The Connecticut labor news., 1921-10-28
FANS ALMOST MOB HARTFORD REFEREE
 ON RAW DECISION
Burns Gets in Bad in Kaplan- -Shu- bert Mill and Cops Have to
 Escort Him.

bert Mill and Cops Have to
 Escort Him.
 Hartford, Oct. 2S.-Tommy Burns, who holds license from the state boxing commission as referee, IS decidedly an unpopular man today with the boxing fans in general. He officiated this week at the box ing show offered by the Charter Oak Athletic Club, very excellent card and one which pleased every ian present. But Burns-Wc1i, he raised 1 Kid kaplan's left glove after the Meridcn boy finished hot 12-round battle with Al Shubert of New Bed ford and bout in which the Massa- chusetts lad clearly earned the de- cision by margin sufficiently wide to be apparent to everybody i'll the hall. But Burns, licensed referee, saw otherwise.
 How he could be so blind to the merits of the respective fighters will !probably remain an enigma for all time, but the fact remains he saw that the Merden boy took a sound facing from the older but more Canny mtt wieldcr.
 The semi final between Young Mack of Stamford and Young Mack Iof Hartford was called a draw and, while Burns was boOed some for this decision, he did have some justice Tn viewing the bout in that way. The preliminary between Young Lewis of Hartford and Joe Kitson of Ken sington was also a draw and like |wise iii this case Mr. Burns had some justice in his declaration. 1 But when he unhesitatingly award- 1 ed the honors to Kid kaplan when the Silver City boy had been fought to standstill the crowd voiced pro and parted at the main thoroughfarc the arguments still waxed loud con- cernng the vision of MT. Burns, Licensed referee
 Kid Kaplan is a much liked boy in Hartford, He is a willing lad, strong and anxious to deliver the goods. He has a good manager and enjoys the following of as honest and sin lcerc a body of Meriden sportsmen as any Connecticut boxer in recent lyears. Kaplan has always delivered the goods in Hartford and he did his best. He never faltcred from his lpurposc even when his left ribs were sore and aching from the punish ment received in the continuous in lighting.
 Even Draw Wouldn't Satisfy. But-and there Is the stumbling block to the decision of Mr. Burns, licensed referee, because Kid kaplan Itried hard cannot offset the fact that for the last eight rounds of the battle the New Bedford boy steadily piled up such a decisive lead that even q draw would have been an injustice to Shubert.
 kaplan was rather favorte before the bout. His supporters figured the terrible kaplan punch would shatter the papicr- -mache jaw that Shubert IS for the "old man" from New Bed ford at the thought of what he had looming to him.
 The first round found Kaplan out in his usual aggressive style. He fought with real vitamine vigor and swung SO Justify as to remind a spec tator of the Nuxatcd Iron advertise ments He was all over and around Shubert who did not step away much and it looked as if kaplan would be a rough customer for the visiting boy. i The second round found Kaplan , forced to work harder to land and the third and fourth proved that Shubert was solving kaplan's methods as the Meriden boy was tied up'' repeated 1 ly He would lead in only to find himself almost helpless while Shubert started his systematic body punching.
 And such punching. At times Shubert stood toe to toe with his younger and more nuXated-ironed op- ponent and swapped punches. Clos ing each melee Shubert would be un- der kaplan's arms and pounding Justify with a closed right mitt at Kaplan's left side. Many smiled in the early rounds remarking that Shu bert was wasting his strength on such d sturdy lad
 Shubert Takes Command.
 From the fourth round Shubert handled the affair with consummate ease. It would be an error to depreCi- | ate kap1an's work at any stage of the clash and just as ridiculous would it 1 be to fail to see how Shubert piled up i his decisive lead.
 There can be no question in the ] minds of any person who saw the bout as to the winner-well, maybe | one, MT. Burns, licensed referee.
 The only difference of opinion can be in the margin that should be credited to Shubert for the visiting Bay Slater as clearly earned the de- cision as Tommy Burns, licensed | referee, trousers were white.
 Shubert at times, stood off and tapped Kaplan with straight lefts but the greater part of the time he step ped in and begged away with both hands to the Meriden boys midrif. It certainly was a great battle and Matchmaker Hugh Rorty of the Charter Oak A. C. would do we'll to rematch the boys for the main bout alone was worth every cent the even