New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-02-20
Willard dempsey Contract
TO Fight Illegal, Says Attorney

Should the District Attorney elect to
take the penal code seriously, not only
would the principals and seconds be in
danger Of viewing the interior of the
BastiIe, but a lot more or less de
serving newspaper writer's who were
present when the agreement was made
tentatively would be in the same dam
of publishing a "challenge or accept
ance of a challenge for such contcn-
ton, exhibition or fight"
The only hope of escape seems to
be that the Willard Dempsey meeting
will be neither contention, exhibition
nor fight. But that hope is slim. The
bout may be neither a contention nor a
fight, but it may come under the head
OF exhibition. Your humble servant,
present III the line of duty when the
articles were agreed upon, can already
feel the tap Of the legal mitt on his
shoulder.
AS Counsellor Tackcr points out, It
was on evidence under this section that
Jess Willard escaped the tolls of Jack
Curlcy and Tom Jones, who had him
signed up for a long time contract. 1t
was shown that, while the Willard
Johnson fight was staged in Havana,
that Willard, Jones and Curley had
i
State. Therefore the contract was
illegal. The trio just missed the Bias
tile by a few jumps
Looking lack on the incidents which
preceded the actual signing of Demp-
sey, the minions Of the law could have
backed a patrol wagon up to the Bit
rore or the Claridgc at any time dur
ing the proceedings and carried away
load. Ike Dorgan had the illegal
papers concealed iii his coat pocket all
the time. The papers contained the
damning evidence that Dempsey was to
participate III a contention exhibition
or fight.
When Jack Keans nodded his head
and accepted $500 for Dampscy's
end the coppcrs might have stopped it.
When Dempsey arrived at the Clagidqe
and declared that The arrangements
made by Kearns were satisfactory an
other spectacular pinch might have
been made The innocent newspaper
men who cast a ballot to decide how
much Dempsey should receive might
have been marched to the guard
house, too.
New Contract Possible
The contenton Of Counsellor Tacker
is that Tex Richard will have TO de-
sey null and void and defunct and
everything else and go outside the state
or oven outside the country and fix
up new one. By doing this he NAV
also escape the possible session in
DURANGO vile.
Ike Dorgan, his associate, while he
refused to como out Of hiding at
Doylc's. gave it as his opinion that
new contract would be signed. He re-
qucstcd that his disguise be not re-
vcaled until the case blows over, but
it is violating no confidence to say
that there IL new colored attendant
at ono of the smoker tables who looks
like white man doing blackfacc
turn. His height corresponds to that
Of Mr.. Dorgan
Whether or not the minions Of the
law VIII hop Richard when he returns
from the oil fields remains to be seen.
II IS hardly probable az the New York
Legislature is at the present writing
favorably considering a bill to legal
ne boxing IN this state. But it ia
certain that there will be another
signing Of the $4,000 articles. The
thIrty-five cents which Richard paid
Tor Dcmpscy's transportation across
the Hudson will be total loss. The
next signing probably will Include wine
bottles and everything.
Even If boxing should be legalizcd
IN the state in the very near future,
the present contract with Dempsey
would be illegal It was drawn up
while contracts Of thia sort were still
illegal and all the contracting pnrtics
are liable t. prosecution. These legal
cnta7elemcrts VIII no doubt cljnch
Kicknrd's desire to take The biz battle
further Wcst, whore tho penui codes
are leAs INTRICATE.