The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-21
MAY DIE FROM HIS FALL
ROBERT wILLINK KNOCKED OUT
IN A GLOVE FIGHT.

IN A GLOVE FIGHT.
The Athletic Clubs Tournament
Nearly Ends IN q Tragedy-Young
Wfuink's Match With "Byrnie'
Murphy Results in His Knockout
Els Head Strikes the Stage Floor
and Causes Conclusion Of the Brain
Wnlink's Physicians Fearful OF the
Result
The Athletic Clubs tournam emit at the
theater last night resulted In q serious and
possibly fatal injury TO Robert Willink.
The tournament, which at the outset prom
ised to be very tame affair, ended sud-
denly with young Willinks fall, which
threatens his life.
Fer the heavy weight medal Byrnie
Murphy and Willink we're the only con-
testants Four rounds had been fought
without q decision being reached by the
judges, so another was ordered. 1t was in
that round that the trouble, which may re-
suit fatally, occurred Both men fought
hard and terrific during the previous rounds
and were nearly exhausted when time for
the fifth round was called. Slightly re-
freshed by a rest Of i've minutes they met
in the center Of the ring and resumed their
violent fighting.
FIGHT TO WIN.
1t was easily to be seen that the fight was
TO win at whatever odds. Murphy proved
TO be the better man, and, waiting his OPP
portunity, struck Willink a swinging right
hand blow on the jaw. completely stunning
him. Willink tumbled backward like a
log, striking the stage with the back Of
his head, though the violence Of the
fall was somewhat broken by his
hips touching the stage first
In a second he became unconscious, and at
2o'clock this morning he was still In CO.
matose condition. As soon as 1t was seen
that he was unconscious there was a call for
physicians, and DIR. Drummer, who was In
the audience. responded. Drs. Dunn,
Corson and Brandt were afterward sent for.
Willink was then taken from the stage and
laid on a couch.
INA CoMATosE CONDITION.
Efforts we're made to restore his conscious
ness, but they were Intellectual. At MIDI
night, an hour and a half after the accident,
he was removed to his home at Broughton
and Lincoln streets, and DR.. Corson re-
manned with him.
An examination showed that the fall on
the stage hal caused a conclusion Of the
brain, and the physicians fear paralysis
Unless consciousness Is restored within six
hours fatal results are feared.
The tournament which was brought so
suddenly to a close opened with set-to
between Carr and Cooper, the former
winning easily, Cooper quitting in the third
round after being knocked down. They
were followed by Jack Connors and an easy,
good-natured stout man who staggered
under the dismal name of Coffin. He was
of elephantine proportions, and bis move
ments were Of that easy and graceful kind
that characterize a COW. Connors played
with him for two rounds, and after that
tapped him lightly and often Just to show
him how easy it could be done. Connors Is
the same man that wrestled Greek George a
few weeks ago.
THE TOURNAMENT CONTESTS.
The contest for the medals opened up
with the bantam weights. Two young
men well known about town, under the
aliases OF Raymond and Laurence, battled
for honors At the end Of the fourth round,
the judges being unable to agree, the referee
ordered another, and, at the end Of this,
being still Of the same opinion, a sixth was
ordered. The prominent feature of their
fighting was disposition to avoid each
other. This they successfully did for three
quarters Of the time, though when they did
meet their work was Of the hveliest kind.
They young man travelling under the name
Of Raymond bore of the gold medal and a
black eye as his reward.
No bout for the middle weight emblem
took place, nobody entering in that class
THE FINAL FIGHT.
The fight of the evening was the final one
between the heavy weights, "Byrnie"
Murphy and Willink, Willink had the adj
vantage in hight, reach and weight. The
bout was of the hurricane order from
start to finish-a series of fierce rushes,
clinches and break Always, interspersed
with an occasional knock down, the knock
downs invariably in Murphy's favor. In
science both men were evenly matched,
but in GOODNESS Murphy was much the SUI
perior. Both men were disposed to be fair.
Willink conferred his point of attack on
Murphy's lower ribs, with the evident in
tention of spelling the integrity Of his wind.
"Byrnie" seemed well satisfied with placing
frequent jabs on his opponents chest, neck
and face.
The sincerity of the men in the passage
alarms, and their easily apparent intentions
to do" each other up, and the keen relish
OF the audience for this kind of SPORT could
be correctly gagged by the noise 1t made
and when at the end OF the fourth round the
judges decided that an additional round
would be necessary. the house was in an
uproar.
After a,liberal two minutes intermission
the men faced each other again. Both were
tired to the verge of grogginess, but they
were game. Wtllink continued his tactics
Of reaching for Murphy's wind, and sue
ceeded in appreciably dimminishing the
amount of that article in Murphy's posses
sion. Byrnie's love taps on Willink's face
and neck was received with some exhibit
tion of temper. After nearly three minutes
of hot work Murphy negotiated a swinging
right-hander on Willink's Jaw, and the
fight was at an end, for the fallen man was
unconscious. Willink, in falling, struck his
hip andthe bis head on ths hard floor Of
the stage.
The injury Of Willink brought the tour
nament to sudden close. Prof. Myers.
under whose direction the affair was given
declared the other contests off, and the
spectators, who numbered about 400, left
the theater in confusion.
JOHN Z. HARDEE'S WILL.