The Evening post. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1888-1889, 1888-12-13
MuLDonNs PHENOMENAL WRESTLER.



cuco with MatsadH Sorakichi.
Fiom the Neig FORT sun.
Hugh Leonard, who is one OF the most
promising wrestlers in the country, was
born of Irish parents in the town of Bel
fast, in this State, twenty years ago. His
parents being in humble circumstances,
he was compelled to shift for himself at
an early age. In the summer of 1886
William Muldoon, the famous GrGco.
Roman wrestler, who has farm near
Belfast, had occasion 10 go to q lumber
mill near his place, and there he first saw
Leonard. The boy was working among
q lot of lumber men, and though the
smallest of the lot, was evidently the
strongest of them. Muldoon learned that
the boy was only getting SIS a month,
and at once employed him to work on
his farm for $50.
In the loft of Muldoon's barn is q
padded space, where he often wrestles
with his city visitors for amusement On
Sundays in summer he offers three prizes.
aggregatng 800, for country boys to
wrestle for, and sometimes dozen lads
compete for the money. Leonard being
in Muldoon's service was favored during
the week with private instruction, and it
was not long before lie became the local
champion by winning the first prize
three Sundays in euccs +son. All of his
antagonists were Swapping big fellows.
Last season when Muldoon went on the
road he took Leonard with him, paying
him 800 month and all his expenses.
Leonard was amazed at the size of the
salary Muldoon paid him. He was even
more aston'shed when Muldoon offered
800 to any middle-weight who could
throw him in fifteen minutes, and S25 to
| any wrestler of the same weight who
could contend with him for the same
time without being thrown. He felt i'm
mediately that he was a champion, and
outsiders who were foolhardy enough to
tackle him lie laid on their backs forth
| with.
About this time Matsada Sorakichi.
"the Jap" applied TO Muldoon for EN-.
ployment. and Muldoon told him that
he could have Leonard at 800 week.
provided he could throw Leonard, but
until he defeated Leonard he was to re-
ceive nothing. At the time the show
Muldoon was travelling with was in
Rochester. On Sunday and Monday the
Jap informed all the people he met that
he was engaged with the company, and
acted as though he thought disposing OF
Leonard would be no troublesome mat
ter. What happened is told by Null.
doom:
well, he went on on Monday night,
and he rushed at Leonard like mad
bull. For ten minutes it was impossible
to tell which was which. the work was
so rapid, and yet in just twelve and a-hali
minutes the Jap was on his back. He
| ,,tho |, ha nod
| at the referee, who had decided against
him. / quieted him down, and told him
that he could nave the privilege of trying
on baud. and the house was crowded. A
terrible tussle ensued, but there was nc
fall at the end of fifteen minutes. He
was then barred for the rest
of the week, but told that
| he could tackle Leonard on the
first two nights of the next week. The
show went to Buffalo and the Jap pre-
pared himself. In the meantime | hao
carefully coached Leonard, and showed
him how to avoid the mistakes he ha6
made in the other bouts. They wrestleo
twice in Buffalo, neither being able to OBJ
tain fall and then it occurred to the
Jap that he was being used as an adver'
tisement of the show without recompense
and he went back to New York"
Since then Leonard has wrestled
matches with Dennis Gallagher, the
| policeman wrestler of Buffalo. whom he
defeated at catch as-catch-can for $3.50 0
side He won both falls within twenty
minutes. He next wrestled with Nc
| earthly of this city for $500 side. He
won his match in two straight falls. a
| present he is engaged to wrestle Ernes
Roeber, the German Hercules.
Leonard stands five feet four inches
tall, and weighs In condition 152 pounds