Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-06

| twenty years ago. and has better record,
| for Morrissey's best friends admit that at one
time in his life he was decidedly crooked"
He was born in Ireland, Feb. 5. 1881, but
came to America so young that he was almost
as much native as Sullivan. His first battle
in the ring was with George Thompson, near
Benicia, Cal, Ang 81, 1852. Thompson
struck s'foul" and lost. Oct. 12, 1853, he
fought Yankee Sullivan and won. The lat
ter went to California, where be killed him
self or was killed-and no one certainly knows
which-while in prison, where the vigilance
committee had placed him. Morrissey's most
famous fight was with John G. Heenan at
Long Point Canada, Oct. 20, 1858, for $500
side and the championship. At the end OF
the eleventh round Heenans second threw up
the sponge In the meantime series of trag-
ic occurrences in New York had sunk Morris
sey to a very low place in public opinion, and
he soon retired from the ring.
How far John Morrssey 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 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 were
horrible The men finally clinched and fell,
the crowd rushed in and fought over them
minute oi two, then dropped back and gave
them room Morrissey's face was literally
beaten to a jelly when he cried out I'm
satisfied I've got enoughr' Poole, too, was
c,,l1, ,laj nd - Ia.
cerated by Morrisseys 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 ball at LoZier's
slaughter house in Barrow street, and fight
began between Bill Poole and Bill Travers.
The latter lost an eye 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 a 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
Pooles 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
ly placed one knee on his breast and fred two
shots into his body. Pooles last words were:
81 die true American"
He died March l5 1876. Baker escaped to
South America, but was brought back
Poole was honored by one Of the largest
funeral professions ever seen in New York,
his body being laid in Greenwood cemetery.
Such were some of the occurrences which
made life unpleasant for John Morrissey, and
a change in his conduct was thereafter notice
able. Ee had never been loud or clustering
man, and in time became noticeably quiet
and genteel i'll 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 astonlshed the country by becoming a
candidate for congress in the Fifth New
York district. Election day, Nov. 4, 1865,
gave him an enormous majority, despite the
fact that there was bolt in his party. And
then, strange to say, public interest in john
Morrissey began TO decline Very little was
said about his career in congress, he sank
into comparative obscurity, and his death a
few years later attracted very little attention.