Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-23
FOUGHT TO DEATH /!
BATTLE TO A FATAL FINISH AT
 FORT HAMILTON.

FORT HAMILTON.
 A Very Brief Contest. which Ends in the
 Death of Young Dempsey in Less Than
 Two Minutes-His Youthful Opponent
 Surrenders to the Police.
 NEW YORK, Jan. 23.-A young man, some times called Tom White, sometimes Simon Besser and sometimes Swipes the Newsboy, who has had some experience in the ring, and Billy Dempsey, an untried amateur, stood up with gloves at midnight of Saturday in Nick Thompson's place at Fort Hamilton, and be- fore the first round was half up Dempsey fell back unconscious and died in few. minutes. A match had been arranged by Ed McDon- ald between Pat O'Brien, of Harlem, and Tom Cushing, of Elizabeth, to take place at Jamaica. One of the principals failed to ap- pear, and a nasty match was made up be- tween Dempsey and Swipes, who had intended to fight two weeks later for gold watch. The party repaired to Fort Hamilton, and a pulse of S75 was made up by the sporting men present. Both the principals were featherweights Dempsey weighing about 115 pounds and standing about feet inches while White is somewhat heavier. The fight was to be to finish with soft gloves and un- der Marquis of Queensberry rules
 Dempsey led off with his left and caught White in the side. White thrust out his left in the direction of Dempsey $ stomach, but the blow parried. Close fighting followed, and was vigorously pressed by Dempsey. Then White with his left hit Dempsey ill the stomach. Dempsey fell back, and then stag gercd forward As he came forward he re- ceived terrific left hand blow the right temple He fell to the ground insensible and froth appeared on his lips
 'Have I won!" cried White.
 "Wait until this man has chance to come to-" said Parker
 When ten seconds had passed Conlin and Dougherty carried Dempsey to his corner as sisted by White who said:
 "Well, I've knocked this man out, any how, and the fight belongs to me-
 The referee declared him the victor. The round did not last more than two minutes.
 Demwey's prolonged nconsciousness finally began to alarm the spectators, and one of then went up stairs and brought Thompson down. Restoratives had no effect on the insensible man. and he was carried to the parlor up stairs and laid on a sofa By this time how ever, he was dead. In the opinion of the spectators life had become extinct before he was taken up stairs He did not speak after he fell.
 Dempsey's death demoralzed the sporting men who had come to witness the fight and they lost time in getting away from the house A doctor was sent for, but none could be fou!id. in tho morning Justice Church was notified. and be sent word to Coroner Rooney, of Brooklyn. Daniel Dempsey, the father of the dead man, who lives at No. III Madison street. was informed at f o'clock in the morning that his was dangerously ill at Fort Hamilton. Mrs. Dempsey, accom- panied by Mr. Hines relative of the family, went down there at an early hour. The mother was heart brOken at the sight of her sons body.
 Dempsey was 24 years old last July. He had been married sixteen months, and had a 3-month sold child For nine years he had been press,nan in The Herald office. His father and his relative, MT. Hines, say that they never knew that he had an ambition to be fighter, or even that he gave any thought to such matters In regard to the assumption that heart disease was the cause of death, they say that there case of heart disease ill the family, and that Dempsey was never sick a day in his life.
 White, or Besser, the surviving principal of the fight, walked into the telegraph room al police headquartersin Brooklyn last night at about 8 o'clock, and formally surrendered himself to the authorities. He went thithe1 "lCu a newspaper lcpoi "uo le1l otelN lSSo him to pursue the course he took, and save the police the trouble of looking for him. He was remarkably cool under the circumstances and when Superintendent Campbell, who hap pened to be present when he surrendered him. self, informed him that in the opinion of the coroner the death of Dempsey was due tc some organic Arrangement, his air of non chalance seemed to intensity. He said he was never more surprised in his life than when he was informed that Dempsey was dead. White said he was 19 years old, his birthplace was Hartford, Conn.,, he newsboy, and hi residence was the Newsboys' Home, 9 Duane street, New York.
 Prize fighting is a nisdemeanor By sec tign 1S9 of the penal code it is declared tha1 when homicide is not justfiable or excusable it is manslaughter in the first degree, pro vided it be committed without a design te effect death by person engaged in commit ting, or attempting to commit, misdemeanor affecting the person or property either of the person killed or of another. By section 19s manslaughter ill the first degree is declared punishable by imprisonment for not less thar five nor more than twenty years. Section 31 reads: "A person who commits or participates in an act which would make him an accessory if the crime committed were felony is 2 principal and may be indicted and punished as such, if the crime be misdemeanor'
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