Captain John R. Hughes: Lone Star Ranger

7. Spectators on the Rio Grande

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7  Spectators on the Rio Grande “I will keep a constant watch on the movements of the sporting class and the only way they can have the fight in Texas is to have it over with before I reach the place for if I can learn where it is going to be in time to get there I will prevent it.” —John R. Hughes, November 8, 1895 I n the nineteenth century, bare-knuckle fighting was among the most popular “sports” in the country, although in most states it was illegal. To those who favored the contests, boxing was the prime example of American manliness; to those who opposed boxing, it was no different from Emperor Nero throwing early Christians to the lions, a simple act of barbarity. The bare-knuckle contests ended with the implementation of the Marquis of Queensberry rules, requiring fighters to wear gloves and giving them to the count of ten to recover if knocked down. Sporting man Dan Stuart, a Vermont-born gambler and entrepreneur, arrived in Texas in 1872 at the young age of twenty-six intending to find success on his own terms within the sporting world. One historian described him as a “portly, genial, prosperous-looking man with a fashionable full mustache and dark hair parted straight down the middle.” He had integrity as well as a vision: he planned to erect a “monument to sport” in the form of a 52,500-seat coliseum in Dallas. This structure would feature, at its grand opening, a contest between two recognized champions of the ring: James J. Corbett and Robert P. Fitzsimmons, the latter recently declared the heavyweight champion of the world by the prestigious New Orleans Olympic Club.1 Spectators on the Rio Grande 125 However, Texas Governor Charles Allen Culberson was not a fan of prizefighting, and in addition was “an old political foe” of Dan Stuart. In 1890 and again in 1892 he had been the choice of the people for the position of Texas Attorney General. In 1894, he defeated the Populist candidate for the governor’s office on the conservative platform. To defeat Dan Stuart’s vision, Governor Culberson called a special session of the legislature with the sole intent to make prizefighting a felony in Texas. “Gentleman Jim” Corbett called this a “grandstand play for the voters” but Culberson convinced the Senate and the House to agree to his wishes, and Culberson won his battle.2 The essence of the law, to take effect immediately, was that any “pugilistic encounter” between a man and a man or between a man and a beast was a felony with a punishment of not less than two years or more than five years.3 Only five members of the House and one in the Senate voted against it, the single Senate vote cast by John M. Dean of El Paso. Three hours elapsed from presentation of the bill to its passage, a record. Governor Culberson signed it into law on October 3, 1895. In spite of the new law, Texas, and the nation, began to witness preparations for the intended fight. If Dan Stuart somehow managed to hold his contest on Texas soil, he as well as promoters and boxers would be charged with a felony.4 Stuart, with his dream on the ropes and in debt due to the huge expense of his Dallas Coliseum, did not surrender his dream. Governor Culberson was just as determined to prevent the fight even starting; he was less concerned about the potential legal battles that might follow if it did take place. He ordered his adjutant general to send the Rangers to track Dan Stuart, the fighters, and their assistants, consuming time and energy that could be better devoted to preventing crimes against people and property. This “fistic carnival”—the attempts to prevent it and the actual event itself, which ultimately did take place but not on Texas soil—attracted the attention of not only the state but also the nation. Stuart considered numerous places for his event, and played a near hide and seek game with authorities, sending the fighters from city to city. In late 1895, John R. Hughes was on the trail of Corbett, while other Rangers of Company D followed Stuart. CAP TAI N JOHN R . H U GHES : LONE STAR RANG ER 126 On November 11, Hughes was in Dallas, but all he could...