly
after o'clock. and by that time there
vas crowd Of 1000 or 5000 already
waiting. regardless Of the rain. From
then on the crowd grew and grew. so the
police decided that they would close zGth
and 9th streets from Fourth 10 Madi-
son avenue and Madison avenue IN
front # the Garden.
This was fine for the fight club, but 1t
"a bit with the OIQlndfy