Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-08-26
The Prize Ring.

n. Herald, interest IN the puglllStlc science
and priZe-ring encounters has been sensibly
decreasing in England, in the States it has
as visibly increased. and Young America
seems bent on eclipsing the glory OF John
Bulls fast sons in their palniest days
fighting is punishable by law in the
and N. P.'s" watch closely secret
meetings of t" shoulder hitters' in the coun
try. Notwithstanding, in the principal cities
OF the Union there is no lack Of opportunity
OF acquiring " the manly art from professors
OF "the science" The greatest contest, so
expected, of any yet had in this " free coun-
try" " comes Off ON the goth of Ocs. next,
somewhere in Canada, for the " champion
ship of America" The aspirants for this
honor are John Morrissey, a young mar of
twenty eight years Of age. an Irish-Ameri-
can, and John G. Heenan, about twenty-five
years of age, a native of this State. The
former is developing siaew and muscle at
L~ansingburg, the latter at the same opera
ton up town, at 10th street.
The Clipper presents to the readers the
" boiling down. process to which Merrissey
is daily subjected. The editor, relating his
visit to Lansingburg, says:
cit being now half-past eleven, the usual
time of Mr.. Morrissey to return from his
mornings walk Of nine or ten miles, we ac-
companied Shepherd principal t%rainer) on
the road to meet him. After proceeding
a short distance we met Dan Burns assist
ant t%rainer) returning, and shortly after,
Morrissey himself, we'll wrapped up in warm
clothing, passed me on a run, he usually
finished his lorg mornings walk IF we may
be allowed to use the Hibernicism) with a
half mile run in" After being we'll rub
bed down, he jumps into bed between blank
cts, and remains there about a quarter of an
hour or twenty minutes, to facilitate the
increased secretion of perspiratlon arising
from his prolonged walking exercise. After
again being we'll rubbed down, he changes
his clothes and commences Fighting the
bag" In this exercise he us.s a pair OF
dumb bells, and finishes off with his bunch
OF fives," the hands being protected by a
pair of leather gloves. He then takes a
twenty minutes turn in practising with a
new and ingenious apparatus for raising
heavy weights, and which is so constructed
and arranged as to call into exercise and de-
velope the muscles of the arms and shoulders
as we'll as of the chest, and bring them into
every possible form of play. He then, at ]
O'Clock, takes a recess for dinner, along with
WHICH he partakes of a small glass or two
of the finest cherry wine. This meal be
partakes of leisurely, avoiding the too com
mon practice of " bolting," which is so uni
versal among US.
We must, however, "hark back a little
until we show how the earlier part of the
day, bsfore we arrived, was spent; the ex.
perience of one day, in fact, being that Of
all, at least of this period of the training
The subject of our notice rises at 5 o'clock
A. NJ, and after washing and ~sponging in
cold water, and undergoing a thorough
rubbing, he dresses and commences practis.
ing with the dumb bells and the weight
machine, which we have noticed above
After half an hour thus spent, he, accom-.
panied either by Burns or Lawrence, his as.
sistant trainers, start off on q four or five
mile walk bsfore breakfast. On his return
after being thoroughly rubbed, and having
changed his clothes, he quietly awaits the
hour Of breakfast, eight O'clock At this
matitudinal meal he partakes Of a cup Of
tea with tha yolk of an egg beaten up in it
and a mutton chop without fat, and at nine
n'clock he again starts on the long mornings
walk, which we have already alluded to-
During this pedestrian tour he occasionally
imbibes a glass of fine old ale, which he OBJ
tains at a house on the road. On such oc-
c~asions he omits his glass Of cherry at din
ner. In these walks he changes bis route
nearly every day, as from the number Of
roads in every direction in this locality, he
can vary his walks, and thus avoid the
memory which is naturally associated With
the same route.
After dinner he rests an hour, and then
again starts afresh in his pursuit Of the &C.
QUESTION of muscle, and the necessarily con.
sequent reduction of obesity and fat. At
tended either by Shepherd. Burns or Law.
renee lwho assisted him when in training fol
his fight with %Sullivan,O he takes a seven OF
eight mile tour through the adjacent coun.
try, and his long, regular and rapid stride
the result of such continued practice, makes
it a matter of difficulty for his companions
to keep alongside him. On his return he
again changes his clothing, and after be-
ing we'll rubbed down and resting a short
time, he again exercises with the weight ap-
paratus, stuffed bag and dumb bells, diyersi
fed with set-to's with his trainer, Shepherd
with the gloves. In the art of sparring,
Morrissey has acquiring a great degree of pro
fciency, and his trainer informs us that he
has never witnessed a quicker counter hitter.
He ALSO has improved surprisingly to
in stopping and getting away, and his
theoretic knowledgeof the art Of boxing will
be found widely different to his exhibitions
in his previous contents with Sullivan and
Thompson.
After these varied exercises at six O'Clock,
he is summoned to a light supper. in which,
as at the preceding meals, his trainers join
him; At this meal he partakes of light and
easily digested food, with a young and ten
der chicken, and light boiled eggs occasion
ally. An interval of rest ensues, and then
he is summoned again to his work. This
Consists Of rowing exercise. The Abbey
Hotel stand on the bank of the Hudson, with
a beautifully shaded lawn extending from the
house to the river and here, eeavpnipnt Of
access, are the boats belonging to the hotel,
in which Mr.. Morrissey takes his rowing ex-
ercise. In these boating excursions he is
generally accompanied by his trainer, Mr..
Shepherd, and in the delightful and athletic
recreation of rowing, an hour or two insen-
sibly passes. The value and Importance of
the practice of the oar is not sufficiently es-
timated among trainers. One of the princi-
pal authorities of the science of physiology,
DR.. Andrew Combe, asserts that there is no
exercise, without exception, which tends to
develope so many muscles of the body, and
so equally in their action, as that of rowing.
Aware of this fact from experience, it is not
to be wondered at that Mr.. Shepherd makes