The New York herald., 1921-07-07
CHARGES PLOT TO
BREAK UP FIGHT
Dempsey Declares Man With
Towel Was Caught Near
His Corner.
BY CHARLES Il. MATHIsoN.

The statement made by Jack Demp-
sey on his arrival in Chicago to the
effe;t that two men tried to throw a
towel into the ring from his corner
during the bout in Jersey City last Sat-
urday would seem to indicate that some
body who had taken the short end in
the netting was trying to cash as the
result of a ruse. Dempsey, who evident
ly received the information from Mike
Trant. says that one of the men had a
towel in his hand, and that when they
wers questioned by Trant they declared
they had been placed there by Richard
Trant referred them to the police and
they we're taken away.
TIE scheme, had II been put into exc
cutfon might have caused a great deal
of confusion and possibly a riot. If a
towel had floated into the ring from
Dempsey corner Referee Ertle might
have thought it was a token of sur
render from Kearns. 1t would have
taken much explanation to convince the
referee that the action was not genuine.
Yet. the fact of Dempsey being in fight
Ing sorm throughout would no doubt
have defeated the object of the con-
spirators
.AGain, as Ertle said previous to the
fight that he would not recognize a
victory for either nan unless Kearns or
with towel in hand. IL would have been
difficult for the schemers to cash.
Incidentally the affair is further evil
dence of the unwisdom OF permitting
seconds to acknowledge the defeat OF a
princif al through the medium of tossing
in a towel. The duty of stopping a one
sided fight should devolve entirely on
the referee.
When Eugene Corri, the noted British
referee. sailed yesterday on the Adriatic
for London he declared that Carpenter,
next to Jack Dempsey, is the greatest
pugilst in the world. Mr.. Corri was the
spokesman for number of London cor
respondents, all Of whom were still
strong admirers OF the Frenchman, who,
they declared, lacked only weight TO be
the superior of Dempsey.
H. bartholomew. who came here for
a London pictorial newspaper to send
pictures Of the fight over the cable by a
new and very complicated process, said
yesterday on board the liner that he had
received word that the pictures were
printed Monday and were a great sue
cess. A previous effort to cable views
of the international yacht races resulted
In Indifferent pictures. he said.
Jack Johnson, who will be released
from Leavenworth Prison on Saturday,
SAYS he will meet Harry Wills in Jersey
City August %. It Is said that Johnson
has been offered a guarantee OF $4,000
to box Wills. Singularly enough, that
was the amount that Johnson received
when he permitted Willard to take the
title at Havana.
When Robert II. Doherty. chairman OF
the New Jersey Boxing Commission, was
Informed of the alleged match he said
johnson would not box In New Jersey
during the official term of the present
commission.
"The commissioners are in office to
nromote and protect the boxing game
In the State" Chairman Doherty de-
cIared. "and we believe that the ap-
pearance of johnson in contest there
would be derogatory 20 the sport.
A later despatch from Leavenworth
was 10 the effect that the date and place
for the proposed contest had not been
decided on. in this connection Jack
Kearns yesterday received telegram
from Can't. J. E. McCaw of Los Angeles
Offering Dempsey 100000 TO meet
Johnson on Labor Day in that city, hair
the receipts to 20 to the fighters ana
half TO the American Veterans OF the
World War, he announced to-day
The message was endorsed and au-
thorized by Post No. Of the American
Legion in Los Angeles. according TO
Capt. McCaw.
Kearns commenting on the offer said f:
"I believe there is no demand Tor the
bout now or in the near future"
Kearns added that he had drawn no
color line on behalf OF the champion.
but suggested that johnson should
meet Harry Wills or another leading
negro boxer before being considered Tor