St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-14
TIE BENICIA BOY.
Heenan's Widow in a Theatrical
Company Playing in st. Paul.
Some Interesting "reminiscences of
the Famous Pugflist.


Grismer-D Davies company. and who does
such clever old woman acting in the part of
Priscilla in Called Back" is the widow of
John c. Heenan, the once famous pugilSt
whose contest for the worlds championship
with Tom Sayres excited the interest Of
two hemispheres. At the time she was
married to The Benicia Boy" Sallie
Stevens was reputed to be the prettiest
actress on the stage, and traces of her
youthful beauty are still observable
in her face. Heenan became en-
amored with her beauty and she
was captivated by the manly bearing
and graceful figure of the noted prize
fighter When Heenan wooed her hand
she gave it on condition that he would re-
nounce the ring, and would promise never
to throw another card at gambling. Miss
Stevens was playing with BOucicault in
England at the time of her marriage.
Heenan objected to her stage life on the
ground that he did not want the world to
think that his wife was compelled to sup
port herself In Difference to his wishes
she gave up her profession, and came back
with him to America.
Yes. John kept his promise to me to
abandon the prize ring" said the lady to
GLOBE reporter the other day, but he
failed to keep it in regard to gambling. l
suppose that gambling is the hardest of all
vices to shake off when it once gets its
clutches upon man. At any rate, with
all his physical strength. John Heenan did
not have the moral power to resist it. In a
short time after we were married he drifted
back into the old channel, and was soon at
the head of a gambling establishment in
New York. But he was a square gambler.
In dealing cards he was just like he was in
the prize ring-he never struck below the
belt. His establishment in New York was
patronized by many prominent people"
Can you give me any "reminiscences OF
the celebrated fight between Heenan and
Sayl esp"
81 am sorry that 1 cannot. That occurred
before our marriage, and John would
never discuss it. | know that he always
felt that he had not been treated fairly in
that fight, but he didn't blame Tom Sayres.
He had great friendship for Sayres and
always looked on him as an honorable man.
He would never allow any one to say an
unkind word of Sayres in his presence. Mr..
Heenan was q warm-heaTted, generous
man, who was strong in his friendship. He
was kind husband to me and L respect
his memory. There was one thing that l
devotion to his mothers memory. His
mother was very religious woman, and
while John never made any religious pro-
fession, he always respected religion on his
mothers account. 1 have often heard him
say that he thought every woman ought to
be a member of some church. 1t was his
irritable temper that got him into the way
ward life he led. When 16 years of age he
got into difficulty with man at his home
in Troy, n. Y, and stalking the man
down with a blow from his fist he sup
posed that he had killed him and fled.
He found his way to CalfOr-
MIA in its pioneer days and by
mixing with the wild ranchmen, he grew up
to be as wild as any of them. You know
that there wasn't much refinement in Cali
fornia life in those days. Being power
full man physically, he was induced to go
into training as a prize fighter, and you
know the rest. After living on a ranch
a while he went into blacksmith shop at
Benicia, and was working at the anvil
when he first went into the ring. On my
last visit to California, l went up to Ben
cia and saw the same old anvil upon which
John used to hammer iron. 1t is preserved
as sort of historical relic in the town. l
wanted to buy the anvil but couldn't get
it."
''Did not his pugilistic encounters have
something to do with Fastening his death?"
''Oh. no. He was never hurt by fight
ing. Once in crossing the English channel
to Ireland he ruptured blood vessel. and
never recovered from it. He died from a
hemorrhage while on his way from New
York to San Francisco in 1878. am now
back on the stage again. and yet l know ii
is with his approval" How do you know
it?" "Why, young man. 90 you not know
that our dead friends are with US all the
time and are conscious OF what we are
doing?" A peculiar light Shone in the soft
blue eye of the lady as she uttered this
sentence, a peculiar smile of satisfaction
played across the features, the old-time
bloom of animation came back to the cheek,
dimples that perhaps had been hidden away
| for wears stole out from their hiding places
and played hide and seek over the face and
for moment the reporter realized how
beautiful SalIie Stevens must have been
when Heenan won her hand and heart.
And he also realized that he was talking to
a woman who is a firm believer in modern
spiritualism. YES" she continued, after
a few moments pause. many and many a
night have been conscious of Mr.. Hee-
mans presence with me as L walked from
the theater to the hotel after the play is
over, and if he dsapproved of my being on
the stage now would have had some indi-
cation of it from him before this time. ]
love nv profession. and the only mistake
! ever made was abandoning it for eight OF
ten years, even to please my husband"