Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 2 (of 3): Containing Lives of the Most Celebrated Pugilists; Full Reports of Their Battles from Contemporary Newspapers, With Authentic Portraits, Personal Anecdotes, and Sketches of the Principal Patrons of the Prize Ring, Forming a Complete History of the Ring from Fig and Broughton, 1719-1740, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863Miles, Henry Downes
History
Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 2 (of 3): Containing Lives of the Most Celebrated Pugilists; Full Reports of Their Battles from Contemporary Newspapers, With Authentic Portraits, Personal Anecdotes, and Sketches of the Principal Patrons of the Prize Ring, Forming a Complete History of the Ring from Fig and Broughton, 1719-1740, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863
Miles, Henry Downes
Boxing
The crowd assembled in front of the Robin Hood at twelve o’clock would
have been characterised by Dominie Sampson as “prodigious!” and it was
not till “the office” was given that the ring had been formed by Deputy
Commissary Clarke in a field at the back of Coombe Wood, that a move
took place and the blockade of the Robin Hood was raised. The moment the
where was known, a simultaneous toddle took place up the hill, and the
ring was shortly surrounded by an extensive circle of panting prads and
loaded vehicles; but scarcely had the anxious coves time to congratulate
themselves on having obtained a good berth, when a “Conservative” beak,
one of the enemies of the sports of the people, who had stolen from his
counter in the town of Kingston, attended by a noted distributor of
religious tracts, poked his ill-omened visage into the ring, and
addressing Jack Clarke, who was viewing his handiwork with the eye of an
accomplished artist, said, “My good man, you have your duty to perform
and I have mine; I am a magistrate, and will not permit any fight to
take place in this county, and I trust I shall not be molested.” Jack
looked as civil as a gipsy at the tusks of a farm-yard dog; but he was
too good a judge to “kick against the pricks.” He saw it was no go, and
assuring his worship he was as safe as if he were wrapped up in a ball
of his own flannel, he saw him safely through the surrounding multitude.
An immediate retreat was beaten up the main road, and Jack lost no time
in undoing what he had done, and packing his traps, as before, under the
wings of a cab, with which he followed his friends.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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