The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-08-10
Soldiers Remember How Feeny
Got Out of a Tight Cor
ner in Ring.
TRY IT ON THE GERMANS
At Close Quarters Count Enemy Out
When Feeny Goes on Leave He Gets
Token Of Appreciation for
Lessons In Self Defense.

1
prize ring got two little groups Of Brit
ish soldiers out of tight corner, and
eventually gave them the victory in a
lively "scrap" with superior numbers
of the enemy, is told In an interesting
story communicated by "a correspond
emit" to the London Times.
The story opens with a glove contest
in room lit by four large acetylene
lamps; on tiers Of benches and boxes
sit hundreds of khaki-clad men. They
have most of them been fighting all
through the week, and now they are
going to watch other men fght-with
gloves. Two men In overcoats step
through the ropes. AS the gloves are
being adjusted an officer steps into
the ring. He is loudly cheered.
"a six-round contest" he says, "be-
tween two Trishmen. (Cheers.) Ser
geant Kennedy Macedonia, eleven stone
two, and Quartermaster Sergeant Tim
Feeny, eleven stone"
Both boxers are fine specimens. Fee
ny, although he gives away only two
pounds, looks much the lighter, His
body glistens in the white light. As
he closes his gloves his muscles ripple
from wrist to shoulder, and his chest
is flanked with padding of muscle
to back up either hand. Macedonia Is
older. His frame looks almost rigid.
There Is not the same subtle play of
the muscles, but he seems. made of
iron, and he has abnormally long arms.
His ears look as IL they had been
punched fiat against the side Of his
skull. The referee calls, Seconds
Quit"
Exchange Blows From the Start.
The two boxers step into the middle
Of the ring and shake hands. There is
no noise save that of the slip, slip of
the soft kid boots over the resined
canvas. Feeny feints with his left, but
the other draws back a pace warily.
The feint has told Feeny something
and there is the quick phut-phut of
leather ON flesh as he leads left
and right to the head. As he steps
out the other man steps in and lands
a hard one on the junction Of the ribs.
The blow has told. Still circling,
Feeny gets his man into the salient of
the ropes and rushes In with we'll
meant but badly planned attack. He
has the shorter reach by inches, and
he knows he must fight to the body
and come inside the lOng-range blows
Of Macedonia. Then he gets home again
and the older man is sent hard back
to the ropes, but, being a master OF
ringcraft, comes back from them as
If thrown from catapult, and his left
comes round with full shoulder weight
behind it. Feeny takes 1t ducking, but
too late; the glove comes home over
one eye. The round is over.
Once more the boxers face each
other, but they now know each others
tactics. It is good round, but when
it finishes it shows that the man with
the shorter reach must get in close to
his opponent, who has the range Of
him. He knows this, too, so he fights
hard, tunneling into Macdona's defense
with jabs and short-arm hooks, clinch-
ing when hard pressed and smothering
in the break-away. Feeny attacks
with furry of quick mitigating. "Go
in again!' "Keep at him ~ the crowd
shouts. And Feeny does as advised.
Macedonia, unwary, has allowed him
self to be backed into corner, and,
quick as terrier, the shorter-armed
man steps inside his guard and gets
home with two full-power punches on
the solar plexus. Macedonia sways,
makes a step into the ring, and then
falls in a heap with one arm relaxed
over the lower rope. The referee
reaches the count Of ''Ten" before the
fallen man moves at all.
"Good scrap" says the machine-gun
officer to fellow lieutenant, "but Fee
ny would never have won If he hadn't
got to close quarters"
A Week Later; the Trenches.
A week later. Two little groups Of
men are sheltering in two shell holes
Far out amid the German wire. The
two hundred yards ahead Of
them are occupied. A spray Of. ma
chine-gun bullets plays across the lips
Of the holes, and two men who were
making a '10ok-see" are sitting groan-
Ing In the bottom Of the trench. The
two parties are twenty yards apart.
Presently the machine gun stops its
patter and there is comparative silence
There is an isolated thud In the dis
lance and the crescendo Of an ap-
preaching shell. It bursts like an elder
powder puff, high and to the left, but
some of the shrapnel reaches one Of
he shell holes.
The men have been out since before
lawn, for they were an advanced pa
rol. They were discovered by the
3oches only an hour age, however, and
heir position is now made unenviable.
The ground behind slopes and they
would be exposed to Inachine-gun fire
III the long way to their trenches.
Vow the artillery is beginning to search
hem out.
They Try Out Feenye Tactics.
From the right shell hole there is
futter of white, and slowly Morse I
- a. Il 4,