Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-09-18
REPORTING A PRIzE-FIGHT.


Rough Handling by the BruiseTs
and Seven Mile Chase by the Mtf'
ttary.
The reporters at the GosS-Allen
prize fight passed through a season
of tribulation and imminent peril
that still retains a strong hold upon
their remembrances, accompanied
by a vivid consciousness that they
are not even yet secure from fur
ther trouble from the authorities Of
Kentucky. They had spent most
of the night previous to the fight
in the evil atmosphere of Eph Hol-
lands place, waiting for the mo-
mentarily expected signal for start
to be given by the proprietor Of the
place, who was the master of cere-
monies. 1t was not until two
o'clock in the morning that the
signal was given, and then many
Of the lawlesS crowd by whom the
reporters were surrounded were
fighting. At the Miami railroad
station a long train was quickly
filled by about four,fifths of the
mob, who had no tickets, and by
Eph Hollands directions the engi-
neer of this train ran it out fifty
miles beyond the place selected for
the fight. The reporters and about
three hundred persons who had
tickets had, however, been privately
instructed to wait for second train,
which went out two hours later
One car had been set apart for the
representatives of the press. AT
its door stood Ed Henderson Of the
Cincinnati Commercial, lantern in
hand, to identify the reporters, and
with him were a protecting body
guard consisting of Jim Glass O
Brooklyn, Barney Aaron and "Red'
Leary. Goss was in the reporters
car.
1t was at the second ring that
the reporters miseries were begun
in earnest. Therein, as in the frs
ring that was pitched, they wer'
squatted under the ropes, but tn
crowd was more aggressive by TIL
time. The mob not only trample(
upon them, but snatched their not,
books from them and finally tossed
them over the ropes into the ring
, Meanwhile, the fighters in the RIM
were continuing their operation
upon each other with blithe indif
, ference to everything else, jumping
dodging and prancing hither an'
thit6er, and aside from devotion t
> duty the reporter had to keep
: sharp lookout to escape the lon
sharp spikes in the soles of tn
pugilists' shoes.
:. After the fight the train wa
n divided in,o two parts. In th
J. foremost was Allen, weeping an
!. cursing Eph Holland. With hin
!, were his friends. In the other tran
. over a mile in the rear were Cos
;, and his friends and the reporter
1t About seven miles from Coyingto
is a man on the track tagged the tral
4 i and said:
! "They've took in everybody bt
y y me on that first train, and the be.
u n thing you fellers can do is to get o
d and skip through the woods, II yc
n don't want to get the gran
a. bounce"
9, 9, Then everybody in the tra'
k made a rush for the friendly she
Ter in the woods. Joe GosS' ey
were SO swollen that he cou
,is scarcely see, he was SO stiff al
he sore that he could hardly walk, al
''' his lips were SO swollen he cou
not swear. They saw the militia
no at a distance Of probably a mile Al
a half marching off crowd of ca
tives to prison. Across the vail
Mt and up another hill the reportC
:. ran, At the top they paused, !
before them, advancing at a doub
=. : quick, they deserted another DO
I ! Of infantry. Thereat the report'
redoubled their speed toward NC
ington and the Suspension Bridt
:. Mile after mile glided from benea
their nimble feet. AT length til
entered the toYn.
y @Don't go to the bridge. 1
'OF- police and sojers are there wait
/ - oohhia no y Nvoc thp Wnrnl