Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-09-06
FUN FOR FLAHERTY.
He Experienced no Trouble in
Knocking Out Sheppard.
The African Mascot Was a Picnic for
the MassachuseGts Boy, VINO Won
Without Receiving a Scratch.

The ring for the Sheppard Flaherty
fight which occurred yesterday after
noon was pitched on the lower end of
Offermann's Island on sandy knoll
sports who were in attendance Both
men were in good condition. which was
evidenced by the fact that nothing but
even money was offered by either side.
According to agreement the mill was
to be at catch weight. to finish, with
Bounce gloves. the winner to have rs
and the loser 25 per cent OF the gate re-
ceipts. John Gipson was the only man
| who could be agreed upon as a referee,
so as soon az the preliminaries could be
arranged the ropes were stretched and
the men took their places in the ring.
Flaherty wa seconded by Jack Griffin
and Jim S~ eney of Davenport. while
Jim Msucker and Dob Davis were in
Shepp rds corner, John Masterson,
Dan Keleher and Stanley Kendrick being
| timekeepers. The men shook hands at
| just $50 O'Clock, and moment later
time was called and the men faced each
other for the first time.
The first round was characterized by a
| few light exchanges only. both men be
| ing very cautious. In the second, third
and fourth rounds Flaherty landed fre>
auently on Sheppards neck and face. but
with little effect. both men clinching at
almost every blow. From the fifth to the
| ninth round F!aherty's wind seemed to
| trouble him little; he bresthed heavily.
| tut during the eighth and ninth rounds he
| forced the fighting stronger, and landed
| twice heavily on Shcppard's body. There
was clInchipg all the time during these
rounds. it being almost impossible for
Referee Gipson TO keep the men from
! hitting while clinched. there being loud
| cries of foul from both sides. In clinch
| in the eleventh round the colored lad had
his head under Flahcrty 3 lief, arm. and in
breaking away the latter claimed Shep-
pard bit him, and wanted the fight
awarded to him, but the crowd cried.
| ''igh; il out" and it went on. 1t was
| apparent from the fret that Sheppard
WAS afraid of his man, but when in tie
twelfth round Flaherty came up fresher
| than ever. the colored boy began his
| cIinching tactics TO avoid punishment.
Oliy three times during the fight did
Sheppard show any aggressiveness, and
then Flaherty did some clever duck
ing From the twelfth to the
eigh zenith round Sheppard showed con-
| siderable pluck, coming up smiling each
time though avoiding punishment as
| much as possible. Toward the end of
the round he began to wind and in the
| nineteenth Flaherty followed him all
around the ring. landing almost wher-
| ever he pleased. In the twentieth it
plain that the colored lad was winded
and the crowd yelled to Flaherty to
| knock him out. Sheppard kept away
as much as possible and managed to stay
the round out. but in the twenty first he
| was crowded into his corner, ard being
| unable to come up at the end OF ~
seconds, the fight was given to Flsherty :.
Those who attended were all well sat-
isfied with the fight and the referee, and
though il was good fight neither of the
men were badly punished, Sheppard's
swollen face and eye being his only
marks, while Flaherty didn't receive a
scratch.