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Show j Jess WillarcL, Upon Whose Case j Hinged Effect of 'Boxing Law iLLl flCQUITTED; LAI STILL II DOUBT Verdict Favors Boxing Promoters, Pro-moters, but Statute Remains Re-mains in Dispute. LOS ANGBL.ES. Cal., Jan. 13. Jess Wlllard, the heavyweight pugilist, on trial charged with prize lighting, was acquitted by a jury today after an all-night all-night deliberation. The charge was the result of tho death of John 1'oung, after a bout at the Vernon arena with Wlllard, August 22. By Ita verdict the Jury sanctions boxing box-ing contests such as have been conducted in California since tho prize-fighting statuto was amended in 190!). Joseph Ford, deputy district attorney, who prosecuted Wlllard, asked for a verdict ver-dict which would prevent all rimr contests con-tests where the Intention to deliver a knockout blow was obvious. After the verdict Ford said there would be no prosecutions in future unless the law were further amended. The jury took more than six ballots, but from the first was in favor of acquittal. ac-quittal. Charge Is Changed. Originally there were twelve accused with Wlllard. Tho first charge. Hied Immediately Im-mediately after ihe death of Young, was manslaughter. This was changed to violation vio-lation of tho prize-fight law, and tho charges against the eleven co-defendants were dismissed. . . Judge Gavin Craig, who presided at the trial, disregarded tho usual Judicial custom and commented on tho Wlllard casts. He gave It as his opinion that the state law prohibiting prize fighting was not settled by the verdict of acquittal today, and would not be until, nerhaps In some future case, tho supreme court had ruled upon it. lie said: "Personally, I advocate and, when opportunity op-portunity affords, take part In almost all forms of square, manly athletics. I believe be-lieve sparring is such a sport. "From the standpoint of the lawyer or anyone Interested in finding out what construction the supreme court of this state would place upon the law forbidding forbid-ding prize fights, and allowing sparring matches under conditions, the verdict of the Jury in the Wlllard case is disappointing"." disap-pointing"." No More Prosecutions. Opposite opinions as to the effect the verdict of acquittal In the Wlllard case will have on the future of boxing In California Cali-fornia developed today after the Jury had made Its decision. Attorneys for boxing promoters said that tho jury's action in exonerating the pugilist would render participants in future fu-ture ring contests immuno from prosecution prosecu-tion as long as the present law remained unamended. Joseph Ford, deputy district attorney, who prosecuted Wlllard, Indicated that ho held tho same view when ho announcod. Just after the Jury reported, that "you cannot legislate ahead of public opinion," nnd that the district attorney's offlco probably would not prosecute pugilists against the statute as It stands. |