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Maximus Rex
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HORRIFIC 06.14.16 2:40 PM ET
Lawsuit: White Boys ‘Dragged’ Black Girl by Rope Around Her Neck
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/06/14/lawsuit-6th-graders-dragged-black-girl-by-rope-around-her-neck.html
Olivia Messer
The school describes the injury as an accident while the family seeks $3-million in damages.
The family of a black sixth grader in Texas is suing her school after white students allegedly wrapped a rope around her neck and pulled her to the ground.
The $3-million lawsuit accuses Live Oak Classical School in Waco of negligence, gross negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The lead attorney on the case is Levi McCathern, who represents the Dallas Cowboys.
According to the lawsuit, KP’s mother chose Live Oak—a largely white private school with a pricey tuition rate—and applied for scholarship grants so that her daughter could attend an institution with a “better education” and a “wholesome learning environment.”
In the next year though, the lawsuit claims KP encountered bullying at the school that was not disciplined.
An email from KP's mom in the lawsuit from November alleges that a boy repeatedly pushed and shoved her 12-year-old daughter. "This is not the first time this has happened," she wrote to the principal. "During the the Tempest play rehearsal he was pushing and kicking her in the line that they were in."
According to exhibits submitted with the lawsuit, the school’s principal, Allison Buras, wrote back to the mother that she "would never want children hurting one another" and that she spoke to the boys about the alleged incident.
“It sounds like he may have pushed on the back of her leg to make her leg buckle, which is something the kids sometimes do," Buras wrote. "Rarely is that done out of meanness but more out of a desire for sport.” Attorney David Deaconson, who represents Live Oak, said Tuesday said that the allegations about bullying made in McCathern's petition are not accurate.
"The school appropriately responded to concerns raised by the parent in the fall of 2015 concerning her child," he told The Daily Beast via email. "No other concerns about any boys were raised by the parents at any time thereafter."
But the main complaint against the school comes from an April field trip to Germer Ranch in Blanco County, Texas. KP and several other children were said to have come across a swing with long rope was attached so children could pull it, the lawsuit states.
Comments
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? crackas
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What's with the clean version ass thread title.
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If there was a ? , she should be able to drag his ass by a rope tied around his ? now
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Blacks, Picnics and Lynchings
January 2004
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/question/jan04.htm
Q: Is it true that the word picnic originally came from the word pick-a-nig or pick-a-? ? Apparently, a black person was randomly "picked" and hanged for the entertainment of whites. The whites, including families, ate from box lunches while enjoying the barbaric act. If this is true we should stop using the word picnic, replacing it with outing or gathering.
-- Sarah James, Baltimore, Maryland
A: Your question has several components; we will address each component. The etymology of the word picnic does not suggest racist or racial overtones. Picnic was originally a 17th Century French word, picque-nique. Its meaning was similar to today's meaning: a social gathering where each attendee brings a share of the food. The French piquer may have referred to a leisurely style of eating ("pick at your food") or it may, simply, have meant, "pick" (pic). The nique was probably a silly rhyming compound (as in English words like hoity-toity), but may have referred to an obsolete word meaning "a trifle." The literal meaning of picque-nique, which became our picnic, is "each pick a bit." A 1692 edition of Origines de la Langue Francoise de Menage mentions pique-nique. This suggests that the word had been used for some time in France. The term picnic does not appear in the English language until around 1800. 1
It is clear that picnic was not derived from "pick-a-? ," "pick-a-nig," or similar racist phrases. However, some of the almost 4,000 blacks who were lynched between 1882 and 1962 were lynched in settings that are appropriately described as picnic-like. Phillip Dray, a historian, stated: "Lynching was an undeniable part of daily life, as distinctly American as baseball games and church suppers. Men brought their wives and children to the events, posed for commemorative photographs, and purchased souvenirs of the occasion as if they had been at a company picnic." 2 Bray did not exaggerate. At the end of the 19th century, Henry Smith, a mentally challenged 17-year-old black male, was accused of killing a white girl. Before a cheering crowd of hundreds, Smith was made to sit on a "parade float" drawn by four white horses. The float circled numerous times before the excited crowd tortured, then burned Smith alive. 3 After the lynching the crowd celebrated and collected body parts as souvenirs.
Often the lynch mob acted with haste, but on other occasions the lynching was a long-drawn out affair with speeches, food-eating, and, unfortunately, ritualistic and sadistic torture: victims were dragged behind cars, pierced with knives, burned with hot irons or blowtorches, had their fingers and toes cut off, had their eyes cut out, and were castrated -- all before being hanged or burned to death. One Mississippi newspaper referred to these gruesome acts as "? barbeques." 4
In many cases -- arguably in most cases -- lynch mobs had a particular target and confined their heinous aggression to a specific person. Blacks were lynched for a variety of accusations, ranging from murder, and ? (often not true), to trying to vote, and arguing with a white man. In 1938, a white man in Oxford, Mississippi declared that it was "about time to have another lynching. When the ? get so they are not afraid of being lynched, it is time to put the fear in them." 5 There were many blacks lynched randomly, to send a message of white supremacy to black communities. As noted by Dominic J. Capeci, a historian, when it came to lynching, "one black man served as well as another." 6
We often think of a mob as an insane, bloodthirsty collection of adult male ruffians. However, respectable community leaders, including police, often lynched blacks. Although women and children were not typically the active aggressors they were often in the audience; and, they, too, celebrated. There were "secret lynches," but there were many done publicly -- and planned. Of course, news of an impending lynching traveled fast. Lynching was a brutal attempt to reinforce white supremacy, but it was also entertainment -- and food was present. According to Dray:
"While attendees at lynchings did not take away a plate of food, the experience of having witnessed the event was thought incomplete if one did not go home with some piece of cooked human being; and there is much anecdotal evidence of lynch crowds either consuming food and drink while taking part in the execution, or retiring en masse immediately afterward for a meal or, in the case of a notorious immolation in Pennsylvania in 1911, ice cream sundaes." 7
In 1903 a black man was lynched in Greenville, Mississippi. A white writer said, "Everything was very orderly, there was not a shot, but much laughing and hilarious excitemen... It was quite a gala occasion, and as soon as the corpse was cut down all the crowd betook themselves to the park to see a game of baseball." 8
The claim that the word picnic derived from lynching parties has existed in Black American communities for many years. Although many contemporary etymologists smugly dismiss this claim, it should be noted that there is a kernel of truth in this month's question. 9 The word picnic did not begin with the lynching of black Americans; however, the lynching of blacks often occurred in picnic-like settings.
Dr. David Pilgrim
Curator, Jim Crow Museum
January 2004
Footnotes
1 The information in this paragraph was drawn from several sources. Mish, Frederick C. 2003. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 11th edition. Springfield: Massachusetts, p. 937. Flexner, Stuart Berg, 1983. The Random House Dictionary of the English Language. New York: Random House. p. 1465. Gove, Philip Babcock, 1993. Webster's Third New International Dictionary. Springfield, Massachusetts. p. 1711.
2 Dray, Philip. 2002. The Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America. New York: Random House. Dray's book is a well-written social history of lynching.
3 Ibid, p. 77-78.
4 Thernstrom, Stephan and Abigail Thernstrom. 1997. America In Black and White: One Nation, Indivisible. New York: Simon & Schuster.
5 McMillen, Neil R. 1990. Dark Journey: Black Mississippians in the Age of Jim Crow. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, p. 98.
6 Capeci, Dominic J. 1998. The Lynching of Cleo Wright. Lexington: The University of Kentucky Press, p. 181.
7 Dray, p. 81.
8 Ibid, p. 81-82.
9 There are many reliable texts examining the lynching of blacks in the United States. See, Ginzburg, Ralph. 1988. 100 Years of Lynching. Baltimore, Maryland: Black Classic Press. Also, White, Walter, 1929. Rope and ? : A Biography of Judge Lynch. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. And, Zangrando, Robert L. 1980. The NAACP Crusade Against Lynching, 1909-1950. Philadelphia; Temple University.
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Smh...
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? Battle Royal
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/question/may14/battleroyal.htm
May 2014
Q: One of the museum staff mentioned a "Battle Royal" where black boys would be paid to fight one another blindfolded at carnivals, can you provide more information about these battles??
--D. Manning, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
A: It was announced in the newspapers as an "Athletic Show" and it began with a "battle royal" boxing bout among five Negroes. Five burly men, stripped to the waist, entered a roped arena on a platform. At the stroke of the bell two couples immediately began sparring. The fifth man then pitched into one of the boxers who seemed to be having the best of it, thus breaking up the pair. The released man turned to the other group and picking out one of the men began without warning to punch him. And so the fight proceeded. No matter how cleverly a man might be holding his own he was always in danger of having someone come at him from behind with a none too well padded fist. Scientific boxing was not in evidence. The contest was one of brutal physical endurance. When a man could keep it up no longer he left the ring and the winner was the man who stayed in longest. As announced, the winner was to receive $4.00, the second place man $2.00, and the third $1.00.
(Recreation in Springfield, Illinois 1914)
This scene was commonplace at many carnivals, fairs, and boxing matches throughout the American landscape. Blindfolded African American men and boys beat each other senseless for the comedic pleasure of the audience and in the hopes of winning a few dollars. These battle royal matches were held at many types of venues and involved anywhere from four to thirty blindfolded "negroes." While there were a few instances of white participants, the overwhelming majority of fighters were African American males. Advertisements for these events typically promoted them as comic events with "? " or "Colored" combatants.
At fairs, carnivals, benefits, and holiday festivals throughout the country, battle royals were among the featured events.
In the Amarillo Globe Times in 1932, a sports carnival included "wrestling, hosing, comedy, novelty numbers, orchestra and a ? battle royal" (May 9, 1932).
In Iowa, a "? battle royal" was staged at the center of the park for a Fourth of July celebration (Mason City Globe-Gazette, June 29, 1934).
At a Firemen's picnic in Biloxi, Mississippi, it was determined to have a "? battle royal Sunday at 8 p.m. as a feature attraction (Biloxi Daily Herald, July 6, 1937).
Along with bicycle and relay races at the annual Scurry County Fair in Texas, there was a "feast of good things" where community stunts, fiddlers, string band contests and a ? battle royal were going on every day during the fair (Abilene Reporter News, September 22, 1929).
In between horse races and bicycle races at the state fairgrounds in Wheeling, West Virginia, a battle royal "between six colored boys" would be part of the "amusements" (Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, August 7, 1899).
In 1931, the St. Petersburg, Rotary Club held a "Ladies' Night" banquet where newly elected officers were announced, a television feature was filmed and "following the television feature, a boxing bout was staged in the form of a battle royal by four colored boys with each blindfolded, a boxing glove on one hand and a pie pan in the other." The bout was later revealed as a staged hoax for the entertainment of the audience (St. Petersburg Times, April 9, 1931).
On a Saturday night in 1950, a "? battle royal" started the festivities, which included square dance competitions, trick horse shows, rides, and concessions (Lubbock Evening Journal, September 27, 1950).
The R.O.T.C. staged a "big boxing and wrestling carnival" where "five of Columbia's negroes will stage a battle royal and 'Doc Hyde,' a famous ? dancer, will jig for the crowd" (Columbia Evening Missourian, February 3, 1921).
Parade, racing, roping, "? Battle Royal," baby show, concert, kangaroo court, judging of stock and fruits were held at the Walla Walla Fair in 1912 (East Oregonian, September 18,1912).
Labor Day celebrations in Indianapolis included a "? Battle royal" with wrestling, pie-eating contest, baby show, and general athletics (The Indianapolis Journal, August 9, 1903).
The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer advertised a Labor Day "battle royal between six colored boys; music, dancing, and other amusements galore" (August 22, 1899).
The Y.M.C.A. of Ware Shoals celebrated the Fourth of July with music, racing, tug of war, baseball game, barbecue, moving picture, and a "Battle royal, (Colored)" (The Intelligencer, June 15, 1915).
A Hardinsburg County Masonic Picnic announced the prize structure for the "winner in the 'Battle Royal' open to colored men of all ages, six entries, $10.00 in cash given by Farmers Bank & Trust Co. Second prize, $5.00 in cash given by Leslie Walker" (The Breckenridge News, August 11, 1920).
In a section of the Los Angeles Herald entitled "News of Fraternal and Secret Societies", one program concluded with a "battle royal by five colored gents" using "Coonsberry rules" where "the last man up gets the money" and "the entertainment was so successful that Stag will arrange another for the near future" (July 25, 1909).
An advertisement in the St. Louis Republic featuring the Hopkins' Stock company included an Uncle Tom's Cabin theater act with 40 colored plantations singers and dancers, cakewalks, old plantation sports & pastimes, and "A Great Comedy Furore. Eight Heavy-weight Colored pugilists in the Furiously Funny Battle Royal in Barrels" (April 29, 1900).
The Phoenix Athletic Club planned a big show in Brooklyn, New York highlighting "mascots," "new and amusing novelties" and "a battle royal between colored fighters in feed bags" (The Evening World, February 25, 1891).
Even the United States Military enjoyed a good "? battle royal" and in many cases, the participants were enlisted men.
At Fort Lawton in Seattle, the final event on a boxing card was a "battle royal between five ? soldiers" (Seattle Star, November 25, 1912).
A "battle royal between six ? fighters" was a part of the Army and Navy Union athletic carnival where the entertainment ended with a cakewalk (Kansas City Journal, July 26, 1899).
The Evening Statesman in Walla Walla, Washington promoted a boxing match with "Five colored Troopers" having a "Battle Royal as one of the Preliminaries" where the "soldier boys are expected to put up a show that will be well worth the price of admission alone" (May 26, 1904). The recap of the Battle Royal was posted in the next days' edition of The Evening Statesman;
"The battle royal between five colored heavyweights proved one of the biggest things yet and the crowd went wild at the efforts of the contestants to knock out anybody that happened along. Two men went down and out in short shift narrowing the contest down to three men. These furnished no end of hilarity until there was no one left but a big husky soldier, who strutted from the ring the winner of a $15 purse" (May 27, 1904).
A "? Battle Royal" was the end of Moorhead, Minnesota's Armistice Day celebration where the "rough and tumble affair between 10 negroes, turned out to be as advertised and kept the fans in a constant uproar" (Moorhead Daily News, November 12, 1930).
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? Battle Royal con't
The Washington Herald published a story called "? Troopers Enjoy Battle-Royal" in 1918. The story, accompanied with a picture, went as follows;
"It's a great old game, the battle-royal. It used to be that boxing promoters would get a bunch of husky black boys to climb into a ring and battle for a ten-dollar note, the note going to the boy who was on his feet last. They've made it a little different with some of our ? troops overseas. At a recent athletic carnival in England a bunch of troopers were blindfolded and sent in a ring with the above amusing result" (December 9, 1918).
Battle Royals were primarily a part of boxing bouts and wrestling matches as undercards and in some cases, fighters used the opportunity to establish a boxing career. However, most often the ? battle royal was a comedic mockery and provided the participants with little more than the opportunity to be laughed at and ridiculed.
"Act one of the evening's performance opened with a ? battle royal. The darkies were blindfolded and battled one round, and then their blindfolds were removed, and they went another round. The two survivors sparred and battled for two rounds. The victor left the mat as the colored orchestra played 'Bye-Bye Blackbirds,' for the vanquished" (Corsicana Daily Sun, August 28, 1931).
In Brownsville, Texas, the opening event for a boxing card was a "? battle royal to set the fans in a cheery mood" (The Brownsville Herald, August 24, 1930).
In an apparent effort to increase diversity among the boxing audiences, a "? Battle Royal" was among the featured events and it was said, "these matches will be run under the very highest standards and no one need hesitate bringing their wife and children" (Corsicana Daily Sun, July 21, 1933).
The nightcap of a bout was an "all-colored battle royal to a finish, [which] should furnish plenty of laughs" (Salt Lake Tribune, April 3, 1933).
On a particular Saturday night "Ten thousand on-lookers see dem big Negroes in the Ring!!! A ring full of gloves and hour full of fun Wild Swings-haymakers-Upper Cuts Amusing-Ludicrous Free Fun for everybody" (Denton Record-Chronicle, October 3, 1930).
A ? fight card, where the proceeds were to go to the ? Elks charity fund, featured a battle royal with "special seats… reserved for white patrons" (The Palm Beach Post, November 22, 1935).
An undercard for a boxing match in El Paso highlighted a wrestling match and a "battle royal among four ? boys" (El Paso Herald, April 22, 1912).
A featherweight championship bout featuring Abe Attell had an undercard battle royal "between five ? employees of the race track" (Los Angeles Herald, December 10, 1908).
The "most interesting part" of a boxing program at the Ardmore Airdome in Oklahoma, "will be the battle royal by five negroes. This feature alone furnishes more amusement than a whole sideshow." The article mentions that the "proceeds will be given to the Confederate home committee" (The Daily Ardmoreite, September 15, 1910).
In Utah, a "Comical Boxing Bout" put the crowd in a good humor "by a comical exhibition of a battle royal between five negroes who pummeled each other with large boxing gloves… When the sport dragged, one of the battle royal kids kindly dropped to the mat and was counted out" (The Evening Standard, January 23, 1913).
A boxing recap section in the New York Tribune ran an article describing a battle royal:
"Six big, husky negroes were mingling in a battle royal at the old Long Acre Club, in Twenty-ninth Street, one night. To be more exact, five were big, but the other hadn't flirted with a steak in weeks. It so happened that the five picked on the one, and ere long the little fellow was knocked down. He was wise, this little fellow, and, rising on all-fours, he crawled across the ring, climbed over the lower rope, and dropped to the floor. 'Hey, you!' yelled Mike Newman, 'ain't you going to fight any more?' 'Oh, yes 'Marse Newman. Ahm goin' to fight plenty more. But no more to-night!' replied the ? , and he kept his word" (The New York Tribune, August 18, 1915).
Maybe one of the most detailed descriptions of a battle royal came in this 1920 Richmond Times recap of a boxing card.
"Closing the bill was the battle royal between six colored fighters. This was the funniest bout that has been staged in this city for some time. Every one crowded to the ringside to see the grand hubbub. They entered the ring, all kinds, big and husky, black and tan. With no referee in the ring they went at it. One darky opened up with corking another boy and they all went after him. He was sent rolling out of the ring for his offence. Down they went one after another until only three were left. Two of these set out to beat the other one up. Reading defeat, he retired and left one tall lanky "brown skin" and another husky black boy to settle the argument. They fought for about a minute when the black one was sent sprawling through the ropes and the lanky "high yella" grinned and picked up the money the fans had thrown in the ring and was declared the victor" (October 29, 1920).
In Nebraska, a "colored battle royal" followed a boxing match and had promoter A.B. Wheeler complaining "that one of the hardest jobs in the world is to keep five colored men together after sundown" to participate in the event (The Alliance Herald, November 20, 1919).
A Boxing Benefit to raise funds for a sick former-boxer, Haich Smith, contained a "colored quartet" and battle royal with "another bunch of colored lads" (Omaha Daily Bee, December 9, 1910).
A rare interracial battle royal including "four colored boys and two white boys" ended when one of the white participants "quit the ring rather than take the chance of being knocked out by a little colored fellow named Cal Butler." The white contestant "asserted that he was entitled to a draw, but the referee's decision gave the fight to Butler" (Omaha Daily Bee, November 9, 1900).
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YES THE WHITE MAN IS A NATURAL SAVAGE BUT DON'T FORGET HE'S ALSO A NATURAL ?
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? Battle Royal, finished
Some battle royal fighters were able to use their success as a springboard to a professional boxing career. Legends like Jack Johnson, Joe Gans, and Beau Jack all started in a ? battle royal.
Jack Johnson Heavyweight Champion (1908-1915):
In the PBS documentary Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, Jack Johnson's beginnings in the battle royal are documented.
"Taking part in one of the most humiliating creations of the Jim Crow era, the Battle Royal. A backroom spectacle in which six or eight or ten black boys often blindfolded, were set to punching one another while drunken white men jeered them on. The last one standing got the prize, usually, a fist full of tossed coins. Jack Johnson was often the last one standing." (PBS film; Unforgivable Blackness: Rise and fall of Jack Johnson)
Referee George Siler, the man who is credited as "discovering" Jack Johnson, wrote about a battle royal featuring Jack Johnson:
"I went down to Springfield, Ill., about seven years ago to referee a series of glove contests, and the management, for a humorous opener, staged a battle royal in which six colored men, among them Johnson, took part. Jack was the last to enter the ring, and directly he did he landed one of his every-man-for-himself opponents a wallop on the jaw, dropping him as if shot. Two big blacks then sailed in after Johnson, who danced out of distance, and, before his opponents knew what had happened, they were on the floor, because they foolishly permitted their respective jaws to come in contact with Jack's right mitt. The other blacks thought of the old adage of: "He who fights and runs away will live to fight another day" and crawled out of the ring." (Inside facts on Pugilism)
An article How Fortune has favored Johnson, published in the Bismarck Daily Tribune recounts the George Siler story but in a bit greater detail. (January 9, 1910).
Joe Gans Lightweight Champion (1902-1908):
The Pittsburg Press ran a story about Joe Gans and his boxing beginnings in a Battle Royal.
"Although first money amounted to but $5, almost every ? with fistic ambition in Baltimore entered. These battles made a big hit. One night Joe Gans, then working in the fish market, made an application to enter the contest. He was asked whether he had had any experience and frankly admitted that the sport was all Greek to him. 'But you know what these battle royals are don't you?' he asked, 'you've got to fight and mix it up all the time, and if you quit you don't get anything-see?' Joe went on and was very successful." (August 12, 1910).
Beau Jack lightweight champion (1942,1944):
The New York Times published a biography of Beau Jack in 2000. In the article, it is revealed that golfing legend, Bobby Jones, saw Beau fight in a battle royal and backed his entry into the sport.
"During the 1930's, wealthy white men in the South amused themselves by placing a group of perhaps 6 to 10 young men, usually blacks, blindfolded inside a ring for a battle royal. The youngsters would slug away until only one was standing, and then the coins would shower down. After Beau Jack, who had shined shoes at the Augusta National Golf Club, showed his prowess in one such battle, club members -- including the renowned golfer Bobby Jones -- bankrolled his entry into pro boxing" (February 12, 2000).
Although in some cases, a battle royal was a chance for a person of color to get noticed in the world of boxing, the contests were demeaning and exploitative. Like many debasing practices toward black Americans, Battle Royals did not begin in the United States, and were not necessarily initially intended to degrade peoples of color. For an early history of battle royal see SB Nation, Wrestling with the Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal:Part One and Wrestling with the Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal: Part Two. For rare footage of a so-called "? Battle Royal, see Boxing Hall Of Fame footage.
Reading the first portion of the Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison allows one to truly feel the disgraceful impact a "? " or "colored" battle royal could have on individuals. Ellison captured the essential truth that, regardless of what a person of color could offer society, his or her opinions did not matter, they were entertainment; they were labor, and very little else. The Godfather of Soul, James Brown spoke of his experience as a boy in a battle royal:
"Because of my reputation the other kids always pointed me out to the white men who came around to recruit scrappy black boys to be in the battle royals they put on at Bell Auditorium. In a battle royal they blindfold you, tie one hand behind your back, put a boxing glove on your free hand, and shove you into a ring with other kids in the same condition. You swing at anything that moves, and whoever's left standing at the end is the winner. It sounds brutal, but a battle royal is really comedy. I'd be out there stumbling around, swinging wild, and hearing the people laughing. I didn't know I was being exploited; all I knew was that I was getting paid a dollar and having fun. A lot of good boxers started out in those things. I think Beau himself, when he was a kid, was in battle royals at the Augusta National Country Club. I was too classy for battle royals, though, because I could really box" (James Brown: The Godfather of Soul, an Autobiography, 1986)
Some of the questions museum staff encourage visitors to consider when talking about the Battle Royal or African Dodger is the emotional and psychological impact of participating in such events. The participant becomes the target of ridicule and mockery in order to provide entertainment for a group that calls itself superior. How do participants view themselves? How do they view similar others, their family, their friends? How are the effects of Jim Crow perpetuated in attitudes about self and others that are still visible today? If our society is going to move past its racist history we must have a national conversation about topics like the ? battle royal and the continuing impact on US culture.
Franklin Hughes
Diversity & Inclusion/ Jim Crow Museum
2014
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Wrestling With The Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal - Part One
http://www.cagesideseats.com/2013/3/9/4028970/battle-royal-WWE-Boxing-wrestling-with-past-origins-history-combat-sports-part-one
By John S. Nash on Mar 9, 2013, 7:00a/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8718627/01_nfl-wwe.0.jpg)
Modern Era Professional Wrestling Style Royal Rumble
The battle royal may have as many as 10, 20, 30, or even more wrestlers who are all competing at the same time in a true free-for-all. You may find it surprising to learn that the battle royal is actually not a creation of some fanciful pro wrestling booker -- instead, it was at one time an actual competition -- one that has its roots not in wrestling, but in...
Author's Note: Some contemporary sources contain terms in reference to various ethnic groups, which some may find derogatory and/or offensive. While neither I, nor this site, condone the viewpoints expressed with their use, we also do not condone pretending such sentiments did not exist. For that reason, they have been left in. Hopefully, they will not detract from your reading experience.
Q: "What's Battle Royale? C'mon, don't tell me you don't know that!? Why bother coming to a pro wrestling match, huh?"
A: "The name of a move? The name of a tournament?"
No. Just no.
Allow me to explain, a Battle Royale's a Pro Wrestling match... In a nutshell, let's see, Battle Royale is --
Well, you know how your usual pro wrestling match is one-on-one or between paired up partners? Well, with Battle Royale, ten or twenty wrestlers all jump into the ring. And then you're free to attack anyone, one-on-one, or ten-against-one, it doesn't matter...
In any case, the ones who fall lose, they have to leave the ring.
Fewer and fewer players remain in the game; until there're only two left in the end. One-on-one, a very serious match. Then, one out of those two will eventually take a fall. And then, there's only one player left in the ring, and he's the winner.
- "A pro wrestling fan's rant..." from Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
[Editor's Note: Addt'l punctuation & mild edits for ease of reading]
The battle royal,
a long time mainstay of professional wrestling, might be the most unique pro wrestling match in all of pro wrestling.
Are not fights inside the UFC Octagon nothing more than cage matches? Isn't an "I Quit" match just another name for a submission grappling contest? What is a "No Rules" match, but another name for a "no-holds-barred" fight from the early days of MMA?
Even tag-team matches, which have no equivalent in boxing, MMA, or amateur wrestling, still divide the participants between two sides, where it then limits the action to only the two men in the ring.
It is only in the battle royal however, that we find the absurdity of 10, 20, 30, or even more wrestlers who are all competing at the same time in a true free-for-all. This makes it even more surprising to learn that the battle royal is not a creation of some fanciful pro wrestling booker.
Instead, it was at one time an actual competition. One that has its roots not in wrestling... but in, of all sports, boxing!
Battle royals
have existed as a type of combat sporting competition for more than 300 years.[EN1] Advertisements for them can be found in the Flying Post and Daily News of London as far back as the early 18th century. The contests they promoted were similar to modern battle royals in that they involved several men fighting each other in a free-for-all mélée; the one major difference being that the participants were boxers, and the contests themselves were competed using the rules of boxing at the time.
Ironically, the fact they were boxing matches made them resemble professional wrestling even more so, for boxing was a very different sport in those days. As the late Harry Mullan described it in his Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing, not only was fisticuffs permitted in this earlier version of the sport, but also:
"Wrstling was accepted as a proper part of boxing and so were blatant fouls such like gouging and purring."
The sport's champion
during these early days was one James Figg, the oft-cited "Father of Boxing." Figg had risen to the top of English prize-fighting through what became known as, "Figg's Fighting". His was a style of fighting that incorporated both striking and grappling. It was Figg and his "Fighting" that made boxing a popular spectator sport, and it was at his amphitheaters that one could not only find boxing matches, but also duels with swords, fights with cudgels, and, of course...
... the battle royal.
Eventually, Figg gave way
to the famed Jack Broughton, renown not only for winning the Heavyweight Championship, but for also introducing Broughton's Rules; the first written set of rules that established boxing as a stand-up only sport. These rules were introduced in 1743, the same year that he opened his new amphitheater on Oxford Street in London.
A bill advertising its inaugural event made sure to highlight the following details:
There will be a BATTLE ROYAL between the NOTED BUCKHORSE, and SEVEN or EIGHT more;
These contests, and others that followed, were most likely held under The New Broughton's Rules, rules that went on to forbid attacks below the waist and ground fighting.
The matches were popular for some time, being held with enough regularity at the amphitheater for them to become known as Broughton's Battle Royals and even serve as inspiration for satirical political cartoons in the day. But, as the 18th century came to an end, the public's appetite for battle royals soured, viewing them as, "too barbaric and too dangerous for a place as civilized as the United Kingdom".
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Wrestling With The Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal - Part One, con't
Battle royals did not die out though.
Instead, they immigrated to the American colonies, or more specifically the Antebellum Southern States. There they would continue being practiced, not by those of British ancestry, but by the large slave population of African descent. (Who were most likely introduced to it by the large number Irish and Scottish settlers to that region.)
During what few holidays the slaves were afforded, they would often gather for music, dancing, and sport. Ball playing, foot races, wrestling, and boxing were all exhibited during this "leisure" time. (Frederick Douglass described such sporting distractions, along with whiskey, as being "among the most effective in the hands of the slaveholder in keeping down the spirit of insurrection.")
The "free-for-all" was another popular sporting event. Reading the description given by two former slaves leaves little doubt that this was but another name for...
...the battle royal:
[A] ring was drawn on the ground which ranged from about 15 ft. to 30 ft. in diameter depending on the number of contestants who engaged in the combat. Each participant was given a kind of bag that was stuffed with cotton and rags into a very compact mass. When so stuffed, the bags would weigh on an average of 10 pounds, and was used by the contestants in striking their antagonist.
Each combatant picked whichever opponent he desired and attempted to subdue him by pounding him over the head with the bag, which he used as his weapon of defense. And which was used as an offending weapon.
The contest was continued in this manner till every combatant was counted out, and a hero of the contest proclaimed. Sometimes two contestants were adjudged heroes, and it was necessary to run a contest between the two combatants before a final hero could be proclaimed.
Then the two antagonist would stage a battle royal and would continue in the conflict till one was proclaimed victorious. Sometimes these Free-For-All battles were carried on with a kind of improvised pair of boxing gloves, and the contests were carried on in the same manner as previously described.
Very often, as many as 30 darkies of the most husky type were engaged in these battles, and the contests were generally attended by large audiences. Being staged during the period of favorable weather, and mostly on Saturday afternoon; these physical exhibitions were the scenes of much controversial conflict, gambling, excessive inebriation and hilarity.
- SLAVE NARRATIVES, A Folk History of Slavery in the United States, From Interviews with Former Slaves Library of Congress
After the American Civil War
the battle royal would not survive, but rather enter its most popular - and shameful - era. But, that story will have to wait for part two of "Wrestling with the Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal." Check back here tomorrow (Sun., Mar. 10) for the conclusion of our journey.
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Maximus Rex wrote: »? Battle Royal
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/question/may14/battleroyal.htm
May 2014
Q: One of the museum staff mentioned a "Battle Royal" where black boys would be paid to fight one another blindfolded at carnivals, can you provide more information about these battles??
--D. Manning, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
A: It was announced in the newspapers as an "Athletic Show" and it began with a "battle royal" boxing bout among five Negroes. Five burly men, stripped to the waist, entered a roped arena on a platform. At the stroke of the bell two couples immediately began sparring. The fifth man then pitched into one of the boxers who seemed to be having the best of it, thus breaking up the pair. The released man turned to the other group and picking out one of the men began without warning to punch him. And so the fight proceeded. No matter how cleverly a man might be holding his own he was always in danger of having someone come at him from behind with a none too well padded fist. Scientific boxing was not in evidence. The contest was one of brutal physical endurance. When a man could keep it up no longer he left the ring and the winner was the man who stayed in longest. As announced, the winner was to receive $4.00, the second place man $2.00, and the third $1.00.
(Recreation in Springfield, Illinois 1914)
This scene was commonplace at many carnivals, fairs, and boxing matches throughout the American landscape. Blindfolded African American men and boys beat each other senseless for the comedic pleasure of the audience and in the hopes of winning a few dollars. These battle royal matches were held at many types of venues and involved anywhere from four to thirty blindfolded "negroes." While there were a few instances of white participants, the overwhelming majority of fighters were African American males. Advertisements for these events typically promoted them as comic events with "? " or "Colored" combatants.
At fairs, carnivals, benefits, and holiday festivals throughout the country, battle royals were among the featured events.
In the Amarillo Globe Times in 1932, a sports carnival included "wrestling, hosing, comedy, novelty numbers, orchestra and a ? battle royal" (May 9, 1932).
In Iowa, a "? battle royal" was staged at the center of the park for a Fourth of July celebration (Mason City Globe-Gazette, June 29, 1934).
At a Firemen's picnic in Biloxi, Mississippi, it was determined to have a "? battle royal Sunday at 8 p.m. as a feature attraction (Biloxi Daily Herald, July 6, 1937).
Along with bicycle and relay races at the annual Scurry County Fair in Texas, there was a "feast of good things" where community stunts, fiddlers, string band contests and a ? battle royal were going on every day during the fair (Abilene Reporter News, September 22, 1929).
In between horse races and bicycle races at the state fairgrounds in Wheeling, West Virginia, a battle royal "between six colored boys" would be part of the "amusements" (Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, August 7, 1899).
In 1931, the St. Petersburg, Rotary Club held a "Ladies' Night" banquet where newly elected officers were announced, a television feature was filmed and "following the television feature, a boxing bout was staged in the form of a battle royal by four colored boys with each blindfolded, a boxing glove on one hand and a pie pan in the other." The bout was later revealed as a staged hoax for the entertainment of the audience (St. Petersburg Times, April 9, 1931).
On a Saturday night in 1950, a "? battle royal" started the festivities, which included square dance competitions, trick horse shows, rides, and concessions (Lubbock Evening Journal, September 27, 1950).
The R.O.T.C. staged a "big boxing and wrestling carnival" where "five of Columbia's negroes will stage a battle royal and 'Doc Hyde,' a famous ? dancer, will jig for the crowd" (Columbia Evening Missourian, February 3, 1921).
Parade, racing, roping, "? Battle Royal," baby show, concert, kangaroo court, judging of stock and fruits were held at the Walla Walla Fair in 1912 (East Oregonian, September 18,1912).
Labor Day celebrations in Indianapolis included a "? Battle royal" with wrestling, pie-eating contest, baby show, and general athletics (The Indianapolis Journal, August 9, 1903).
The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer advertised a Labor Day "battle royal between six colored boys; music, dancing, and other amusements galore" (August 22, 1899).
The Y.M.C.A. of Ware Shoals celebrated the Fourth of July with music, racing, tug of war, baseball game, barbecue, moving picture, and a "Battle royal, (Colored)" (The Intelligencer, June 15, 1915).
A Hardinsburg County Masonic Picnic announced the prize structure for the "winner in the 'Battle Royal' open to colored men of all ages, six entries, $10.00 in cash given by Farmers Bank & Trust Co. Second prize, $5.00 in cash given by Leslie Walker" (The Breckenridge News, August 11, 1920).
In a section of the Los Angeles Herald entitled "News of Fraternal and Secret Societies", one program concluded with a "battle royal by five colored gents" using "Coonsberry rules" where "the last man up gets the money" and "the entertainment was so successful that Stag will arrange another for the near future" (July 25, 1909).
An advertisement in the St. Louis Republic featuring the Hopkins' Stock company included an Uncle Tom's Cabin theater act with 40 colored plantations singers and dancers, cakewalks, old plantation sports & pastimes, and "A Great Comedy Furore. Eight Heavy-weight Colored pugilists in the Furiously Funny Battle Royal in Barrels" (April 29, 1900).
The Phoenix Athletic Club planned a big show in Brooklyn, New York highlighting "mascots," "new and amusing novelties" and "a battle royal between colored fighters in feed bags" (The Evening World, February 25, 1891).
Even the United States Military enjoyed a good "? battle royal" and in many cases, the participants were enlisted men.
At Fort Lawton in Seattle, the final event on a boxing card was a "battle royal between five ? soldiers" (Seattle Star, November 25, 1912).
A "battle royal between six ? fighters" was a part of the Army and Navy Union athletic carnival where the entertainment ended with a cakewalk (Kansas City Journal, July 26, 1899).
The Evening Statesman in Walla Walla, Washington promoted a boxing match with "Five colored Troopers" having a "Battle Royal as one of the Preliminaries" where the "soldier boys are expected to put up a show that will be well worth the price of admission alone" (May 26, 1904). The recap of the Battle Royal was posted in the next days' edition of The Evening Statesman;
"The battle royal between five colored heavyweights proved one of the biggest things yet and the crowd went wild at the efforts of the contestants to knock out anybody that happened along. Two men went down and out in short shift narrowing the contest down to three men. These furnished no end of hilarity until there was no one left but a big husky soldier, who strutted from the ring the winner of a $15 purse" (May 27, 1904).
A "? Battle Royal" was the end of Moorhead, Minnesota's Armistice Day celebration where the "rough and tumble affair between 10 negroes, turned out to be as advertised and kept the fans in a constant uproar" (Moorhead Daily News, November 12, 1930).
Reminds me of the fight scene in The Learning Tree.
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Wrestling With The Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal - Part Two
By John S. Nash on Mar 10, 2013, 8:00a
http://www.cagesideseats.com/2013/3/10/4070146/wrestling-with-past-battle-royal-WWE-Boxing-part-two/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/9422827/01_nfl-wwe.0.0.jpg)
Modern Era Professional Wrestling Style Royal Rumble
"No matter how cleverly a man might be holding his own, he was always in danger of having someone come at him from behind with a none-too-well padded fist. Scientific boxing was not in evidence. The contest was one of brutal physical endurance. When a man could keep it up no longer he left the ring and the winner was the man who stayed in longest -- As announced, the winner was to receive $4.00 the second place man $2.00 and the third $1.00."
"Everyone fought hysterically...
It was complete anarchy. Everybody fought everybody else. No group fought together for long. Two, three, four, fought one, and then turned to fight each other, were themselves attacked..."
- Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison
As we saw in "Wrestling with the Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal - Part One", battle royals first appeared in England in the early 18th century, having been spawned directly from pugilism. They quickly became a popular attraction, but just as quickly, died out on the boxing stage -- only surviving as a competition practiced by slaves in the United States.
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, battle royals would see a resurgence following the American Civil War and the post-war Reconstruction, starting in the Southern States but eventually spreading across the country. But it was always below the Mason-Dixon line that they proved most popular.
Following the introduction
of the Marquis of Queensbury rules,[/b] they were now fought wearing gloves, although other niceties, such as rounds and weight classes, were ignored. Sometimes the participants were also blindfolded, had one arm tied behind their back, or sometimes both. In almost all cases, the participants in the battle royals were black.
"It was announced in the newspapers as an "Athletic Show" and it began with a "battle royal" boxing bout among five Negroes.
"Five burly men, stripped to the waist, entered a roped arena on a platform. At the stroke of the bell two couples immediately began sparring. The fifth man then pitched into one of the boxers who seemed to be having the best of it, thus breaking up the pair. The released man turned to the other group and picking out one of the men began without warning to punch him.
"And so the fight proceeded.
"No matter how cleverly a man might be holding his own, he was always in danger of having someone come at him from behind with a none-too-well padded fist. Scientific boxing was not in evidence. The contest was one of brutal physical endurance. When a man could keep it up no longer he left the ring and the winner was the man who stayed in longest.
"As announced, the winner was to receive $4.00 the second place man $2.00 and the third $1.00."
~ Recreation in Springfield, Illinois: by Lee Franklin Hanmer and Clarence Arthur Perry (1914)
While African-Americans had
taken part in battle royals while in ? , they were usually held for the entertainment of their own community. Now, the primary audience was white, attending shows that made sure to announce that the combatants would be "five 'duskies'" or that "special seats will be reserved for white patrons."
It is not a coincidence that it gained popularity during a time known as the "nadir of American race relations," nor that they were most common in the former slave states where racial tensions were at their worst. The inherent message of these battle royals, according to Andrew Kay, author of The Pussycat of Prizefighting, was easy to discern.
Manufactured disunity amongst blacks was the barely concealed plot redolent of the old days on the plantation.
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Wrestling With The Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal - Part Two
http://www.cagesideseats.com/2013/3/10/4070146/wrestling-with-past-battle-royal-WWE-Boxing-part-two
It was because
of this obvious symbolism that Ralph Ellison chose to open his novel, Invisible Man, with a "blind battle royal". The contest presented by him would serve as a metaphor for America's treatment of its black citizens, sadly with very little embellishment.
Ironically, as much as these battle royals were obvious racist theater, they also provided opportunities to many aspiring black fighters. Entry and victory in a battle royal could provide an opening into the world of professional boxing; a route taken by some of the most legendary of "colored" champions.
Joe Gans, the World's Lightweight Champion and first black champion in boxing, famously got his start in 1890, when, at the age of 16, he entered a Baltimore battle royal against "seven sons of Ham", for the chance at a $5 first prize.
Another lightweight champion, Beau Jack, also made his mark in battle royals, knocking out his own brother in one such contest. He was so impressive in a battle royal victory at the Augustus National Golf Club - the same place he had previously shined shoes - that golfer Bobby Jones helped bankroll his entry into the professional ranks. Heavyweight champion Jack Johnson had an even more impressive showing, according to George Silar:
"I went down to Springfield, Ill. about seven years ago to referee a series of glove contests, and the management, for a humorous opener, staged a battle royal in which six colored men, among them Johnson, took part. Jack was the last to enter the ring, and directly he did he landed one of his every-man-for-himself opponents a wallop on the jaw, dropping him as if shot.
"Two big blacks then sailed in after Johnson, who danced out of distance, and, before his opponents knew what had happened, they were on the floor, because they foolishly permitted their respective jaws to come in contact with Jack's right mitt. The other blacks thought of the old adage of: "He who fights and runs away will live to fight another day" and crawled out of the ring."
Another surprising battle royalist was singer James Brown, who describes in his 1997 autobiography, The Godfather of Soul, how thanks to his reputation he would be chosen by "the white men who came around to recruit scrappy black boys to be in the battle royals..." once at the auditorium, he recalled:
"...they blindfold you, tie one hand behind your back, put a boxing glove on your free hand, and shove you into a ring with five other kids in the same condition. You swing at anything that moves, and whoever is left standing at the end is the winner."
For a while,
the battle royal would be an almost mandatory opening act for any boxing card, and plenty of wrestling cards as well. Eventually, their popularity would wane, first in the Northern States, starting with New York where the State Athletic Commission ruled to ban them in 1911.
In barring them; they referred to such affairs as "revolting spectacles" and declared that their action struck at a "real evil of the sport." Other, mostly Northern States, would soon follow, until battle royals, at least of the pugilist versions, were again only found in the southern states. There they would remain and last at least into the 60s, but eventually even these too would die out following the release of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, and the progress brought about by the civil rights movement.
Of course,
this did not spell the end of battle royals, only those of the boxing kind. Starting sometime in the 30s, promoters introduced the idea of a battle royal based not on pugilism, but on the antics of professional wrestling.
Two of the earliest promoters to hold such a battle royal were Johnny McGee, whose territory was based in Maine and the Northeast, and Herb Owen, who operated out of Oregon and the Northwest. The rules for Herb Owen's contests were as follows:
"...the six matmen and the referee entering the ring at the same time, battling until only two remained standing without shoulders pinned to the mat, and the finalists meeting in a 30-minute one-fall tilt for the attractive purse."
They were soon joined by a wrestling promotion that held events at the American Legion in Lake Worth, Florida. This group proved to be both the most famous and most influential promoters of these early wrestling battle royals.
A 1937 film
of a battle royal held in Lake Worth, FL demonstrates just how similar they were to contemporary matches. But, these were not the only sort, as numerous types of battle royals, of the most ludicrous and ingenious sort, were unveiled in Fort Worth.
Examples of their inspired insanity include:
- Boxers versus Wrestlers Battle Royal
- Blind Man's Biff Battle Royal
- Tomato Bowl Battle Royal
- Battle Royal in a Ring Packed with Snow
Where, in boxing the battle royal had proved to be nothing more than an opening act for most of the cards, in wrestling, the battle royal soon proved to be the closer. Cards were built around the attraction, with battle royals starring the biggest names used to headline shows:
The wrestling battle royal
has since completely eclipsed that of the boxers'. And so, the popular image for the event is, thankfully, no longer a group of black boxers fighting in front of a white crowd.
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6 Startling Things About Sex Farms During Slavery That You May Not Know
http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/11/26/6-startling-things-about-sex-farms-during-slavery-that-you-may-not-know/
November 26, 2014 | Posted by Curtis Bunn
The fertility of enslaved women was examined by owners to make sure they were able to birth as many children as possible. Secretly, slaveowners would impregnate enslaved women and when the child was born and grew to an age where he could work on the fields, they would take the “very same children (of their) own blood and make slaves out of them,” as pointed out in the National Humanities Center Resource Toolbox on Slaveholders’ Sexual Abuse of Slaves.
It was common for the slave to be subordinated sexually to the master–even men with enslaved males. It was part of the enslaved man’s function as an “animated tool,” an instrument of pleasure.
When enslaved males turned 15 years old–and younger in some cases–they had their first inspection. Boys who were under-developed, had their testicles castrated and sent to the market or used on the farm. Each enslaved male was expected to get 12 females pregnant a year. The men were used for breeding for five years. One enslaved man name Burt produced more than 200 offspring, according to the Slave Narratives.
To combat the high rate of death among the enslaved, plantation owners demanded females start having children at 13. By 20, the enslaved women would be expected to have four or five children. As an inducement, plantation owners promised freedom for enslaved female once she bore 15 children,
according to Slavery in the United States by John Simkin.
If the enslaved woman was considered “pretty,” she would be bought by plantation owner and given special treatment in the house, but often subjected to horrifying cruelty by the master’s wife, including the beheading of a child because he was the product of a enslaved-master affair.
Often, the plantation owner would entertain his friends by forcing the enslaved Blacks to have orgies–multiple pairings having sex in front of them. And the white men often would participate in the debauchery.
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This ? makes me sick
But, this is necessary to expose to EVERYONE, especially our own, but that should go without saying
Just like the jewish community won't ever let the ENTIRE WORLD forget about the holocaust
We shouldn't let the world forget neither -
? DAMN (literally) this ? .
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great thread
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YES THE WHITE MAN IS A NATURAL SAVAGE BUT DON'T FORGET HE'S ALSO A NATURAL ?
My brother, you're the inspiration for this thread. -
Racist thread.
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Preach2Teach wrote: »Racist thread.
What's racist about unadulterated, sadistic malevolent savagery and sexual depravity that racist white supremacists have subjected black people to for damn near half of a millennium? -
From a historical point of view, this is very true. From the conquistadors to the British empire to America's invasion of Iraq, White people for some reason or another have a very long history of extreme evil toward other people. Even Al-Qaeda is targeting White people now lol.....
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/al-qaeda-praises-orlando-gunman-asks-jihadists-to-target-white-americans-instead-of-? _1901192.html
Washington: Al-Qaeda has praised Orlando gunman Omar Mateen but criticised him for targeting ? , saying lone wolf jihadists should attack white Americans and avoid minorities so that no one mistakes their terror assaults for hate crimes.
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Black parents sending kids to a mostly White elementary school is probably a bad idea. College I understand, but in elementary kids tend to be mean, sending a Black kid to a mostly White school during those years is a big mistake. I've heard too many stories.
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Lately more and more of my family, friends, and including myself have been saying that we are tired of white people and their evil nature. Everything they touch is corrupted evil and down right disgusting. They are truly a plague to this world. They think they are gods but when vengeance comes I hate to say this but I hope alot of them are wiped from existence
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I remember reading stories about the kings and queens in England and France
Where those ? stunk so bad and did not have proper hygiene
They would stink up a castle and move on to the next one to ? up
Think about that for a sec
A whole ? castle they funk up and because the smell was so unbearable to the ppl that funked it up in the first place
They have to move and go to a next one
Queen of England, Elizabeth I, stated and pretty much boasted, that she bathed once a month, "whether I need it or not"?
Peter the Czar of Russia
This man was supposed to be widely traveled, educated and cultured .. but probably in his own way. Good and proper hygiene was a practice he never understood nor followed. He found nothing wrong with urinating on the glittering palace walls. ? washed OCCASIONALLY using natural mineral spring bath. Regular bathing never became his habit.
But, these are the ppl who are considered high quality individuals and had the title of ROYALTY? ? please
When I went to England, I thought nothing of that damn royal family
In the words of Paul Mooney, "They say you can't touch the queen, I would rub chicken grease all over that evil ? "
