Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-02
PETROLLE-TUT co
: ST|RS F|ST|C FANS
Investigation of Hot Bout
Follows Suspicion of
Gambling Taint.
BY WILBUR WOOD.

n YEW YORK, March 2.-Were
M the casting of stones con-
/ Y fined to those without sin
there probably would not
have been such a bombardment Of
the Petrolle-Tut fight. The hon
esty of the hectic brawl in the
Garden last Friday night contin-
ues to be the most absorbing topic
in the sock market. Matters will
come to head tomorrow when
both boxers and their managers
will appear before the boxing COM
mission.
Listening to some of the more ill
favored gentry who hang about the
fringes of the sock market put the
blast on the Petrolle-Tut fight, the
writer was reminded of an incident
which took place while Jim Jeffries and
Frank Gotch were on a tour of the
country, giving exhibitions Of the manly
arts of boxing and wrestling.
Jeh and Gotch were playing cards
In their drawing room on the train
when a man approached Jack Curley,
who was in charge of the outfit, with
q request for an introduction to the
athletes. Curley was loath to intrude
on them, but the man pleaded 30 elo-
quently that Jack finally took him in
and presented him.
GOtch Told Him.
The visitor hung about and pro-
Ionged the conversation beyond the
usual point, extolling the proves Of
the boxer and the wrestler at great
length. At last he said, But 1t is q
terrible shame that such fine gentle
men as yourselves should be engaged in
such q crooked business"
The two champions had continued
their card game during the callers re-
marks, but when he made the crack
about dishonesty, Gotch put down his
cards and, turning to the visitor, asked
him In what business he was engaged.
IT am a banker" said the other,
Rather proudly.
80 you are a banker" drawled Gotch.
ST have only one thing to say to you
and it Is this: Ten days ago we put
on our show at Leavenworth Peniten-
tiary to entertain the prisoners. Among
those prisoners was not one boxer or
wrestler, but there was quite sprinkling
Of bankers"
With that Gotch picked up his cards
again while the visitors skunk out with
out word.
In boxing. as in other sports, or
businesses. things are not always what
they seem. In recent years the ac-
tivitieS of racketeers in boxing have
done much to weaken the confidence of
the fans in sport. Things have reached
q point where the spectator who has
been fooled once looks with suspicion
upon everything.
Whether there was anything wrong
with the Petrolle-T Tut fight the writer
Is not prepared to state with convic-
ton, but it certainly was a thrilling
fight one that delighted the customers.
Mayor Walker no doubt expressed the
opinion of thousands when he said that
If it was fake he would like to see
more Of the same.
The finger of suspicion Is pointed at
the fight chiefly because of the shift in
the odds. AS the first preliminary
went on the betting fiuctuated, accord
ing to information conveyed to the
ringSide, between 8 to S, with Tut
favorite, and even money. BY the time
the boys entered the ring Petrolle had
been installed as favorite, at or to S.
Edge on Victory.
That Petrolle, who had been beaten
three times by Tut and knocked out in
their most recent meeting, should rule
fayorite was taken by some to mean
that the custodians Of the so-called
wise money" were certain that the
Fargo Express was going to win.
No matter what may be the verdict
of the commission tomorrow, q great
deal of damage has been done, not only
TO Petrolle and Tut. but to the boxing
game by the charges Of taking. The
edge has been taken OF Petrolle's VIC