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 — John Shaqi
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
One of the men engaged in this contest, Smith, having died from
congestion of the brain, Sir David Scott, a local magistrate, issued
warrants for the apprehension of many parties present; and on the
following morning, in consequence of information that Spring and
Shelton, the celebrated pugilists, had borne an active part in the
fight, they were also taken up, and brought before Sir David Scott, at a
special sitting held at the New Inn. Considerable difficulty was
experienced in procuring evidence, every one being anxious to conceal
that he had been present; but at length several persons were found,
whose testimony was in substance as follows:—That there was a person on
horseback keeping the ring, and that Spring and Shelton, on foot,
assisted, with whips in their hands, to keep the people back; and it was
further proved that Spring had also a watch in his hand during the
fight. On the strength of this evidence, Sir David Scott considered them
to be accessories, having both acted in the capacity of ring-keepers,
and one of them in that of time-keeper; he therefore ordered them to
find bail, to keep the peace for twelve months. They both urged that
they had come from London only on Tuesday or Wednesday, and that the
match was made up several days before, so that they were totally
ignorant of it until after their arrival at Brighton. Shelton also said,
that in London, on occasions of this sort, when proceedings are taken
against the principals, the umpires are never affected; but Sir David
cut this argument short, by saying, that he could not consent to be
guided by the practice or decisions of other magistrates, on any case
that might come before him. They were unable to find bail, and were kept
for a few days, at a public-house, in custody of one of the
headboroughs.
Two other men, named Hazledean and Sherwood, one acting as bottle-holder
to Smith, and the other as Watts’s second, were each ordered to find
bail for twelve months.
Spring and Shelton, after being in custody for a week, in default of
procuring the bail required of them, were liberated by Sir David Scott,
on entering into their own recognizances, £100 each, to be of good
behaviour for twelve months.
To all which we should merely say, with the Cornish jury, “Sarve them
right.” They were imprudent, as men in training, and his worship
leniently administered the law.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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