The Fight of the (Nineteenth) Century

Handwritten notation reads: "Take it for granted they will. We are going to aid police." Seaside Athletic Club boxing program, 1895. Brooklyn, N.Y., Department of Law, Corporation Counsel records, 2013.015; Brooklyn Historical Society

In the last decade of the 19^th century boxing was one of the most popular sporting events in Brooklyn. Ironically, it was practically illegal in the State of the New York. Brooklynites, especially those who gravitated to the seedier sections of Coney Island, tended not to let little things like the law to get in the way of a good time.  The New York state legislature had passed “An act to prevent Prize Fighting” in 1859.[i] The act of boxing was not illegal per se, but fighting for prize money was deemed to be an affront to public decency.

In 1895, the Seaside Athletic Club attempted to renew their license to hold athletic contests, which included boxing, foot racing, bicycle racing, rowing, fencing, wrestling, and club throwing.  The Mayor of Brooklyn, Charles A. Schieren, refused to renew the license.  He was adamantly opposed to any sort of boxing match, regardless of whether it was an exhibition or a prize fight. His opinion was expressed by the city’s Corporation Counsel, Alfred E. Mudge, in a memorandum to the court. “The athletic exhibition consisted of fights … between professional pugilists refereed by notorious sporting men and attended by men of depraved character of tastes.”  The counsel did not claim that the fights were in violation of the 1859 law, except to note that the boxers were known professionals. Instead he relied on a moral argument. In the same memorandum he noted, “the licensing and regulation of theatres and other places for public amusement are all intended as part of the scheme for the good government of the city and for the preservation of public morals.”[ii]

Seaside Athletic Club boxing program, 1895. Brooklyn, N.Y., Department of Law, Corporation Counsel records, 2013.015; Brooklyn Historical Society

The bout between Tommy Ryan and Billy Smith, held in May 1895, was noted for being particularly violent.  One of the arguments made by the Mayor and the Corporation Counsel was that the police routinely had to end matches which were deemed a threat to the health of the participants. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle covered the match in great detail.  According to the paper, the fighting was, “of hurricane order,” and the local police captain stopped the match when Smith was about to knock Ryan out in the 11^th round.  The match continued, and by the 18^th round, “both men were covered in blood from head to foot.” At this point the police captain again stopped the match, and the bout was a declared a draw due to police interference.[iii]

The Seaside Athletic Club used the heavy police presence in their own defense.  They argued that if there was any illegal activity at the boxing matches, the police would have already filed charges against the club.  The club also blamed the local newspapers for their colorful and exploitative reporting of the fights, citing the Ryan-Smith coverage in particular. The club’s counsel noted that despite the supposed brutality of the match, ten minutes after the fight both boxers were “as well as they have ever been in their lives.”[iv]

Mayor Shchieren eventually gave in and the Seaside Athletic Club’s license was renewed.  However, this wasn’t the end of the licensing controversy in Brooklyn.  In 1896, the Greater New York Athletic Club was involved in a similar dispute with the city’s next mayor, Frederick W. Wuerster.  The records of Brooklyn’s Corporation counsel also include complaints involving several other athletic associations, such as the Greenpoint Sporting Club, the Surf Athletic Club, the Midwood Athletic Association, and the Hill Athletic Club.

In addition to our numerous holdings related to the Brooklyn Dodgers, BHS houses several collections related to Brooklyn’s sporting history, including the Crescent Athletic Club, the Coney Island Jockey Club, the Amersfort Athletic Club, and the Wyandot Baseball Club of Flatlands Neck.