The Midnight Boxing Bust
Local law enforcement intervenes in a late-night prizefight held just outside of town, resulting in arrests for the illicit sporting event.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Deputy Sheriff C. H. Brown returned last night from Auburn with Jack Hodges and Ed Richards, whom he had arrested as principals in a prizefight, and George Holmes, one of the seconds. The fight began about 10:30 at night within the town limits, in the presence of about 100 spectators, but was interrupted by Brown after one game round had been fought, in which Hodges had the best of it. The managers of the affair claimed to have a license from the town officers, but they could not produce it. The two principals gave cash bail, but Holmes was locked up for the night. It was only on Monday that Hodges had been fined $50 and costs for being a party to a prizefight at Black Diamond.
“The fight began about 10:30 at night... but was interrupted by Brown after one game round had been fought.”
Boxing was a controversial and frequently illegal pastime in the 1890s, often forced into the fringes or nearby smaller towns to escape municipal bans. This incident highlights the cat-and-mouse game between promoters of 'vice' and the authorities in the growing Washington territory.
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