Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1889-04-02
WEIR MURPHY MILL.
The Much Talked-of Fight Comes Gil
in Indiana,
80 ROUNDS AND NO FINISH.
Tht Spiders Hands Give out Early in the
Fight and He Resorts to His Legs
to Save Hin,self-some Badly
Disguised Sports.
70 ROUNDS AND NO FINISH.

oHSSustoN Epostos -
CHICAGO. April AT $50 Sunday
morning the featherweight fight be-
tween Ike Wier, the Belfast Spider
and Frank Murphy. the young Birm-
ingham lad, with skin gloves, for the
championship of the world, the cham
pionship belt and stakes of SO, 500 to the
winner, came to an inglorious end. The
scene of the mill was at Koutts, md, a
desolate hamlet some sixty miles east on
the Chicago and Atlantic road. In ring
%parlance, eighty rounds were fought,
but in reality the men came together in
twenty-three, while during the re-
mainder shey simply danced or walked
around each other. By the time day
light had appeared, the spectators were
Disguised, and at $50 there was a gem
eral exodus from the hall, the men be-
ing left to dress themselves and follow
at their leisure.
1t was nearly / o'clock when the spe.
cial train with its hundred ticket hold
ers and a score of Pinkerton officers
arrived at the depot. The rain was
falling in torrents, and through a sea of
the party struggled to O'Brien's hall.
On the second floor of a rude frame
structure, in the centre of the hall. a
ring 20x22 had been pitched. No time
was lost in preliminaries. Billy Myer of
Streator, Ills, was named as referee,
Ed McAyoy and Bill Richards, the
sprint runner, seconds for Wier. while
Mike DAILY ard William DAILY, il. of
Boston, did similar service for Murphy.
Matt Hogan was selected as t~imekeeper,
and at 1888 Murphy, stripped to the
waist and wearing black knee breeches
and fighting shoes, yaulted into the
ring. Five minutes later Wier, in green
breeches, red stocking and black shoes,
followed. Time was called at 1907,
and the round had barely commenced
when Wier let out with his right and
caught Murphy full beneath the left
eye. First blood for Wier was claimed
and conceded. Then Murphy got q
heavy neck blow and went to his knees,
with a third on the breast. The round
closed decidedly in favor of Wier.,and
in the second Murphy's face and breast
received still further punishment, while
he Went twice again to his knees. From
this point up the twentieth round
the Birmingham lad received almost
continuous punishment untilhis left eve
almost completely closed with a heavy
welt over the eye brow. His right eye
was nearly az bad, while there were
numerous cuts and bruises about his
breast. Wier, on the contrary, did not
show a single scratch and looked almost
as fresh in the face as at the start.
although he had received quite a num-
Der of well delivered blows on different
pa.ts Of the body. Murphy's appear
ance improved and his eyes were opened
under the influence of vigorous spong-
ing, and he came up smiling and grind
ing his teeth for the tw~enty-first round.
1t WE plaingte be seen at this point,
however, that something was the matter
with the Spider. Instead of toeing the
mark, he kept his hands to his sides to
ayoid the PUSHES of his adversary. For
over an hour this child's-play was con
tinued, Murphy endeavoripg to lead and
the Spider as steadfastly refusing to put
up his fists, in the forty-sixth round
betting, which had all along favored
Wier, changed around, and $500 to $500
was offered on Murphy. In the forty
eighth round, sMcAvoy, who had bet
heavily on Wier, shouted, amid APP
plause: Both you fellows are afraid
of getting knocked out. Go in and
win, n of you; | amt afraid of losing
my stuff" Still the same tactics con
tinued and half the crowd Kissed,
gfoaned and shouted: Make 'em
fight An effort was made to change
the fight to London prize ring rules,
which would have compelled them to go
on, but it failed. AT the close of each
yea IL, ~ AL nillrr tI,-a. ,-orll All A.
men in stentorian tones that they would
haveto come together next time. but
Wier simply smiled while Murphy pre-
served his stolid look.
In the siXty-seeond round both men
got in a couple of body blows, and the
w~alk-around was resumed There were
shouts to Wier to go ahead, and THE
Spider responded: II amt going to
give up the fight; I got nothing to de-
fend myself with, but I'll stop here this
way for q week" Murphy retorted
that he did not propose to wind himself
rushing around after asprfnter. Spurred
on by the cheers and remarks of the
crowd bath men Went at it tooth and
nail III the sixty-sixth, six~ty-seventh
and sixty-eighth rounds, and in each
Murphy received. a face blow, and in
the last a breast sledgehammer which
almost drove him through the ropes. 1t
was plain to be seen, however, that
Wler's hands We're now gone, while
Murphy'si face was sore enough to make
him anxious to avoid any further pun
ishment.
The owner of the hall, O'Brlen, en-
tered a protest against the affair pro-
ceeding any further, and WIS elected
the building. Then he wired to
Valparaiso for the sheriff and a posse
and anne back with the information
that they We're en- route. All this time
the men were dancing the various
rounds. Finally at the seventy-ninth
the announcement that the special train
would leave at once, had the effect of
the hall. and making it an even
the principals hastily downed
their clothing and left the place.
Wicr's hands were in bad shape, while
Murphy looked terribly punished about
the face. Myer decided on the train
the men must come together aud
fight it out within three days, but their
hackers replied that their condition
would make this impossible. Mean
under the articles of agreement
and the referees decision, both the stakes
the bets are locked up.