The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-10-30
From the New York World Oct. 81.
John C. Heenan.

John Carmel Heenan, whose death is
just announced by telegraph, was born of
Irish parentage in West Troy, N. Y, MAY |
%, 1885. His life was spent in that city |
until the California fever broke out, and |
the young blacksmith of over six feet in
height went West and obtained employ
ment at heavy smithing in an engine-house
at Benicia, Cal. his future residence. Here |
he picked up the rudiments OF sparring |
and gradually became known on the West |
coast for his success over any and all COM |
petitoTs in hastily organized exhibitions in /
which he took part His first challenge was
to Yankee Sullivan, then the champion of
America, in 1885, but the match never |
came off. A year later Heenan came to
New York and gave the first public exhi |
bition of his powers in sparring match |
with Coburn. Public expectation was uni
versally disappointed at the result, and no
further attempts were made to arrange a |
match An appointment, in the New York
Custom house having been obtained for
him. Heenan found himself with tn, leis- |
ure necessary for proper study of his art
and rapidly matured his powers under the
tutelage Of Aaron jones. A prolonged
correspondence was carried on meanwhile
with the hackers of John Morrissey, who
had won the champion belt of America and
after several abortive attempts a match
came off between the two men-$2, 500
side-Oct 2b, 1888, at Long Point Island.
off the Canada shore, His opponent was
seconded by John Kelly, and Heenan was
supported by his trainer. already mention
ed. Eleven rounds of downright terrific
fighting ended the contest III Morrisseys
SiI''iS' "A Pr'1'i's t''fe' VI - o0"'9q ueut
ua11 say 1''' ~ hi'11hg
the HSit was pi ''doi9 NC equalieu' Inc
result re was sal9 10 9c ""ils 70 'ile lact mat
freeman was pla.eo u tuo my "iieh Ia no
conuitt''ii 10 hsI' We1Neueu py an Illness
itolii WHICH ~ nc nau iiseh uut '%o 1dys De
, IL anu disabled " soIe On ms ielt leg;
.'ioi lissey W. Souui'iJn "o' rapid
49, 49, 9t s ene ,o I h,t hatiii !.
NV VI hiS opP 'ne'' pet 'uasses vi ioui
e'Iy w q .n ap =, gu ,o'n siIe anu the
nsrt lell iil-ice'iuE I pet"een tue TWO whlch
was never eItirriy uisslpateo' In spite OF
tiis ue'edt lee'ah steduiiy improved IN
puohc ESTIMATION, ana one year later pre-
paratlons began Tor the event OF his life
the internauonai nlatGh between hlmself
ana 1 ON oayeTs' tue champion OF all Eng
lanu' ana the VICTOR III more contests than
any other pnstLSt ever fought. Hee
/ nan eMparked i'F England with host OF
1 lriehdS auu pa'Aers january T. looo The
/ arucles lau oeeh slSheu DecoAoeF %,
Ie3S turthoT arrangements were made,
ana harch Il Gnth were IN active training.
Sayers was uiiu.S'ur lea' Out heenan was
forced 10 move rom pace 70 place. and
"uc5 arIes'eh' II i Salu al the lnstigahon
VI MS opponent hackers' The great
nght came on al farhsoerough- tuesday,
APrli ~ 1901 "A speclal tram oi thirty
SIX cars ran OUT from London, laden with
passengers 20 NoWiere ana oack, as the
pace was kept profound secret. Yet
around the Flh- were hundred peers.
Ianlhet Minister h!emhers OF Congress
anu IarliahlehI anu III Tue sporting world
everything ina, was or had been dlstln-
gulShed. The men stripped IN the ring
the American feet = inches in height
MS ughtlng weight 40 pounds, his skin fair
and clear every VEN clearly defined in his
/ twenty sixth year: the British champion, >
feet - inches high, weighing l5+ POUNDS,
but with skin Drowned and toughened by
long exposure, 1nd eleven years Older than
hls c'mpeutr. W 18th the light all are ia
nnliar, How FIR two hours and twenty
minutes, through forty three rounds. the
men stood, tlll Heenan was blind and
Savers endurance was wei! nigh gone
( how the last fought for thirty rounds, while
tieenan ; blows tell on broken arm, and
sprang lightly up from twenty-one clear
knock downs how Heenan stood to his
work when daylight was gone and his face
Il bleeding mass Of puip-cheated OF his
victory at last by cut ropes and an impa,
tieqt crowd that surged within the ring
and covered Savers from the blows that
had brought bin to the grnund in each of
the last dazen rounds. All this was the
talk and the disappointment of the two
nations. The excitement in New York can
scarcely be exaggerated when the news
reached there ten days later. Every daily