El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-11-26
NEGRO SANS. MIGHTY BATTLERS.
HAVE ONLY EACH OTHER TOFIGHT
Langford and McVey Either Of Whom Could Give Any
White Heavy Terrible T ussle, Are Now Just About
Isolated Because of Race Prejudice and Restricting
Legislation; Whites Don't Care to Chance Them.
By DAMON RUNYON.

n SSa,, a0 sam a ss. which 4 @s. i 55s
scented at Suffers Harlem river
casino, was interesting II only because
it disclosed the last notable survivors
Of an almost extinct species-the negro
fighter.
There are a Few others floating
around. dark chips on the choppy sea
Of pugilism, but the Sans are about
the only ones left who stand out TO
any extent i'm point OF ability The
somore slugger is fading TO q sort OF
sepia- tinted memoir
Joe Jeanette. the Hoboken grey
hound, has practically retired Harry
Wills, New Orleans negro who has
shown some class, arrived q little too
late to get the opportunities that
would have been his had he appeared
few years back The Battling Jim
JohnsOns and the Dave Alillses are
scarcely 10 be considered
The race that gave Peter Jackson.
George Dixon, Young Peter Jackson,
Jack Blackburn Joe Cans, Bob Arm
strong, Bobby DObbs, Joe Jeanette
Frank Craig, the Dixie Kid the two
Sans and scores OF other good men IN
every weight division 70 the rims
seems 10 be through in Fisuana, at
least for the time being
And the reason IS well Known Il IS
the open discrimination Of the white
man; the curtailmenJ Of the black
mans chances To q greater or less
extent there has always been Ger
tain feeling OF hostility 10 the black
boxer in many quarters, nll tHstt ne
once had ample opportunity 10 demon
strate his ability is shown by the class
Of the fighters named above II is only
within the past few years that the nos
tflitv has taken definite form. sucn as
the ruling OF the New York boxing
commission prohibiting mixed bouts
10 L Inc
In other days the good old color
line" was the barrier raised Dy me [
white boxers themselves, especlalts
when some dangerous looking biacA
zon OF the white mans chances, hul
they had no regular legislation any {
where on. the subject The coloI 3
line was a pretty hay proposition I
yet it sometimes served l. 1oUnd IeN 4
among real sportsnen' I:
but il served
ToGsv- the blond Differs are pro-
tected by law. so 10 spell here ana
elsewhere. Even II there we're no az
mite rule in the premises II IS QOuol-
full # any white WallOper would nave
10 dodge behind the color line 4hSse
is 10 great demand now Tor the meet
ina- OF any white man vita a nldeh-
and there has been no such demand Ior
some time past
In other times The clamor OF the SO
called sporting public to see some
white champion DEFEND MS t---o
AGAINST some black boxer who was
showing exceptional class. usually de
-efoDed the color inG'-or fight
but not since John Arthur Johnson mas
clanor OF that nature been cla1nI-laS
to any alarming extent With the rise
Of Johnson came the decline Of tne
black fighter generally In the Cal
veston dock waliOper the negro race
produced q good fighter. but the Gu-
ttor OF the downfall OF his kind
Johnson's conduct gave ring dis-
elimination q stout hook whereon L.
hang, and thoroughly sun dry the feel
.nE OF hostility against the sable box
ars- The result is seen today in their
thfnned ranks. Had q black man of
the character OF Cans. or DiGop, Or
even Langford and McNey. won the
leavE weight championship II is hardly
ike j. that the negro boxers. as q class
would have been affected IN any way
L is hardly likely there would now
De such d thing as a rule against mixed
1outs in New York OF anywhere else
Some Great Black Men
A lot Of oldtime ring followers. who
Knew the black boxers OF the bygone