Evening star., 1917-03-02
DARCY A SLACKER,'
FIGHT |SFORB|DDEN
Gov. Whitman Gives Reason
for Stopping Bout With
Jack Dillon.
EXPLAINS TO COMMISSION

By the Associated Press
ALBANY, N. Y, March Gov. Whit
man today directed the state athletic
commission to prohibit the boxing bout
scheduled for Madison Square Garden.
New York. Monday night, between Les
Darcy and Jack Dillon. on the ground
that Les Darcy is Stacker"
The commissioners were informed Of
the governors decision by the execu-
tive himself in his private office. He
had summoned them to meet him espe-
cially for the purpose. They in turn
notified Grant Hugh Brown, manager or
the corporations under whose auspices
the bout was to have been held. OF the
executive order and to give him an OPP
portunity to provide a substitute for
Les Darcy.
The governor outlined his position
in the following statement:
II have directed the boxing commits
sion to forbid the holding of the So
called boxing exhibition at Madison
Square Garden on Monday night l am
creditably informed that one Les Darcy
has planned, or that his managers have
planned, that the fight contemplated
shall be what is commonly known as
| fight to the finish or Knockout
"Unpatriotic and Unseemly."
LES Darcy, so / am informed. is a
runaway from his own country. In dis
guise and under an alias, he left his
native land (Australia) because he was
afraid to fight in the cause for which
his fellow countrymen are sacrificing
! their lives.
HE prefers to give brutal exhibi-
ton, at some personal risk, for purse
of 5000
oifi
state will support the governor in his
insistence that this thing shall not be
permitted in New York"
At the close of the conference with
the governor Chairman Fred A. Wenck
of the athletic commission said that
Darcy would not be permitted to par
| ticipate in any boxing contest in this
state.
The governor believes" Mr.. Wenck
said, that as this country is on the
verge of war it would be both unpa-
triotfc and unseemly to place a man
upon a pedestal who has virtually de-
serted the military service of a ma
tion that will be our ally in the event
of hostilities. This executive order is
directed solely against Les Darcy and
not against the boxing game
Defense of Darcy.
| NEW YORK, March 2-Gerald E.
Griffin. the Irish tenor, who recently re-
| turned from Australia after a two-year
| tour, is familiar with the Les Darcy
| case and defends the boxer, stating that
he deserves much praise for the part he
played in benefits for the wounded and
destitute returned from the front. 1T
| is not fair to brand Darcy as a Stacker,
said Mr.. Griffin, but, on the contrary,
| the boy should be lauded for the man.
ner in which he offered his services in
| helping the relief societies. He did not
run away from active service. as re-
ported in this country, to avoid con-
| scription. In fact, it was never put into
| effect there. The truth of the matter is
| that Darcy volunteered to join the col
| ors' on two occasions but being minor
his mother refused to give her consent.
which was necessary.
Failing in this, Darcy did the next
best thing and toured the country for
| 500 miles around in benefits for the
wounded returned from the front, pay
, ing his own expenses and taking part
in eighty-seven of them, the proceeds