The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-02

Electric time keepers such as are
used in Australia should he Introduced
In the American ring They guaran-
tee correct counting over a fallen
lighter and eliminate entirely the pos
sihiiify Of short or long count. Lack
OF such device has made many
atrociods ring decisions possible.
Vesting counting power in referee
who Is unaided by watch Ia folly.
There are some third men" who can
toll Off the seconds with remarkable
accuracy but the ma jority are inclined
to become erratic In moments of great
excitement. They are Just as likely
to count ten" in eight seconds as to
lensthen the count into twelve, four
teen or sixteen seconds.
IN Australia when a fighter Ia floor
ed ben rings and at once the electric
time-keeper gets busy II tolls off
the seconds which are registered on
sort OF clock which has four sides
This clock ia suspended above the ring
and Is in plain view OF every person
In the audience. There ia no short
counting by an electric time Seeper,
no long counting The electric ap-@
paratus cannot make an error nor can
It cheat
The Aperican prize ring needs n
device Just Ike that. Injustice is done
10 fighters by it's IN elk 1t seems more
than passing strange that in this pro
gressive country, which Just now is
the pugil'sttc mecca of the world we
should have no such apparatus. Per-
hitting referees to count .off the sec
! onds without the aid Of Q. watch. when
fighter IL down constitutes per
| haps the greatest menace TO Justice In
! pugitism. It is time that some enter
prising fipht clubs awakened to this
and introduced an electric tims-keep-
| err.
Ring history chronicles many in
/ stances whore honest referees have
made grievous errors in the count
They are but human. Errors must be
/ expected from them. But II Is wrong
3 that so vital a matter as easuring time
should be intrusted TO humans when q
mechanical appliance can do il cor
rectlv. Furthermore. the lack o'
electric timekeepers always admits tht
| possibility Of "a crooked deal through
the medium OF the referee.
Here Is one Of the many INSTANCES
where a crooked deal WAS put over be.
cause the referee was permitted ia
do the counting.
Some years ago in C'f>icazo'a battle
was stared between Wilev Evans and
Bob Harper. negro weiterweiRhts
| The referee was a politician who had
het a huge sum on Harper TO win
| The battle hadn't gone two rounds
before It was evident that Harper was
a Joke fighter and that Evans was his
ma ster at every, angle O, the game
! In the third round Evans smashed
a terrific right handler to Harper's jaw
and Harper went down--dead to the
world. Tho spectators took one look
at the unconscious Harper and rose
/ 10 their feet and began 10 don their
coats. Preparatory TO leaving the
arena, That. naturally. caused a Mt
tie noise and the referee seized upon
| II az means OF ienRthening the
count He had counted "One" over
! Harner when the commotion In the
crowd occurred. whereupon he jumn-
| ed over to the rones and waving his
! hands IN frantic fashion, yelled:
Gentlemen, you must remain per-
! fectIv quiet so az TO give Harper a
chance to hear me count"
/ The referee continued to stand
alongside Of the ropes until he felt
I that the house had been restored to
! order. Then slowly he walked over
to the unconscious Harper. Leaning
over him he counted two" Just then
some man IN the audience cou~hed
The referee whirled around, went to
| the ropes AGAIN. and beloved:
"ouict! Quiet, inlplore YOU again
tn keep quiet so that this fighter can
| hear me count"
| Once arain having secured silence.
the referee walked SLOWLY over IN the
PROSTATE Harper. He hsd hoped that
the negro would he able TO pet TO his
feet after such a long resnite. But
his homes were in vain. Harper still
Law on the f'oor onanletelv out. Then
the referee called "three' He wait
ed about half minute and a.nnounc-
ed -four" AT half minute intervals
he tolled along 10 the count of
eight"
Just As he had caliHd OF eight"
Harper showed signs OF returning
consciousness. Tho referee DELAYED
mine" until tust the moment Harner
rot TO his feet, Wiley. noticing that
Harper WAS In bewildered eondi-
ton. rushed over intent upon drot-
ping him again. Hut the referee
pushed him hack and snarled:
You are hitting low and nghtng
foul. There must be no more OF IT,
You must hght fair. I'll not caution
you again"
All this gave Harper needed rest
and by the time that the referee ccaS-
cd holding Wiley. Harper had recov-
er@d sufficiently to weather the rest
of the round which had lasted at least
4AAn n.fast4sa Ny,A en- fnx IN N< that kh~