Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-12
When the Rising Pugilist Was on the
Philadelphia.
A DESPERATE BATTLE DESCRIBED
Terribly Thrashed Powerful and
Tricky Opponent.
USED ONLY FAIR METHODS

SPEC ial Core sTondence OF The Evening Star
NEW YORK, September II. 1896.
The major number OF the gentlemen who
furnish the New York newspapers with
running commentaries upon the affairs Of
pusil!sm have apparently converted them
selves into ''re!nmakers" for the sphinx
like Mr.. Sharkey. In the depths of his
retlcence they discern wisdom, and IL the
nghier maintains his shrewd silencc We
shaH doubtless hear ere long that he is a
Latin:st and an antiquarian of renown
But in some respects the writers upon the
life and characteristics OF this new pugI-
listic idol have fallen, either through ig-
norance or carelessness, into some errors
that would be dismal were they not SO alb
surd. Because he bears in vari-hued India
tooed bark under all canvas. surmounted
by star, he Is constantly referred to as a
"deep-water marine" a man who is every
inch sailor" q "heavyweather jack"
and SO cn-m!sapplications that are per-
haps attributab BILE to the dearth of knowl-
edge which seems to prevail among Ameri
cans in all OF the cities with the exception
or Washington as TO the United States
naval service. 1t would probably go hard
with any stranger who deliberately, even
though ignorantly. addressed Sharkey as
marine" to his face, for there is no
very enormous amount OF love lost between
the marines and the blueiackets OF the
United states navy, and the self-contained
Sharkey was one of the latter. He appears
never to have been much OF a sailor un-
less the securing of much bright work.
and the scrubbing of a man-o'-war's decks
at "all hands fashions a sailor within
the space of one cruise.
An officer Of the United States navy
now in New York, who was in command of
the ships division of which the column
necked Sharkey was member during this
r1ttC 1fco,
Racquet Club few evenings ago.
Reputation as q Slusger
II have been tremendously Diverted
said he. by reading the newspaper ac-
counts to the almost preternatural abil-
ity of this pugiist a sailorman. j was
doing a watch and division officers duty
on board the cruiser Philadelphia Oh the
Pacific station. when Sharkey who had
shipped as landsman on the receiving
ship Independence at the Mare Island navy
yard, was sent to US with his bag and ham
mock. along with a big batch OF recruits.
Sharkey had been a blacksmith in San
Francisco, and the few fourth-rate fight
ers whom he had whipped in that town
not only did not mako him famous or line
his purse. but reduced him to want. for
lie conceived q Discrimination to the black
smiths trade after having shipped of the
mixed ale joys of pugilism. He created q
sort or sensation among the men forward
familiar with his San Francisco reprta-
ton as Slugger.
Now, a landsman in the United States
navy is about as unimportant q figure as
can be FOUND in the whole range of human
society. 1t is taken for granted by the
old timers among the enlisted men In the
OUTFIT that landsmen are incapables and
imbeoties of the most impossible character
and the scorn which the old seaman exhib-
Its toward the landsman is huge and with
ering. All of the dirty work OF a man-o'-
war, all OF the mean little jobs. fall TO the
lot OF the landsman and / must confess
that this man Sharkey displayed a quality
OF patience OF rather an exalted order in
his quiet acceptance Of the bullying TO
which he was subjected by the men with
the rating badges-the petty officers Tut
finally he revolted. and to the men in the
10 sizes OF warships that revolt mas be-
come history. Sharkey is one of the few
enlisted men / have been shipmates with
who succeeded as a landsman in declaring
man-o war without running afcul Of the
regulations and landing I'm the brig in
double irons.
Tackled the Bos'un's Mate.
This was the way of it: There was a
bos'un's mate in the Philadelphia's gang
way who was famous throughout the navy
as a 'bucko' and fighter This man, a
big brawny Welshman, appeared to have
taken a violent dislike to Sharkey from
the first and he could not pick out mean
enough stunts for Sharkey to perform
The pugilist-landsman tackled them all
soberly and quietly, but once In a while
when happened to be officer of the deck
l would catch a rather ominous blaze in his
Irish eyes when Yhe Welshman was prac-
ticing upon him some peculiarly mean, al
though perfectly regular, imposition. One
day, when the ship was at Seattle Sharkey
walked up to the Welshman, who was
descanting upon his proves as a fighter
a annrPnf!nGc fha
and calmly requested him to go ashore that
evening. I'm going along with you he
said. If you don't CO. concluded Sharkey,
I'll lick you before the whole ships COM
pany. IL 1 get beached for it, Although
the 'bucko' Welshman had been pretending
that he had no great opinion of the lands
man. fighting qualities, he WINGED little
at this bold stand, and for about fifteen
seconds he looked like a man who was
doing whole lot Of hard thinking But to
have refused the challenge would have
insured his permanent disgrace among the
enlisted men not only aboard the ship
but throughout the entire navy. for tales
like these speed quickly from ship to ship
in that outfit, and once a man forward
shows the white feather he is forever
ostracised by his mates, and his life made
so wretched that he soon seeks peace
ashore. So the bullying bos un's mate had
to pick up the gauntlet willy nilly.
Officers Attended the Fight.
Il must own up to 1t that I saw that
fight, as did the majority of the officers Of
the Philadelphia. / don't fancy that any
Of would care to see 1t repeated. We
were given the tip during the afternoon
by one of the chief petty officers that Shar-
key and the Welshman were going to ad-
just their differences that night. At supper
in the ward room that evening we all dis
covered that We had urgent business
ashore, and l am afraid there We're some
funny old glances exchanged among us
when the executive officer wasn't looking
OF a crew Of nearly 500 enlisted men there
were not enough left aboard that night to
spread mess-gear. All hands were ashore
making preparations for this little adjust
ment of differences and aft, when the
time came around, we did not lose much
time in getting over the side, for life in the
navy OF a home station is not hilariously
interesting, and this thing promised we'll.
When We reached the spruce forest on
Seattle's outskirts. where the battle was to
be waged, We found our ships company
quietly gathered around a roped Enclosure.
The men were in hush of expectancy.
None Of them had ever seen their lands
man shipmate in a fight. although they had
heard all about him. and expected great
things Of him. They had seen the Welsh
bo'su'n In various drunken scufiles when
ashore on liberty but from their talk n