Evening star., 1923-10-14
=::;::::: John McArd]e, Referee

I bets had been nullified Immediately
the rumors began to mushroom; the
champion was out of condition; Pc
ters had failed to make the weight
the Phantom had injured his hand In
a training bout. But down at the
ringside certain men looked at one
another and knew the truth. John
McArdle had double crossed them.
Above their heads the third man ir
the ring plodded onward in a weary
circle. eyes intent on the humping
gloves. He was wondering what the
| next move would be. So far, what
he had done applied only to activitie.
outside the ring. Within the squared
circle he was bound by the rules, and
he knew IL.
| \; 4 X X
ITHE round ended with the mer
i sparring cautiously in the middle
of the ring. McArdle went to a neu.
trail corner and leaned against the
ropes with his arms folded. Below
him the newspaper men were seeking
vainly to capture his attention
| Chick Burley, the champions chief
second, and Jake Scheppler approach
ed from opposite corners, taking care
that all the ringside should hear their
| demand for an explanation.
| McArdle waved them back.
| Whats the betting to you?" he de-
manded. You're getting your cut out
OF the purse, amt you? Well, go back
and fight for it."
Out of the corner of one eye the
| referee saw Big Steve Roberts huuch-
ed in a chair at the ringside, and
| back of him tho purple faced figure
OF Rudy Metzker. He appreciated
that there were probably fifty men
within as many feet of him who were
already planning their revenge.
| While breaking a clinch in the sec
| ond round tho referee found an op-
portunity to express himself under
his breath.
! Don't try to pull any fouls on me-
he Kissed. The games up-under-
stand? Come on. You're locked; ster
OUT"
He clapped his hands and the men
| broke cleanly. The Philadelphia
Phantom suddenly cut loose with an
exhibition of the footwork that had
made him famous. He danced in and
out, working a straight left to the
head and shifting into a right upper
cut with a dazzling rapidity and pre-
cision. In the fourth round he drop
ped his man for the count Of five, and
| the crowd went wild.
But in the fifth round the chal-
lenger came back and rushed his op-
I a..
the sixth tho Phantom was apparent
" groggy and covering up.
Tho arena became a roaring whirI-
pool. The crowd had entirely for
| gotten the early suspicious prompted
by the referees announcement. Here
| was fight that would I've in his
tory.
Even John McArdle was fooled. He
reasoned that since there was nc
ilonger any object in pulling a foul
the fight was being made on the
| square. And when the seventh round
passed safely. with both men appar-
| entity nursing. their strength. he
breathed easier, and great weight
was lifted from his mind.
It was a small thing that brought
him his first uneasiness. and it es-
capped the attention of every one else
Between the ninth and tenth rounds
he noticed that the seconds IN both
corners were not washing off their
men, though both were bleeding
slightly. Now, II is the part of a
good handler to send his man up al
the beginning OF the round looking
clean and fresh, Just is 1t Is the part
of an experienced boxer to do the
| bulk OF his fighting in the last sixty
seconds OF tho round rather than the
first.
But the men faced each other FOR
the tenth round looking battered and
battle weary. McArdle was puzzled
He wondered still more when his
skilled eyes noted first a certain hesi-
fancy in the movements OF both box
ers, and then that they were swing.
ing wild. He recalled quickly that
all through the fight there had beer
no blows to the wind or to the jaw
The champion had dropped his mar
with a left hook high on the head
The challenger had slowed the Phan.
tom down with body attack on the
ribs. No vulnerable spot had beer
touched.
CCDDENLY the whole thing became
~ plain to the shirt-sleeved Scotch.
man. The first seven rounds mus
have been carefully rehearsed: tht
men had met secretly and practicec
every blow. Now they were at loss
because they had never anticipated
the thing would go any farther thar
the seventh round. Under instruc-
tions they were going to stall to q
draw and try it again with different
referee in the ring.
I'm gone" he thought. 1.-THE
hounds"
The eleventh and twelfth rounds
passed uneventfully. and the temper
of the multitude changed. Gradually
the words of the referee were recalled
| and gloom settled down on the arena
The bleachers began an impatient
stamping punctuated with catcalls
On the main floor there was moody
silence with significant glances at the
motion picture machines purring
steadily from their tower.
The thirteenth round came, and after
a sharp rally the men dropped into a
clinch and wrestled futilely. From
high up in the "five-dollar heaven
some one filled his lung and roared
out:
| "Roommates"
The crowd laughed, and red-faced
man sitting FIVE rows from the ring
side turned to a companion.
"Well,' he said, 'I suppose we have
| to expect that sort of thing these
days. Boxing, base ball, racing-one
| of.ar aoo+bar tho crookS caf into fbep,