The Washington herald., 1918-01-25
ARMY IS AFTER
LOCAL BOXERS
District War Service Com
mission Makes Appeal
to Tutors Here.

Many requests have been made Of
: the District War Service Commission
for competent instructors to teach
boxing In the camps in this vicinity.
1T Is believed by the War and Navy
Departments that there Is no exercise
more helpful In bayonet practice than
a knowledge not only of the art Hf
hitting but also of footwork
There have been regularly assigned
athletic directors and boxing instruc-
tors for the large cantonments, but the
Congressional appropriation is too
small to cover the ten or twelve small
encampments in and around the Dis
trict Of Columbia
Local boxers have been issued a call
to enlist in the service Of Uncle Sam
The District Commission Is asking
for boxers to volunteer to teach the
manly art in the camps
Boxing is as essential to military
training as marching or setting-up ex-
ercises. according to the commission.
and It Is the purpose Of the War De-
rartment authorities to have it taught
in all camps
The work Is to be done by volunteers
who are sufficiently patriotic to offer
their services.
Any local boxer or wrestler who Is
willing to assist in keeping the army
''fit to fight'' should communicate at
once with the District War Service
Commission. Nineteenth and G streets
northwest, for bookings at the camps.
Charlie Marx. the local feather
weight battler who at one time held
the amateur feather-weight cham
pionship Of Philadelphia, was the
frst of the local boxing world to
answer the call Of the District War
Service Commission for boxing in
structors. Marx Is willing to teach
night classes at any Of the local
camps or cantonments-
Although Charlie Marx was the first
of the local boxers to fall in line with
the District war service activities
committee, there remains a number
more, who will report some time today
to accept the volunteer jobs which are
now open. Foremost in this crew Is
Joe Freeman, the local fight promoter,
who has done more for boxing and
boxers in the District than any other
individual.
Freeman Is Of the old school, and
one who can handle the mitts in an
Ar manner. Joe never figured him
self a battler. but it Is a known fact
that he is considered above the ordi-
nary when it comes to handing out
instructions on the manly art Of self
defense.
Besides Freeman, another we'll
known local athlete is willing to give
the best part of his time to Director
Harold Keats. of the District commits
sion. This athlete is Joe Turner, the
middle-weight champion wrestler, who
is ready to jump into any camp to
which they might desire to assign him
and teach the boys in the khaki all the
tricks of the jiu jitsu game along with
the most prominent Of the holds in the
wrestling game. Jimmy Cunningham.
another wrestler who is in the feather
weight division. has come forth to an
swer the call, while Jack Boland and
Tommy Lowe will sure to be among
the applicants before sundown today.
Danny Lewis, or Danny O'Brine as he
is better known in local ranks, is al
ready doing his bit with the marines
now stationed at Indian Head, Nd.
Danny is employed at the proving sta
ton, and as boxing is his big hobby, he
has already organized a class and is
now away out in front.
P. F. O'Connor, the local referee, re-
cites a pretty good story in reference
to second and third raters going into
the game Of instructing. Pat tells OF
the Spanish-American war when he in
vaded a nearby camp and agreed to
send any OF the soldier boys into
dreamland in four rounds or forfeit a
big sum Of money. Pat claims that he
and his management were paying on
these debts for two or three years, as
he sure run into some Tartars in the
Khaki khan. and that his victories were
far below that Of his defeats under
this four-round regulation.
For many years there have been
Intermittent attempts to organize
an association to control boxing in
this country. Several years ago
the American Boxing Association
was organized in the West, but ow-
ing to jealousies among promoters
il has gone to seed. 1t now ap-
pears that an organization to con-
troll the game may be developed
within the International Associa-
ton of Police Chiefs.
The deputy police marshal of
Baltimore. who is in control OF the
sport in that city, has issued an
appeal to the police chiefs to CO.
operate on boxing. so that fighters
barred in one city shall be barred
in all others. This looks like a
sound solution of a vexing problem.