Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-07-13
BRUTAL BRUISERS.
Pkizs HIaHr IN PH1LADELPnlA.

DuOAAu DnUlOEnO.
Pk,zs 1IaHr IN pH1LADEH.rnlA
An Hour and light Minuies Occupied Il
Fighting Thtrty-slx ROnndg-One Of :.
the Combatanss Badly Beaten.
On Wednesday q fight took place in
clump Of timber, known AS Clark woods
near the lower Schuylkill. and was wit
messed by abOut hundred persons
Thomas Johnson, a driver, living OF
Haines street, above Twelfth, Philadel
dhia, and John Mahaffy, also living in tn
Seventh ward, were the bruisers, and Et
Hickey and Joseph McGimchey the
seconds. Philip Hughes acted as referee
The fight grew out Of an old dispute as t.
the prowess Of the men, who are vel
known in the southern section of tho city
as hard hitters, and it was agreed that the!
should fight it out under the rules of tn
London prize ring.
The ring was pitched at hall. past
o'clock yesterday morning, and at Go o'clocl
the men, stripped to the waist, stepped in
and shook hands. johnson weighed 1877
pounds and his opponent 40 pounds
They appeared to DO we'll matched, al
though johnson looked tougher than Ma
haffy. The time of the first two round.
was consumed in sparring to test each
others mettle, but in the third round thu
men warmed up to their work, and some
terrible blows were given by both. Final
ly johnson got lock on Mahaffy's neck
which sent him spinning around on hi.
heel. Following up his advantage, John
son struck straight from the shoulder
hitting his opponent on the left temple
who fell to the ground in a heap.
Mahatfy however. came up smiling in the
next round, and the men clinched anG
struggled about the ring for some mo-
ments, when Mahaify broke away and
sent johnson to grass with a bleeding
nose. The fighting continued desperately
but evenly until the eighth round, when
johnson struck Mahaffy two terrible blows
in the face, which closed up one of his
eyes and sent him almost exhausted to his
end of the ring. In the ninth, tenth,
eleventh and twelfth rounds Mahaffy was
sent to clover, and was terribly punished
about the face and head. Oae Of his fin
gers was knocked out Of place and hii
body was full of bruises.
The thirteenth round was the most
desperately contested of the fight Ma
haffy faced his smiling rival with plucky
boldness, ami opened the fighting by
sending terrible blow between Johnson:
eyes, which seemed to stun him for sec.
Ond, but he recovered in time to ward of
then clinched. johnson came near being
thrown, but held himself up by the knee,
in which position he struck Mahaffy under
the arm, sending him back few feet.
For several seconds blow after blow fol
lowed in rapid succession. Mahatfy was
being pretty badly punished when he
planted a left handler on JOhnson's right
temple. sending him spinning across the
ring and almost knocking him over the
ropes, which, however, canght the falling
man by the back, saving him a tremen.
dOus fall.
1t was evident when the men faced eac!,
other in the next round that JOhnson's
blood was up. His punishment in the pre-
viOus round had been effective in arOusing
his temper. He went at Mahaffy from the
start, striking blow after blow on his face
and breast. Mahaffy had all he could dc
to defend himself and it was some time
before he attempted to retaliate. When
he did, johnson broke down his guard
with left handed stroke, aud sent a
crushing blow directly between his op-
ponent's Dyes. Mahaffy fell to the ground
and some one in tho crowd called out :
''You have killed him." Mahaffy, hc~-
ever, came to the scratch for the next
round, although evidently weakening.
The fighting continued desperately for
twenty minutes longer, johnson dOwnin.g,
his man almost rs fast as he came up.
In the thirty. sixth round Mahaffy could
scarcely stand, his face was beaten almost
into a jelly and both of his eyes wore
closed. johnson was fresh and smiling
and did not attempt to punish his OppO-
nent much. lie sent him to grass with a
left-handed blow from the shoulder, and
Mahaffy's second then threw mp the
sponge.
After the fight the two men shook
hands. Mahaffy il badly bruised aud was
terribly punished, but was out last night
with some friends. johnson was not dis
figured.