The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-03-09

one from the first call OF time to the
conclusion OF the battle. The fame of
the contestants was such as to give both
an unquestioncd right to championship
form, but it was not alone in the repu-
tation Of the men that the fight before
the Crescent City Athletic club acquired
its greatness. Never before was such q
sum at stake on the issue of a single
fight. A purse OF $40, 900 and a stake of
$4,000 side made the enormous sum
OF $780, 900 dependent on the result.
Six thousand pairs of eyes were
eargerly strained toward the arena as
the principals with their seconds and
followers took their places in opposite
corners.
Fitzsimmons arrived here this morn
ing and soon after went to the criminal
court room, where he took out naturaIfza-
ton papers in order, as he said, that he
might wear the stars and stripes in his
fight with Hall. His entrance caused a
commotion and the court business was
suspended
The arrangements at the ringside was
perfect. The seating capacity was more
than ample to seat twice as many peo-
perfect view was promised for tho pay
ing patrons and the deadheads alike.
There was room for 13,s25 people, and
there was no need for squeezing. The
lights distributed about the ampitheatre
were numerous in quantity and excep-
tional in quality. The crowd was repre-
sentative in character and thoroughly
cosmopolitan. Betting at this time was
to 10 on Hall, % to 100 ON Fitzsim-
mons. In Halls corner the men chosen
to look after his interest were Light
weight Champion McAulitfe, Mitchell,
Squire Arlington and John Kline hold
ing the watch.
Ftzsimmons had men with less repu-
tation, but not less faithful than Halls
attendants, Billy Fitzsimmons, his
brother, Martin Julian and Frank Bos-
worth, D. F. Omallory keeping time.
The mon en.ered the ring at o'clock
promptly, Hall leading the procession.
Referee Duffy took his position almost
Immediately. Hall was loudly cheered
upon entering the ring. Fitzsimmons
came in waving the American flag and
received tremendous ovation. Presi-
dent Noel and Chairman of the Contest
Committee Joseph Short joined the men
in the ring while Captain Barrett took
charge OF the police arrangements.
Referee Duffy made speech in which
no asked the crowd to preserve order.
Tho mon then advanced to the centre of
the ring followed by their seconds,
where Referee Duffy autioned them
about fouls and the usual club rules.
Captain Barrett weighed gloves, and
finding them OF lawful weight, handed
them to Martin Julian, who took them
over to Hall for his choice, and Mitchell
selected his principals gloves. Referee
Duffy announced that the pivot blow
was barred, and the men stripped.
Time was called and the great battle
was on.
1t may be questioned If two such
magnificent specimens OF physical man.
hood had ever faced each other so
equally matched in the prize ring. Men
larger than either of them had from
time to time won more or less fame in
the fistic arena, but it was not matter
OF bulk alone. Both mon were verita-
BILE giants, yet they were not great in
bulk. There could not DO doubt as to
which of the pair would have been the
favorite in an assembly Of artists.
Hall, tall, broad shouldered and
darker in tho pale rays OF the electric
light than his opponent, looked an ideal
athlete. large, sinewy neck, perfectly
modelled, and gracefully joined to broad,
sloping shoulders, we'll coated with
clean, hard muscles, full and grandly
developed chest, cylindrical trunk,
tapering slightly at the waist and
strongly joined to the limbs which,
while powerful and muscular at the
thighs, looked shade lean from the
knees down, though very hard and
sinewy. Handsome as he was. Hall
looked every inch fighter.
AS Fitzsimons took his place In his
corner one could not but be impressed
with the thought that no looked singu-
lar unlike the ideal old time prizs
fighter. He was long, lanky and lathy.
lie stands just six feet in his stockings,
and stripped to the skin he measures
over iorty-three inches around the chest,
| iifty-fo four around the shoulders, thirty
four around the waist, thirty. seven and
| half around the hips. His thigh meas
| ures twenty-five inches, his calf four
| teen, biceps fourteen. forearm twelve
and wrist eight. No stretch of magma
ton could enable truthful chronicler
| to call him an Apollo, but notwith-
! standing all this he looked formidable,
and especially so to the trained eye OF
| an expert.
Though Hall is unquestionably the
| heaviest man OF the two, he does not
| look as large as the redheaded black
| smith. The principal reason for this Is
| that Hall is built upon more conven-
| tional and symmetrical lines. He is
| com pactly built while Fitzsimmons is,
in many respects, loosely put together.
| Halls chest, though not wide, is eS-
| ceptionally deep and more nearly cylin-
| drical in form than that OF the ordinary
athlete. He is not q particularly large
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