The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-03-23

OF Rookie, and need not repeat the descrip- |
ton. hockey Moore, then about % years
of sge, was as handsome specimen of
physical young manhood as could be found.
He stood about five feet eight and a half.
and weighed about one hundr I'D and fifty
five pounds. He was built like the Apollo
Belvidere, his skin was almost white as
snow, his cheeks were rosy as a girls his
eye was bright and full OF frolicsome humor,
and his chestnut hair, which he had nos
cropped as prize fighters usually do, curled
gracefully about his temples and over his
fine, intelligent looking forehead. Nearly
everybody thought it pity that so fine a
face should be mashed up by the big fists of
a brute like Rookie. and nobody imagined
that Moore's fate would be in doubt Tor more
than ten minutes at the outside.
BETTING WAS ALL ONE WAY
among the sports; but there were a few of
Hockey Moore's friends and associates pres
ent who still backed their favorite by taking
the great odds that were offered. Time was
called and the fight commenced. II was
one of the most sanguinsry and savage fights
In the history OF the ring, and lasted an
hour and forty minutes, Rookie being fairly
hammered and mauled to exhaust on and
insensibility, while Roekey received much
punishment about the ribs aud chest. his
face escaping with only few bruises and
couple OF trifling cuts. Moore's
tactics We're to save his face
from Disagreement and to Blind
Rockies eyes, the latter a most difficult task,
because iS seemed almost impossible to
make the f5llowis flesh swell with auy
amount of bruising. At the beginning of
the tight Rookie went in with all the assur-
ance of man who is confident of an easy
victory and Is inclined to take his ease abont
winning 1t. He was suddenly awakened
from this pleasant dream by slashing left
handler from Moore, square on The bridge of
his nose, which laid him sprawlin1 and
crew first claret, amid the plaudits of the
astouDded bystanders. Then Rookie lost his
self-control, got mad and fought wildly.
TbeEceforward the fight became a struggle
between the brute force, pluck and bull
dog endurance of Rookie on the one hand,
and the sagacity, intelligence and courage
of Moore on the other. Rockies evident rage
naturally excited the wrath of his antsgon-
ist, and every blow was sent in with ali the
fierce vigor that resentment can give. But
the brutal pluck and stolid endurance of
Rookie availed nothing against the science
and Intelligent strategy of Moore. And be-
sides, il soon appeared that Moore, tenderly
and luxuriously raised as he had been, did
not lack endurance, while bis pluck showed
all the slubhorness that distinguished the
swarthy Rockies. Before the fight was halt
over it became evident that Rockies defeat
was only question of time. His face was
one blctch of bloody Jelly, several OF his
teeth were Knocked out and his eyes were
nearly blinded, while Moore's hands had
been lacerated
BY THE BONES OF ROCKIES FACE
worse than his face had been punished by
Rockies fists. AT last, at the beginning of
the thirty-eighth round, Rockies brute en-
durance gave out and he fell down twice
from exhaustion as his seconds tried to bring
him up to the scratch. Finding that Rookie
was exhausted from loss of blood, while
Moore was fresh as race-horse and tero-
cious as leopard, the seconds OF the former
threw up the sponge and Hockey Moore,
the novice, was declared the middle-weight
champion Of America. AT that moment
the scene was sickening. Rookie was
splashed, spattered and soaked with blood
from head to foot. The dried grass in the
seconds, the chair in which he sat between
rounds, and the ropes in many places where
he had fallen against them were also stained
with gore. The victor had lost but very
little blood from his face, but his kunckles
were bleeding, and his hands, face, breast,
and arms were spattered with Rockies
blood, which latterly in the
fight flew like water whenever
Moore hit his mangled face. Rookie
was assisted out of the ring and taken away.
Moore dressed himself and went home TO
New York that night with his friends. He
never lCuBuJ duOtDer DaJIi6, out went DaCk
to his friends and behaved himself. He is
now a politician of considerable note in New
York. Those who saw this fight rate Moore
as the natural equal of Tom Sayers, and say
that he showed qualities never surpassed
by any middle weight fighter in prize
ring history. 1t does not argue that, because
Rookie was beaten by him, Rookie can be
beaten easily; for there is no doubt that
Hockey Moore, when he fought at Isle OF
Shoals, novice as he was, could have stood
his hand with any man in the world at that
time, middle-weight, and that he could have
held to bis best work any heavy weight,
barring Mace or Tom King. lie was doubt
less at that moment as good a man as
Tom Allen and a better m.n than Joe CO.
burn or Ned Price. At all events, if Rookie
fights Allen we shall be better able to
judge how much credit Moore deserves for
whipping him.