The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-26

in the ring was with George thompson, near
Benicia, Cal, Aug. 81, 1852 Thompson
struck "foul" and lost. Oct. IL, 1858, he
fought Yankee Sullivan and won. The lat
ter went to California, where he killed him.
self or was killed-aud no one certainly knows
which-while in prison, where the vigilance
committee had placed him. Morrissey's most
famous fight was with John c. Heenan at
Long Point, Canada, Oct. 20, 1853 for s., 500
side and the championship. At the end of
the eleventh round Reenans second threw up
the sponge. In the meantime series Of trag-
ic occurrences in New York had sunk Morris
sey to very low place in public opinion, and
he soon retired from the ring.
How far John Morrissey was to blame in
these murderous encounters need not be dis
cusSed here. Suffice it to say that he led a
faction, and Bill Poole, also a pugilist, led
another-the so called know Nothing" or
native roughs- Each party in those days
had its recognized fighters. After many
rough and tumble fights Poole and Morrissey
agreed to meet and fight it out on Amos
street dock There was big crowd, and the
police did not interfere, and the results we're
horrible. The men finally clinched and fell,
the crowd rushed in and fought over them a
minute or two, then dropped back and gave
them room. Morrissey's face was literally
beaten TO jelly when be cried out, I'm
satisfied Eve got enough!" Poole. too, was
fearfully mauled and his cheek horribly la
cerated by Morrissey's teeth. The crowd
then fought it out among themselves and
next fell on the innocent SPECTATORS Many
a man, whose only fault was too much curl
osity, lost everything but shirt, pants and
boots, and had to be sent home in hack.
The factions next met at a ball at Loziers
slaughter house in Barrow street, and fight
began between Bill Poole and Bill Travers.
The latter lost an eve and the former bled
from a score of wounds. Poole went to South
Carolina to recuperate, and in Charleston
whipped local bully nearly to death. He
came back to New York and resumed his
place as ''Know Nothing; leader; then, as
near as can be determined from the evidence,
his death was plotted, and Lew Baker, Dad
Cunningham, Jim Turner, Nelly Linn and
others of the so called ''Morrissey gang were
to see to it. They entered the saloon where
Poole was talking to some friends, and one
Paugene locked the door and then spat in
Poole's face The latter attempted to reach
the door, when Jim Turner aimed pistol at
him; but some one struck the pistol and it
shot Turner through the arm There was a
rush and fusillade of shots. Some dashed
madly at the doors and windows, and one
George beagle nearly killed himself in big
pier glass which he had mistaken for door,
Poole was shot in the leg and shoulder and
fell to the floor, when Lew Baker deliberate
~ placed one knee Oh his breast and fired two
shots into his body. Poole's last words were:
Il die true American"
He died March 10, 1855. Baker escaped to
South America. but was brought back
Poole was honored by one of the largest
funeral professions ever seen in New YorS,
his body being laid in Greenwood cemetery.
Such were some of the occurrences which
made life unpleasant for John Morrissey, and
u change in his conduct was thereafter notice
able He had never been loud or clustering
man, and in time became noticeably quiet
and genteel in general department, though
the master Of more than one gambling house
Little by little he acquired the friendship
Of men of some character and influence and
finally astonished the country by becoming a
candidate for congress in the Fifth New
York district Election day, Nov. 4, 1868,
gave him an enormous majority, despite the
fact that there was bolt in his party. And
then, strange to say. public interest in John
MoTrissey began to decline Very little was
said about his career in congress, he sank
into comparative obscurity, and his death
few years later attracted very little attention.