The Wilmington morning star., 1947-03-11
egler Sees 1t
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER


ing tfaQe mlSnL nave Deen written ~ years
ago. 1t reveals no new developments and
merely gives official acknowledgement to
facts that have been commonly known to
fighters, managers, match-makers and other
professionals and to the writer's who cover
this rogue among sports. For that matter,
the same conditions have been publicly re-
ported and in more specific terms in the
newspapers since the early days of prohibi-
ton.
This report says the criminal underworld
has become SO influential that fighters and
managers who would prefer to be honest are
afraid to report their experiences and infor-
nation to the police and the district attorney.
That is an old story.
We who were at the ~ringside for the first
appearance in Madison Square Garden of a
colossal continental mountebank some years
ago heard that the manager Of the young
man selected as his first victim in a career
that yielded gross earnings of several mil
lions, had been locked in his room under
guard in a hotel down the street as a hostage
to be punished if his fighter got unruly and
uncooperative. The American fighter sue
cumbed pleasantly and it may even be that
he couldn't have won had he tried because he
never did amount to much, anyway.
William Muldoon and Jim Farley, of the
boxing commission, were present. as usual,
and, doubtless, Jimmy Walker, the mayor
and the author of the act which relieved
pugilism Of it's old felonious status in law,
was there in his regular place in the first
row on the south side of the ring. He missed
few of these ribaldries and this one was gala.
The OWney Madden mob occupied the first
row on the east side. That the commissioners
did not hear the report is highly improbable
for prizefighting is a gossipy trade and Far
ley and Walker, at least, were on good terms
with some of the most picturesque and ami
able rascals in the profession. Besides,
Walker had his police force, including the
Broadway detectives who generally knew all
there was to know but had come to regard
such evil smirching of the vital taproots Of
the fair sport of flStlana as mere drollery.
On another night, in another jurisdiction,
the same European, himself not a wicked
fellow at all but a property who was operated
by a gang of bootleggers, had a date to knock
out an innocent Negro who, in a fair fight,
could have laid him 'prostitute'' upon the
floor, as Uncle Will Gibson used to say in
his pretentlous moment. without leaving his
chair. 1t seems to have been agreed that
this was to be one of those things which, in
the language of the hour, was described as
one of those things. The arrangements be-
came dlsarranged momentarily, however,
when a Willful minor official of the boxing
commission withheld his blessing. In order,
therefore, to preserve decorum and guaran- |
tee the smooth performance of the scenario,
q o'oliiiSO1oliSo C IOIh SduSSteI Cllpp6u |
the contrary factotum on the chin, rendering
him insensible, which was another elegant
euphemism favored by Mr.. Gibson, and
stored him in a dressing-room locker until
the entertainment should be done.
Memory is tricky but l believe the colored
brother, unable to find any plausible excuse
for subsiding, finally had to foul out.
Amusement, not indignation, was the only
emotion among those present including us
happy historians Of the era Of wonderful nom
sense. We may have been made cynical and
indifferent to the moral laws by the company
we kept and possibly should have seen our
pastors for guidance back. But, although
some Of us reported the incident. none, l am
sure, did so in a mood of righteous scorn.
I was present in the corner with a friend.
at a rIng-slde in a small Southern city, as
he attended a young pugilist who was doing
MS pest TO support him IN a state appropri-
ate to his rank and tastes. The occasion
called for 10 rounds Of fast and furious boxing
of a scientific order but no carnage, and the
sportsman in the other corner was the champ
ion of his class. The opponents manager was
a formidable fellow of quick and suriy temper
who handled narcotics as a sideline and had
found it necessary to kill and Stay, as the
grand JurleS put it, two colleagues in self
defense by shooting them in the back. My
friend was truly frightened. therefore, when,
about the seventh round, this man of sudden
and enormous angers rushed to our corner
and. poking my friend in the ribs with a .38.
called him an offensive name.
What did | do?" my friend asked.
That bum of yours is leveling,' the other
man said
Honest he amt leveling,'' my friend said.
"You know we wouldn't level with
you. But l will caution him when he comes
back and l assure You there will be no
further grounds for complaint"
These were not extraordinary but typical
proceedings. Everybody knew about them in
the profession. itself, and the public had read
SO much about the quaint ethics OF pugilism
that there surely was no excuse for anyone
to cherish any illusions.
Mr.. Farley once restored Primo Camera
to ~virtuous standing in New York soon after
he had been suspended for life for some rou-
tine irregularity in a mockery in California
in which an unhappy Negro, finding it i'm
possible to lose, had taken his, life in his
hands by starting unprovoked aggression.
James J. Johnston was a friend of Farley
and of Mayor Walker. He had a lease on the
Brooklyn ball yard and he wanted to use Car
flouted his own decree and compromised the
prestige of the commission and the honor of
the sport.
Jimmy is my friend Mr.. Farley said
What good is a friend if he won't 60 a
favor for a friend?'
Mf. FARLEY also had an explanation for
several other fragrant violations of his own
rules whereby persons convicted of crimes
and known to- be sordid were given licenses
to handle pugilists. He said that if he denied
them a cnance to earn an honest living run
nlhg mockerles, as was their wont. thew
would be driven to eviler ways, their parole
officers would pick them up and they would
have to go back to prison. II
Need say that l regard Mr.. Farley as an
honest and moral but sensible and practical
man?
At the time when Mr.. Walker was in the
legislature and his bill was pending TO reha-