The herald., 1896-12-10
Referee carp AL RIGHT
In the Estimation of the Sailor
Pugilist
EVERYTHING WAS WRONG
According to the Testimony Produced by
Fitzsimmous
Sharkey's Trainers Swear Point Blank
That the Decision as to Foul Blow
Was a Put Up Job
Associated Press Special Wire

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. a.-The legal
contest between Sharkey and Fitzsim-
| mons for the possession of the $4,000
purse has commenced before the supe
| rior court. Excitement was intense
when the proceedings began in the
crowded court room and Manager Ju-
| liam brought out his witnesses to prove
| the conspiracy which he stated had de-
prived Fitzsimmons of the purse.
Australian Billy" Smith, one of Shar
keys trainers, was the first witness. He
| detailed his work in connection with
| preparing Sharkey for the ring, and said
when the question of selecting referee
| was mooted in Sharkey's training quar-
| ters he was asked to suggest referee.
| Witness suggested Hiram Cook, and
| Lynch then asked him if he knew Cook
well enough to talk business with him" :"
| Afterwards witness said Lynch charac-
| terized Cook as no good because he
| would not favor his own brother in a
| fight On the evening of the fight Shar.
key told witness that carp had been
| fixed as referee and that carp was az
| right" Witness described tho uproar
over the preliminaries to the fight and
said when Fitzsimmons objected to the
| bandages on Sharkey's wrists carp went
over to Sharkey's corner and said:
! Take off those cloths. 1t will be all
right anyway"
Witness said when Sharkey received
| the knockout blow on the jaw in the
eighth round Lynch said to Sharkey:
| Lie low. Hold your hands on your
| groin and pretend to faint with pain"
| Sharkey was then carried to room. He
| did not appear to be much hurt. Witness
| said Allen. another trainer, removed
| Sharkey's bandages and did the work
| which caused the swelling" Sharkey
was then driven to his hotel in hack.
| Allen was with him. Sharkey was all
right.
George Allen, another of Sharkey's
| trainers, corroborated the story of the
| previous witness, adding that several
| physicians were refused admittance
| when Sharkey was undergoing the ope-
| ration with Allen which produced the
evidence of a foul. Lynch said no doc
| tor should come into the room and in"
| terfere with his plans. Witness said
! Sharkey told him the National Athlete
! club. was composed of Groom Gibbs,
Lynch and Sharkey. and that Sharkey
was to receive 90 per cent Of the pro-
ceeds of the fight after the purse was
| deducted. Sharkey said his three part
| ners in the National club were broke
| and Sharkey had had to advance $25O0
| for preliminary expenses, which had left
! the sailor pugilist stranded financially
! Witness said few days before the fight
| Sharkey told him he thought carp would
| be the right kind OF a referee for him,
and added that it would be worth $500
| to carp If he were the fright kind of q
| referee"
| Smith was cross examined by Shar-
keys counsel, but nothing of any i'm
portance was ELECTED. The case then
| went over until tomorrow. Trainer AL
| len, who has not yet appeared as a wit
ness. will then go on the stand and cor
roborate Smiths testimony.
DANNY'S DENIAL
Dan ]. Lynch Sharkey's manager and
| hacker, made the following statement
| tonight to the Associated Press:
| "Mr. Sharkey desires all his friends,
| and especially those in the east to sus-
, pend judgment on the story told today
in COURT by Australian Billy Smith until
| SharKey can be heard on the stand. The
| fact of the matter is that Smith per-
| jured himself, and we will prosecute him
for perjury when the present trial is
over. His statement is tissue Of false
| hoods from beginning to end and it is
| very clear to me that he has been bought
| by the Fitzsimmons crowd to give tes-
| tmony damaging to Sharkey's case.
! Smith demanded $1,000 after the fight for
| four weeks assistance as trainer. Shar-
key refused to give more than s400. This
| is the animus of his testimony in court.
Smith stated on the stand today that
| had said to Sharkey when he fell in
| the eighth round to place his hand on
| his groin and pretend to faint AS a
matter of fact l was in the timers stand.
| fifty feet from the ring, at the time that
! Sharkey was struck and did ont get any
nearer to the ring than that distance
| before Sharkey was carried to his dress
| ing room, where ! awaited him. He was
| carried into the room, accompanied by
| his three trainers. the doctor, myself
| and several newspaper men. In all there
were at least score of personal friends
| in the room and there was no opportu-
| nifty of tampering with Sharkey should
! any one have so desired Smith did not
| remove Sharkey's bandages. but this
| was done by the doctor. Sharkey never
saw carp until he entered the ring
| did not know carp was selected to act
| as referee until l saw the announcement
| in the afternoon papers. / ask that
| Sharkey's friends suspend judgment un-
| til our witnesses can be heard. We will
| prove that Smith perjured himself and
| we will take action against him on this
| ground.
Australian" Billy Smith, one of
Sharkeys thrainers, said today: Il
talked to Sharkey at 10 o'clock on the
morning of the fight. He told me that
carp would be chosen referee and that
| the game was for him to be given the
| decision on a foul In the first round or
as soon after that as Fitzsimmons hit
! him a body blow of any kind. Then
/ Needham was to jump into the ring
| and claim a foul. He told me not to
| say l knew anything and that Lynch
and Needham would be crazy if they
| found out he had told me. When the
men got into the ring and Fitzsimmons
objected to Sharkey's hand bandages,
carp came over to our corner and
whispered to Sharkey: Take off the
bandages, Tom, it will be all right, any
how Well. things went on until the
eighth round and saw Sharkey fall.
did not see the blow that sent him down.
] climbed up into the ring, picked him up
and hauled him to his corner. In a min
ute or two Lynch came up into the ring
and rushing over to Sharkey said to
| him: Now keep your hands down and
pretend to be In great pain but Shar-
key was SO badly dazed by the blow on
the head that he forgot to do what Lynch
ordered. except once in while. Lynch