Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-05-15


esting comments on the contest between
Heenan and saysrs, their training and appears
anOss the traits of the scene. and fstic gladiator
ship:
have last word to say about the Prize
fight between Heensu and the English Champ
ion. The excitement which exists in England
and the discussion which has already COM
msnoed, warrant me in adding my mite of ev-
idence to the facts in the case. / saw every
thing that traDspired, from beginning TO end.
watched the progress Of the long struggle as
calmly ss any man could watch a scene of the
kind, and am sure that / am not mistaken
as to the manner in which the events passed.
desire to say, however, in the first place, that
brutal as must be any prize-hght, this one
aeFeeably disappointed me as to the extent Of
is brutality. The, reader who has never wit
nessed prize fight cannot compare IL to any
thing else he has ever seen, there is about it
nothing OF the disgusting which belong to the
ordinary f. hts IN the streets, or between men
less scientific than the contestants Of the other
day It had, in fact, none Of the character of
an ordinary fight between men in passion
Here were two men, who, by living for SIX
months the life that all Of rs ought to live, had
brought themselves to point Of physical dc
velopment and physical health, which would
enable them TO kill with one blow one of us
gluttons and daily violstors Of the organic laws
of our nature. The object OF theiE training was
TO effect three things-snduTance,g great mobility
of the person, and command of temper.-a
trinity Of virtues essential to the gladiator, and
most important for all msR. To accomplish
this they walked and ran twenty-five to thirty
Eve miles a day; they fought every
day for hours with hard and indomitahle sand
bags, and boxed and wrestled with their com.
rsdes and trainers; they swung over their heads
dumbbells of unheard of weight, and fenced
with heavy sticks, so as, by variety of violent
exercise, 10 give strength aud rapidity ofmove-
ment to every muscle and tendon Of the body,
and even to the most unused 6bres Of these
muscles and tendons; they lived regularly, upon
plain and digestible food, drank no spiritous
liquors, and committed no exessses of any kind;
they went to bed early, rose early, bathed in
cold water, and had their bodies roughly rubbed
and chsmpOnded daily. Thus wers these men
brought to the highest point Of healthy ply
sical development attainable, aud il is scarcely
becoming in men who debass their physique,
and what is nObler still, their mind, by gluttony
and spurious drinks and irregular living Of
every kind, to find fault at least with the ex-
ample which is offered to other men in the
persons Of prizsfghters. Heenan,in particular,
when he stripped for the fight, offered an ex.
ample of muscular development it was we'll
worth trip across the channel to see. He is
without doubt the finest physical man that
ever entered the priZeSrIng in either county
His dsltoid, scapnlar and pectoral muscles
could be traced out with the eye as clearly as
its dIvesten Ol their tegumentsTy cOoerings; the
muscles Of his arm and forearm could be traced
with the same fsoili5y; his skin was as white,
as pure, and as polished as marble;his neck was
strong and firmly set on his shoulders, and his
head small. But his developments were not
those Of Hercules; neither his chest nor his
limbs were what would be called very large:-
height and weight indicate sufficiently indeed
tia be is not oVergTOwn. Sayers also is fine
physical man; but he has more symmetry, per,
haps l ought to say more rotundity, in his
muscular developments; the outlines are not
so distinct as on Heenan, and his skin is olive
color. Ny first signt of him, as he entered
the ring, recalled Tom COrwin-if that eminent
statesman will pardoA the assimilation, the same
size, the same dark skin, and much the same
form of face, baning the battered nose, and the
cisstrices. That is to say, the same as was
Tenn CorWiE at the same age:
The fight itself inspired none Of the horror,
nor the disgust the imagination had erected
beforehand. TWAS SOFT of friendly box-a
gladistorial contest between two men without
particle of personal eumity. When they en-
tered the ring they shook hands, and talked
smilingly for some time about the weather and
efforts OF Oithepolice tn Op the fight. Heenan a'sc
excused himselfiOr having failed to meet Saye
two months previously, at rendezvous which
was made at Owen SWift's Then they step
ped back 10 uDdress, and they surveyed each
other cufiously, much as one would a horse he
was about to buy. When they advanced tC
commence the fight, they again shook hands in
friendly way, and with a smile on their faces
commenced spaHiDg. Notwithstanding the
feeling Of hostility to Heenan, there was now
general mUralur of admiration at his hand,
some Developments, the activity and gracsfnl
ness OF his movements, and the bOyish pooC
nature with which he seemed 10 20 into The
"mill." At the same time there was some
thing in his small gray eye which indicated
that We were now Witnessing the sunny sid,
Of the man, and that behind this somewber,
there lay an ugly customer From the star
Sayers attempted to fatigue Heenan BY ineffec
tual spaTTing, and Oftep Heenan, growing il
fact tired Of that sort Of thing, let his arms drol
by his side, Grew himself up and laughed, will
an expression which said, "There' no use going
on with such child's plsy;' and then, wheI
thus off his guard, Sayers would sometimes trl
to get IN blow, and it was beautiful to see thi
Ii ghtning like rspidity with which Heenal
would throw himself into position agaiI
and shy Toms mAulers over his should
lers. But when HeenaR did catch one o
Toms blows in the face, he would smile-t
use the words of an EnglishmAn on the ocea
siOn-"as if be rather liked it." On his sid
Tom also kept in good humOr, and one cal
lconeeiVe Of nothing more whimsical than hi
melancholy attempts at a smile after Heenal
had sent him to grass with one Of his sledke
hammer blows It was a clear case, if ever, o
Ia man laughing from sense of duty. Thus
thToughouI the whole fight, the men kept in
IgOod bumor; and their polileness to each othe
went to such an extent that, in the middle of
long round, each allowed the other TO stop snC
sponge, Heenan resorting to this oftener thar
the other It was this attitude of the mel
which took from the ight much of its revolving
character, and rendered it possible to be lOoke'
at by men unused to such sights
La this fight both men hit forward from th,
shoulder. To have attempted full blow woul,
have exposed the giver to his adversary, snl
he would have been the first one knocked down
Moreover, Judging tfom the effect of the blow
that were given, full blow, accompanied will
the weight Of the body, might have produced
death. Without seeing them in action, it voul,
be impossible to imagine the power these mel
had attained by their long training. An ordi
nary man, however strong, would be but a chill,
in their hands.
IRISH EMIGRAT1oN-The revival Of emigrs
ton from Ireland to the United States, is be
lieved 70 be in consequence of the letters {
Rev. Dr.. Cahill, Distinguished Irish Pries
J now soojOurnlng in the United States and Wh WI