Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-07-09
40 W0LCAST IS
GIVEN DECISION
RIVERS COUNTED OUT az REF.
EREE WELSH IN THlRTEENTH
ROUND YESTERDAY.
LIFTS AID FROM FLOOR
Both Men Were Down.; Welsh Lifts
Wolgast to Feet and Calls Him
Victor; Then Crowd Thrsat-
ened Arbiter.

Los Angeles. Cal. July 5.-Fo1
twelve rounds Ad Wolgast and Joe
Rivers fought like catamounts in their
lightweight championship battle at
Vernon arena yesterday afternoon. In
the thirteenth there came a blow
which landed low and both boys in
an instant we're sprawling and with.
ling upon the floor
1 Wolgast was declared the winner
'by Referee Jack Welsh. Then bedlam
more than half an hourly 1900 ex,
cited fight fans, the most remarkable
feature of which was that It was
handled throughout by less than 9
dozen policemen without violence OF
any sort.
Decision 10 Disputed.
Referee Welsh stands disputed by
Rivers and by thousands OF spectators
in his decision that Wo1gast won by q
knockout. The Mexican fighter claim
ed foul, and in his dressing room he
displayed a dented aluminium pro-
tector to prove his claim.
Wolgast said he also was fouled
but in a conference with Promoter
Tom McCarey Of the Pacific Athletic
club Tom Jones his manager, said he
did not believe that foul inflicted upon
the champion was Intentional. Jones
said Wolgast stumbled over the feet
of Rivers as the latter lay PROSTATE
and fell upon his adversary's, knee
Wclgast tainted and was CARRIED to
his dressing room.
AS Wolgast was taken out the spec
tators teered and booed him, while
they struggled In frantic efforts to get
into the ring where Referee Jack
Welsh stood for a moment In hot
and seconds of Rivers and then dis,
appeared. Welsh remained only long
enough to reassert that Rivers claim
OF foul was unfounded; that he had
counted ten seconds on Rivers and
that the gong ending the round did
not intervene before he had COM
pleted the count.
Mccarey and Jones Silent.
McCarey maintained silence So did
Jones. But Joe Levy. the manager Of
Rivers, repeated his offer made In the
ring, to let the little men fight It out
at once.
The end came suddenly. Both boys
CORY from head to belt, their faces
puffed and cut, were fighting near the
ropes on the north side of the ring
when Rivers suddenly collapsed VOL
CAST previously in the same round and
In several other rounds had struck
Rivers rather low and when Rivers
went down. there was . sudden shout
Of foul In an instant Wolgast was
down on top Of Rivers, groaning. VOL
CAST rolled of Rivers body, his
features contorted.
Helps Wolgast to His Feet.
Welsh Immediately began counting
and was still counting when he reach
ed down and helped Wolgast to his
feet. There were shouts that the bell
had ended the round, while Welsh
was counting. The arena by this time
was in an uproar.
AL Holder, timekeeper Of the Pa
ciflc Athletic club, shouted that he
had rung the gong.
At this point Rivers, his face dis
figured by, pain, scrambled weakly to
his feet and squared away ready to
renew the battle. Welsh waved him
back.
That's an outrage, and it won't go
here" dozen angry men who had
scrambled through the ropes exclaimed
to Welsh
ut will have to co." the referee re-
piled 1T was fair" and he slipped
out Of the arena.
Walsh said last night
"Wolgast was clearly the winner.
Gust before Rivers went down VOL
CAST had landed heavy left to the
body just below the pit Of the stomach
and followed 1t with another smash
with the right almost to the same
place. Neither blow was low. did
not see what happened to Wolgast
Rivers did seem as II he had been
fouled. The pictures will show that
l was right and that there was not a
foul blow struck"