The daily independent., 1937-04-17
Texaco Beach Pirates Open 1887 Season Sunda,
BY JACK CUDDY

New 4OTk, April 1O!-NO""- 1liS
present situation in Madison
Square Garden VS. James j. Brad
dock embodiment reminds me a
whole lot of that historic fourth
round in the Schmeling-Louis
fight last June.
Reactions of neutral observer
at Wednesdays federal hearing in
Ncwark-when a Braudock at
torrey smashed and Slashed the
Garden lawyers dizzy-were much
the same as these Of ringside
boxing writer in that fourth round
when under-dog Schmeling sent
mighty Louis toppling to the can
vas the first time. 1t seemed that
one was witnessing the impossible.
And it appears now that Brad
dock ct al have the Garden repre-
sentatives on the run. PerharS 1t
is only a temporary or even an
imaginary victory: But that's my
impression. And it's an entirely
unexpected impression because i
had entered Judge Guy L. Fakes
U. S. district court room-With its
walnut walls and green velvet
hangings-figuring that the Brad
dock forces had virtually no
chance.
1t is my belief now that the
Garden will not get its requested
injunction to restrain champion
Braddock from meeting Joe Louis
in Chicago before he defends his
title for the Garden against
Schmeling. The Louis fight is
slated for June %, and the
Schmeling brawl for June 3.
You see, the Braddock attorneys
virtually forced the Garden bar
risters to yell time out!' on We'd
nesday. George w. Whiteside.
spokesman for the Gardens bat
terry of legal talent, had brought
out that the Garden had Brad
dock hog with three steel
meshed contracts. These, docu-
ments were signed on April 10,
1885; August 81, 1896, and Dec.
IL, 1886.
But when Braddock'S Spokeman,
Merritt Lane, finished with his re-
buttal, it seemed to me that only
the last contract-that og Dec. IL,
l936-had any bearing in the pre-
sent case. And that is a very i'm
portant point, indeed - probably
the crux of the whole battle.
Lane, a fiery, gray-haired little
man in a brown suit. virtually
ripped those first two contracts to
pieces before the Garden mems
Mortified eyes. He hammered home
the point that the original con-
tract of April 10, 1885 was signed
before Braddock wrested the title
from Make Baer in June, 1885.
He admitted that Braddock a.
greed to make his first title de-
fer.e for the Garden. in case he
won the title, and not to engage
In any other major bouts without
Garden permission. But the life
of that contract was dated only up
to September 30. 1886.
This contract died a natural
death. Lane claimed, although
Bradock did not defend his title
before September 80, 1886. He
emphasized that the champion
had been willing to defend his
tit!e-despite his case of arthritis
but that when the New York
Boxing Commission learned OF
Braddock's affliction, the commits
sion called him in. examined him
and then called off his scheduled
title bout with Schmeling, slated
for September 80, 1886. Lane said
he had proof positive that Brad
dock did not request the cancel
lation. and that he wanted to go
through with that bout.
Lane insisted that the second
contract of August 81, 1885, was
an entirely new document-not a
supplementary contract - and
superseded the original one. The
second contract bound Braddock
to defend his title against schmel-
ing on June 3 or June 10, 1887.
But it was not made out on a
commission form. Accordingly the
third contract was signed on Dec.
II. 1936-on a commission form