The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-08-13
(BY THE OUT EASTER)


 Fan"
 He doesn't know the difference between 8 kidney punch and an uppercut.
 But he went to the amateur bouts down at the old Randolph Cloves lots Thursday night. He went there for observation and study, plus little pleasure on the side. He likes to mingle with the crowd now and then; he glories in the enthuiasm displayed by the onlookers; he notices the appear ance and work of the police; he notices the various participants, and their packers, the little fel- lows with the galvanized pails, containing ice and water, for the head of the fighter, and the drinking water carried in the bot tie, to appease the thirst of the favorite boy.
 Old Auditorium
 The whole thing Thursday night was similar to what it was in the old days when the well known and well liked George Mulligan him. self fought in the old Auditorium. Yes, and when others fought there too, like Young Peter Jackson, Tommy Hannaran, George Gardi- ner, Dan Murphy, and SO many others we are unable to recall. Even in those days we were not particularly interested, but we were there, because we were younger, more active, and some what elated when we witnessed a knockout. To us, no fight is com- plete without a knock-down.
 We think back to the departed Terry McGovern and Young Cor bett, following their memorable fight in Hartford of nearly 40 years ago. and the return match which was to have been fought in Waterbury. Everything was set for the affair, and we were all anxious to see the bout. But the Ministers Association got busy; they objec- ted to the fight here, just why, we could never tell, for in those days, we were wide open", and enjoyed ourselves with every kind of an amusement possible. We played ball on Sunday, and eventually Waterbury was the first city in the state to bring about profess sional baseball. Some people ob- jected, but we weathered the storm. and popular feeling finally prevailed.
 Yet, they were able to prevent the Corbett-McGovern fight here. See what they did; McGovern lived in New London. Col. Lucien F. Burpee was the judge of the city court. He instructed his pros ecutors to prepare warrant against McGovern, under an old statute, enjoining him from conn., mitting breach of the peace. He was brought here, as we recall, and put under heavy bail. A viola tion of the order meant forfeiture of the bond, and in addition, both fighters would have been arrested and jailed. That's the reason the fight was abandoned.
 Police Control
 And in those days, too, fights or boxing matches as the law called them, were held under the control of the Board of Public Safety. The commissioners were Waterbury men, and while most of them were puffed up for the time being with their jobs, and had to be dealt with rather softly, they nevertheless granted practically all of the applications filed. Three cops had to be at the ringside, a Sergeant and two patrolmen. There they sat in their heavy winter overcoats, and big black helmets, with their great big yellow sticks or clubs at their side.
 "Never attend a public gather ing without your stick" warned old Chief Egan to the men as- signed to public affairs; what good would you be in case of ser ious trouble without the club" Egan got his cue from his fail ure to have the policemen carry their sticks the night of the troll ley riot. Later, it cost him his job.
 The well known Bill Crowley of Hartford, Jack Rose, Badly of Rosenthal murder fame. the poli- tician John Hurley, good old John, and others who were in the background, generally ran the af- fairs here. Hundreds of "flip" New Workers, pickpockets among them, came here for the bouts And oftentimes hundreds of dol lars were lost by the sickness with which the money was taken from the pockets of the interested fight fans.
 Original "G-Mens
 Our detective force was small,