Year: 1871

The Mace and Coburn Fishs~A Poor show


and lts Moral.


The fight that took place yesterday between
Joe Coburn and Jem Mace, the one New
York bully and the other an imported bruiser,
affords q fair sample Of the degeneracy Of
the prize ring-if indeed, o business that
was always as low and vile and disgraceful as
1t well could be- can properly be said to have
degenerated. We are not disposed to preach
sermon upon rufaanism, brutality,
primeval savagery and the like, as illus
rated In the conduct Of two wild beasts
in human form who step into
circle for the purpose Of beating and pound
ing each other into q jelly, and in the yet
baser sight Of . low crowd gathered round
looking on with relish at the disgusting spec
tacle. Let it be conceded for the nonce that
there is really some reason in the argument
of those who contend that the "manly art Of
self-defence," as practised in the prize ring,
elevates man into a hero instead Of degrad-
ing him below the brute creation. Still the fact
remains that the exhibition made yesterday BY
Mace and Coburn shows that the last spark Of
decency has died out in the profession Of
pugilism 10 the disappearance of it's one re-
deeming quality Of brute courage. These
two worthless claim, forsooth, to be the cham
pions Of the world at flsticuffs, and yet they
disgrace even their own disgracefnl calling
by proving themselves to be towards as well
as bullies. Each time they have entered the
ring they have exhibited their lack Of pluck,
and although they have at length exchanged
blows, it has been in such manner
as to insure against the danger
of either being injured. and the sparring
match-for it seems to have been nothing
else-ended in ''draw." Champions of the
world! Why, there are hundred FOUNDERS
in New York who would have whipped either
of these champions in fifteen minutes time.
While all decent people have right to COM
plain that Coburn did not beat out Of Mace
the little semblance of humanity that remains
pliment by Kidding the world of the Co.
burn nuisance, there may yet be q
deep philosophy concealed under the
sneaking ''dodges" and cowardly ''feints '
that seem to have taken the place of knock
down blows, terrific ''plumpers" on the
knowledge box" tremendous ''stunners' on
the spectacle BEAM" and frightful ''sock-
dolagers" on the "peeper," to which we were
wont to be treated in the well-remembered
language of the prize fights OF old. The day
of the bruiser has gone by; the recent total
overthrow of the Tammany 'Ring" drives
the last nail into the coffin Of the equally
respectable prize ring. Where are now to
be found fat Offices for your Coburns
aud Cusicks, your Heenans and Maces, when
the distinguished patrons Of such heroes are
themselves knocked out of time? How can
sinecures be now obtained by the gallant
short-haired and broken-nosed crowd that
used to hang about the Office Of Public Works
while the "Boss" himself is being thrown a
square -backfall by the powerful arm of the
law? And why should Coburn and Mace
have stood up to be punished in New
Orleans when they could hope for no
such reward as they have been accus-
toned to receive on their return to New
York covered with the scars Of hard
fought battle? After all, these lodging,
feinting, falling fighters have played wise
game. Their more profitable calling as the
heelers and ballies of successful politicians
being gone, they have, doubtless, deemed it
profitless to beat each other as deceut people
would have liked to have seen them beaten
and SO for this unsatisfactory result of the last
great fight in the prize ring, as for numerous
other unsatisfactory things, we have, proba-
bly,, no one but the Tammany ''Ring" to
thank.