The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-06-13
BIG CROWDS HAVE CONE FOREVER, IS RICHARDS BELIEF
Tex Says That Never Again Will 90,000 See Boxing
 Match

NEW YORK, June 12.-The pied piper, whose seductive ballyhoo lured 90.000 people and s1,5O0,O00 to an erstwhile vacana lot in Jersey City two years ago, has decided to whole worlds masterpiece of prize fight promotion and financiering.
 Hereafter, Tex Rickard will build and plan for no greater congregata- ton than 60.000 saps, which Is the prize fight patois for sapients or wise guys, who often pay $50 each to see a pair of languid youths in a public misunderstanding.
 Mr. Rickard first made noee of the worlds ripe interest in those mis- understanding when he made Bat ting Nelson and Joe Cans air their grouch with unrestrained vehemence at Goldfield 16 years ago. Prior to that time he had made tolerable living by playing to another cosmic weakness, that of curiosity, which impels people to pay thousands of dollars to see the numerals on the cards in other peoples hands. The authorities were beginning to take cognizance of this popular but cost ly public failing, and laws were be- ing passed here and there about the United States to protect mans money against his curiosity.
 more.L.w. R,sIne. .
 From time to time since then, further laws have been promulgated in scattered precincts to bulwark the popular bank roll against the popular interest in other peoples disputes, but some communities have resisted this reform on the ground that every man has a right to mind the other mans business and re- .,.tf tz do tails of the other mans squabbles. This principle has made rich men of such poor boys as Jack Dempsey. Tom Gibbons, Johnny kilbane, Georges Carpenter and Benny Leon ard, who are never so happy as when disputing their differences before large multitudes of cash clients.
 MT. Rickard has great faith in the weaknesses of the public. On this enc he once staked the not con- temptible sum of sS0o,ooO in guar antics in Jersey. How well he had assayed human nature may be judged from the fact that he and his back CTS reaped return of almost 100 per cent. few times. but only very few times, he has erred on the side of optimism, as in the case, for instance, of Johnny Wilson, to see whose moods of war you couldn't get SU,UUU pcCpic With "v'VV" ''D's Writs from the supreme, court of the United States.
 How Crowds Dwindle.
 Mir. Rickard has been pursuing clinical studies of human nature, however, and has noted the abate- ment of this interest in the purely DC, sonal wrangles of individuals. He made a great laboratory test when he heaved into the ring an over weight ton of heavies for chari- table cause at the Yankees stadium not long age. and even under the most alluring conditions drew only 55. 900 people. He made note or the fact, without undue anguish, that the bout between Johnny Kilbane and Eugene Criqui, a cameo copy Of the stupendous Dempsey Carpenter show. drew only 25o00 people to the Polo Grounds and left the promoters with a deficit of $5O,000. He added this learning to his own experience last year with Joe Lynch and Johnny Buff, wherein championsnip changed hands by a knockout With only 15,0oo persons present. Ana ne now announces his expert decisiIn that the day of the 90.000 prize-fight crowd faded into twilight on July 9 1921.
 Rickard has lost his lease on the Yankee field, capable of holding nearly 90,0C0. for a fight having been outbid by mysterious contrary Interests. All he has left on Man haitian Island is the Velodrome, seat ing 22,000. which he will now expand to seat 60,000.
 But that" MT. Rickard oraculates. twill be enough for the largest crowd from now on. You never will see again a crowd of 90,0OO people, at a fight. Them days. if one may phrase 1t so, has went forever.