“Sir,
“Your paper, and others of the public journals, have of late teemed with idle correspondence on the subject of my fight with Langan. Of Langan I have nothing to say, but that I consider him a brave fellow in the ring, and a good fellow out of it; but in order to put an end to all further chaffing, and to bring our matters to a clear understanding, I have only this to observe: Langan, at his own benefit, publicly stated that “he was ready to fight any man who called himself Champion of England, on a stage, for from £300 to £1,000.” Now, I have been pronounced the character he describes, and I am ready to fight Langan, or any other man, for £500, in a roped ring on the turf, or for £1,000 in any way that himself or his friends may think proper to suggest—on an iron pavement if they choose. This is my final answer to all challenges; and I shall be at the Fives’ Court to-morrow, at Turner’s benefit, and come to the scratch if called.
“I am, sir, yours most respectfully,
“THOMAS W. SPRING.
“February 24, 1824.”
This was followed by a letter (bearing internal marks of proceeding from the pen of Tom Reynolds) magniloquently entitled—
“THE IRISH CHAMPION’S DECLARATION TO THE SPORTING WORLD.
“Gentlemen,
“Mr. Spring, in his letter, speaks of his wish to avoid ‘chaffing, and bring matters to a right understanding’ between him and me. To show you, therefore, the chaffing is not on my side, and that I am really anxious to have matters clearly understood, I beg leave to submit the following facts to your judgment:—
“When I challenged him in Manchester, for £100 a-side, he pretended to treat my offer with contempt (though he had never, but in one instance, fought for more), and named £500 as the least stake, a sum three times greater than any for which he had contended. But though he was afterwards shamed into agreeing for £300 a-side, yet he calculated on my inability to raise so much; and, to prevent my doing so, he and his friends, besides throwing other obstacles in my way, contrived to induce the gentleman who agreed to put down the whole sum for me to withdraw his patronage, so that it was with the utmost difficulty I raised the battle-money.