The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-02-21
Doping of Boxers is More Common
Than the Public Usually Know About

st. Louis. Mo. FEB. 21-The claim
hN Abe Attell to- the New York box
ing commission that he was given an
overdose. OF cocaine Just before his re
cent bout with "knockout' Brown di-
reefs attention to a practice which
should he stoppcd-a practice that is
All 100 common among athletes about
10 enter int" competition and of which
tn" public is not aware. SAYS Harry s.
Sharpe. official referee of the st. Louis
Athletic club boxing shows. The ath-
.e,e VIII" must resort to Il drug of any
Kind, either to deaden pain or to
simulate increased activity. lis not
phNSlcailN tit to enter a contest aud
should not be permitted to do so.
Attcll complained of a sore hand tho
result of an injury Sustained some time
ago. Cocaine was injected into his
thumh and he aftcrward declare dthiy
so affected him that he was unable
:" mako d good showing i'm the con-
test. Hh had been accused of ~.'stall-
ing and this was his defense. But
'hc commission refused to believe il
and banishcd him for six months.
iiad Attcll been given an overdose.
IT Is not at all probable he would have
ne"n able to box ten rounds. because
ne would have suffered total collapse
hefore that inc IL is characteristic
i"f this drug that while Il small dose
stimulates, an overdose weakens the
heart action in II Very short time,
makes breathing difficult and is fol-
io""d by II general collapse.
STUFF They Give Fighters
There IL little cause to doubt. how
ever. that thc drug was used, but not
IN the quantity claimcd hv Attcll.
when used hypodcrmirally To dcadnn
pam ar sense of feeling. cocaine
causes Il profound anasthcsia through
out n small space, hut this ia only
Temporary II when used fo,. the plr-
pose "f stimulation tho effect of !. sin
~" hNp"dcrmic injection lasts only
Tor @ fifteen or twenty minutes,
and this is followed by depression.
rho drugs usually resorted to nv
athletes tn Spnr them ON arc alrohol
ammonia, %strychninc. digtalis, nitro
SiScerin and cocaine. The latter is
particularly dangerous and harmful
because there is danger of contracting
the habit.
~ is recognized wrong to send a
..doped' horse to the post, and it is
Just as wrong to send a "dopcd" hox-
or into the ring. During the DAYS of
the West End club i'm this city drugs
wore rcsortrd to in n number nf in
stances and on each occasion resulted
in unusual excitement and some things
ihplyCIltu tiltI rue spectators cnNId NOT
understand.
Where lanScr Won on Dope
ON one occasion the spectators were
electrified by IL sudden and Wonderful
rally made by Benny Yanycr. the
Upton S%lasher," when he fought Abc
Attcll. This fight took place on April
~: 1902. The late George Siler was
referee and an agreement had been
made that il he could not render a
decision at tho end of fifteen rounds
the bout was to continue for another
tlNc. AT the n of fifteen rounds
Siler ordered that the bout he con-
'ihued. fhnScr was slowing up and
something had to he done to keep him
going. A physician i'm the audicncc
and VIII" was there for tho if
occasion required, vas called to the
~rlneside and at the beginning of tho
eighteenth round injected II thirticth
of a grain of strychnia sulphatc into
Yanger's arm.
me drug began to get i'm it's work
and in the nineteenth round the lit
ne Italian was lighting like "a mailman.
Ills frenzied rushcS and disregard of
danger t" himself brought alarm to-
the Attell corner and Jack Mckcnna.
manager of the latter. who evidently
suspected something wrong, called To
Attcll to fall tn the floor.
The latter obcyed. but could not cs-
cape some of the punishment dealt out
by fanser Soon the fury of the drug
had partly spent itself and Yangcr
began to relax. but 50 fcrocious had
been his sudden attack that the police
lnterfered and stopped the bout to-
save Attell from what they thought
would be a knock out and Silcr gave
the decision to Yangcr.
However. after the bout Yanurn
was IN a serious condition as the r,.-