East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-07-05


rounds Ad Wolgast and Joe Rivers
fought like catamounts in their light
weight championship at Vernon are
ma yesterday afternoon. In the 18th
there came a blow which landed low
and both boys in an instant were
sprawling and writhing upon the
floor.
Walgast was declared the winner
by Referee Jack Welch Of San Fran
cisco. Then bedlam broke loose-a
demonstration by 1900 fight fans,
the most remarkable feature of which
was that it was handled throughout
| its duration of more than half an
hour by less than a dozen policemen
without violence of any sort.
/ Referee Welch stands disputed by
Rivers and by thousands of specta
/ tors in his decision that Wolgast won
! by a knockout. The Mexican fighter
claimed a foul and as he lay whimper-
ing in his dressing room half an hour
after the sudden end of the mill, he
displayed a dented aluminium pro-
tector to prove his claim.
Doctors say Mexican Was FOuled.
DIR. A. NJ. Smith, DR.. L. w. Burt
and DR.. Byington examined Rivers
! Immediately after the Mexican had
reached his dressing room. DR.. Smith
stated that he saw the blow struck
and that it was a deliberate foul"
Drs. Burt and Byington agreed that
| the blow was foul and very painful.
AL Holder, official timekeeper for
the club, said that it was just nine
seconds before the round was to end
when Rivers and Wolgast went down.
Several seconds had elapsed before
Referee Welch began to count.
Wolgast said he also was fouled,
but in a conference with Tom Carey
! of the Pacific Athletic club, Tom
Jones, his mahager, said last night
he did not believe the foul inflicted
upon the champion was intentional
Jones said Wolgast stumbled over
the feet of Rivers as he lay PROSTATE
upon the floor and fell upon his ad-
versary's knee. Wolgast tainted and
was carried from his corner to his
dressing room.
End Comes Suddenly.
The end came so suddenly that few
among the thousands who saw it
could agree as to anything that
brought it about. Both boys, CORY
from head to belt, their faces puffed
and cut, We're fighting close to the
ropes on the far side of the ring when
Rivers suddenly collapsed. Wolgast
previously in the same round and in
several other rounds had struck Ri
vers rather low, and when Rivers
went down there was a sudden shout
of foul "
In an instant Wolgast was down on
top of Rivers. both groaning. VOL
CAST rilled off Rivers body, his fea-
lures contorted and his eyes glazed.
Referee Helps Wolgast.
Welch Immediately began counting
and still was counting when he
reached down and helped Wolgast to
his feet. The arena by this time was
in an uproar, and this fact, coupled
with the confusion engendered. gave
ground for dispute as to whether the
gong ending the round had sounded
while Welch was counting and also
whether Welch really had counted off
ten seconds.
While the confusion was at its
height AL Holder, timekeeper of the
Pacific Athletic club, shouted that he
had rung the gong. At this point
Rivers, with his face distorted by
pain, scrambled weakly to his feet and
squared away, ready to renew the
battle. Welch waved him back and
said something that was not heard by
more than a half dozen people who
had already scrambled through the
ropes into the ring.
Referees Statement.
| Welch said last night:
"Wolgast was clearly the winner,
Just before Rivers went down VOL
CAST had landed a heavy left to the
body, just below the pit of the stom-
ach, and followed it with another
smash with his right to the same
place.
Neither blow was low. Rivers
went down because they were terrific
punches, and wolgast down with him.
I did not see what happened to VOL
gast. 'l' '"''- aSssT
"Rivers did not act as II he had
been fouled.
THE pictures win show that I was