The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-12
JOHN MORRISSEY' S HISTORY

JOHN MOItRlSSE1 3 HISTORY.
His Rise In the World. as Described
by Himself "Reminiscences OF pu-
galism. f4
I went down to John Morrissey's
club house last night. He was at
leisure and communicative. 81
went to New York." he said, "a
stout lad, determined to fight, and
to fight the biggest man that could
be found. There was nothing
could think of but to fight, and I
had to think of that; for I was
kicked ashore most every day from
the boat of Capt. Smith, who is
now my father in-law. ] had read
of Hyer and Sullivan, and the
great pugilists in New York, and
one day l took my bundle and
come to the city, determined to get
fight out of them. 1t was at the
Empire Club, on Park row, where
I hunted them up. The first saw
was Isaiah Rynders, famous po
litical leader in them days, and 1
went up to him, surrounded by his
crowd, and said: Mr.. Rynders, I've
got no money, but I will fight for
reputation I will fight Mr.. Hyer,
or you, or anybody you can pick
out They just all set on me at
once, and gave me a beating that
made my head ache for three weeks,
After that I laid for them individ-
ually. Said 1: Gentlemen. I will
lick your crowd, and make you
acknowledge me, if it takes Inc
years. l was poor as warf rat,
and could barely pickup my food;
but KEEP. on the wearves, unload
ing steamers, working with .long
-shoremen, and getting beaten SO
often that / was hardly ever right
we'll AS long as Twas poor nobody
would do me the favor to fight me
in the ring, and I finally went to
California in the mining times to
make stake. There I fought
Thompson and whipped him, and I
returned to New York with some
reputation The day I landed I
challenged Hyer to fight for S1O,-
900. He came round with Bill
Poole to whip me before I got out
of bed one morning, and I was SO
determined about it that they saw
I would never, leave New York till I
had that belt. Finally, I fought
Sullivan at Boston Corners-the
hardest fight. i ever had. He was
an artist, and he broke my nose,
and cut me all to pieces; but have
always known that I could keep my
legs and stand up until any of my
opponents were worn out That
was my calculation with Heenan;
endurance against strength. Hyer
I never could bring to the scratch
He had lost his moral force, and
never would fight me. His friend
Poole, as you know, set on me with
q pack of his friends, and expected
to bring me so near my end that ]
would lose stomach for fair, con
test. ry 5s4s- a
"Unable to get any of them to
meet me, I married and went to
business. All at once Heenan
came from California with repu
tation, and they said, Here is oui
man to give Mo1rissey a foggine
at last I then declined to fight
until I was worried and set upon
in and out of print, and finally they
whipped my old father and abused
my family. Said to my wife: q
can't live this way. I shall have te
fight that man. My wife said: Yes
, you must fight him went into
, training on my father in laws farm
Every effort was made to bring tn,
Whole sentiment of the United
States up against me. You can
! tell how many years and how mucl
pain 1 had to bear for that perfect,
, unjust odium of seeking to chal
lenge an American as an Irishman
|, Mr.. Hecnan tied the Americal
), colors to the ropes, and his coat
when he took it off was actual,
q lined with the American flag
had to laugh in his face. He brok
my nose a second time, and l thinl
he could strike the most powerful
blow of any man I ever saw; but
G won the battle and closed then
: out. l followed him to England t
: see the fight he had with Sayers
for by this time l was angry a
+ years of persecution, and l wante'
= to See the last man of that old Hye
: coterie closed out" ,..,
= Then. the still powerful gladiato
. related how he came to play card
by profession. "A prize fighter,
he said, ''can graduate with n
y other avocation equal to his start
I I have always played cards NOR
. or less. My general reputation
among Americans, I felt, require
ME to do something to start m
. boy, for whose character 1 live O
present in a great degree, and
. chased up the seat in Congress, S
n as to be able to say: If you
s. father did begin in the ring b
wrote IN. c." after his name
ChicapO Trihune