Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-06
MORE BRUTAL THAN sLUCCING.

A 'rurring' match was fought at an
early hour in Philadelphia on January
II. The contestants were Robert Tav-
ish, an ex- miner, who keeps saloon III
Manayunk. and David 0oWilliaMs, a
miner, of Plymouth, Luzerne county. A
"purring" match IL shin-klcking con-
test, and most brutal sport it is. lavish
has some reputation as a boxer and
wrestler. He ia the man who wanted to
wrestle Sam Actor. "the English De-
mon," for $1,000 side. last fall. He has
worsted man in Pittsburg and another
in Scranton, and was beaten at Shenan-
doah by McWilliarns. The contest was
SO close, however, that lavish thought
be should have won, and his friends
agreed with him. The fight in Phila-
delphia was for $2J0 a side. Arthur
Chambers, John Clark, Mike Cleary,
and other proprietors Of sporting houses
refused to allow the ''purring" to be
done in their establishments for fear OF
the police, and room IN Camden was
rented.
Soon after midnight the fight began
lavish weighed 100 pounds ana NO WI
liams 142. Both wore -broennes'
and we're bare legged from knee TO
ankle. MoWilliams insisted on pur-
ring" with regulation shoes. Iavlsn
objected ON the ground that tie did not
desirs to be crippled for life for SEQ.
The proper pairing shoe Is brORan
with q crssoent-shaped piece Of OK horn
set in the toe. McWilliams facstiously
said that the horn would "scrape meat
whenever it touched leg" The referee
exhibited a pair of vicious looking horn
toed shoes, and lavish shuddered. The
articles of agreement said nothing about
the kind of shoes that we're to bs used,
and Thomas V. Perrine, the pedestrian,
who Was Tavish's baoker, insisted that
the men sheuld purr with pair Ut new
No. 7 brogans. After much ha9gling
and great deal of sampling Of the con-
tents Of black bottle this was agreed
to, and the kickers donnsd the shoes
and faced each other.
The object of each man was to kick
his opponent on the shin and escape
without being paid back in his own coin.
lavish hoped around like dancing
master. McWilliams kicked with his
right foot, but lavish was out of reach.
For five minutes they danced around
each other. exchanging kicks which did
not take effect. In the second round Tav-
ish kicked his opponent on the side of
the left leg, drawing blood. In the third
round lavish scraped two inch piece
of skin from his opponents right shin
and kicked him twice on the same leg.
Mcwilliams was playing waiting
game. however. and his friends backed
him at double odds. lavish had tho
best of the fourth, fifth and sixth
rounds, and McWilliams's shins bled 80
freely that they had to be washed in
vinegar.
In the seventh round McWilliams
kicked lavish twice ON the left leg,
danced around, aud repeated tho dose.
When time was called lavish had four
bruises on his left leg. In the next
round McWilliams opened the ball, and
forced the kicking. lavish tried to get
away, but his efforts we're useless. He
ended the tenth round by slipping and
falling, and when he arose tho floor was
marked with blood which came from
his shins. Mcwilliarns had everything
his own way during four succeeding
rounds. lavish rallied in the fifteenth
round. and by q terrific kick took two
left leg. This was the worst single kick
VI tue ulatCu, anu obout- uChItfQ aS Mo
Williams Was, he WINGED, and dropped
in the arms of "Brocky" Dawson, who
was seconding him.
Both men were very much exhausted
after an hours dancing and kicking.
lavish wanted to quit. but his friends
insisted that he should 60 on. McWill-
iams's shins were badly cut aud bruised.
but they we're nothing compared with
Tsvish's. In the next four rounds Mo
Williams went IA he pleased. and every
time he kicked he made an ugly cut or
hfuise. In the twenty second round
Tavlsh's seconds could not stop the dow
OF blood. They wautsl to apply band
ages, but REILLY would not permit it.
Mcwilliams kicked lavish five times in
the twensy-third ROUND, and then the
latter dropped like log and refused to
60 on. His legs from knee TO ankle
we're covered with cutA Mcwilliams
got tho stakes. Tavish's legs were
washed in applejack. and he was driven
to the ferry.