The morning times., 1896-12-10
REFEREE carp WAS BOUGHT
Sharkey's Trainer Gives Sensa-
tiOnal Evidence in Court.
SCHEME TO DEFRAUD FITZ
According to the Testimony the
CornishInan Was Whipped Before
He Left New YOrk-Sharkey and
Friends Composed the National
Athletic Club.

San Francisco, Dec. ga large assem-
bfage of ring followers and men about
town crowded Judge Sanderson's court
room this morning i'll expectation or hear
ing sensational developments regarding
the manner in which the Fitzsimmons-
Sharkey prize fight was fixed and they
were not disappointed.
If credence is to be placed in the story
told on the witness stand by Australian"
Billy Smith, Sharkeys trainer, FitZsini-
mons was defeated man before he left
New York. According to Smith testimony,
j. J. Groom, j. ii. Gibbs, Danny Lynch,
Sharkeys manager, and Sharkey himself
were the men who composed the National
Athletic Club, before which organization
the now notorious contest was fought.
These four men, Smith swearS, engaged
Wyatt carp as referee, with the under
standing that he was to award Sharkey
the fight directly FitZsimmons landed
body blow or stomach punch which might
be stretched into a foul. carp was to
receive So 500 for his services.
Smiths story is in substance as follows:
Five weeks ago he was employed to train
Sharkey at the Ocean Beach Hotel, George
Allen and Danny Needham assisting He
had frequent conversations with Sharkey
about his prospective contest with F1tZ-
simmons. Three weeks prior to the fight
Sharkey requested Smith TO suggest good
referee.
Smith named Hiram Cook, and Lynch
promised to call on that gentleman.
few days later Lynch informed Smith
that Cook was not suitable referee.
FIGHT WAS FIXED"
Smith was then advised by sharkey of
the fact that he (Sharkey) and Lynch had
an interest in the National Club. Sharkey
stated that Lynch, Groom, and Gibbs Were
all broke, and that he himself, was obliged
toput up So, ,500to guarantee disappearance
in the ring, leaving him almost broke.
Lynch and he Were each to receive 20
per cent of the gate receipts after the
expenses and purse money had been de-
Quoted.
Ten days before the fight Sharkey men
toned to Smith that Lynch had succeeded
in engaging one Wyatt carp, horse owner,
to act as referee. carp had agreed to give
the fight to Sharkey on a foul the first
time FitZsimons hit him a body blow at
close quarters. and in consideration OF his
decision tie referee was to be paid So, 500
On the morning before the fight Sharkey
again assured Smith that everything was
fixed" satisfactorily for Sharkey to win.
After describing his movements in the ring
before the call Of time Smith continued:
'- "Sharkey was daZed at the end Of the
second round and was practically defeated
then. ] did not see the Knockout blow.
After Sharkey fell, Lynch whispered to
him. Pretend to be in great pain and il
Will be all right
I'VE carried Sharkey to his dressing
room and put him on a cot. Lynch re-
fused toallow anybodyin theroo Sharkey
kept holding his hands to his head and
complaining OF his sore ear and jaw but
said nothing about his groin. ] started to
remove his trunks, but L lynch stopped me-
JUMPED OUT OF BED.
We then carried Sharkey to O hack
and removed him tohiS hotel. Allen Lynch,
Needham, and myself laid him out on a
bed took off his shoes and trousers and
Allen removed his trunks. He made no
complaint except regarding his head and
ear, and saw no evidence OF discoIoration
about the GrCin. few moments later
we heard Sharkey screaming and Allen
remarked:
~ don't like the looks of this. am
gong away.
After waiting fifteen minutes, Lynch
let me into Sharkey's room again and
found Tom all bandaged up. a bottle OF
iodide OF potassium stood on the wash
stand. | do not know what it was used
for. but 1t could hardly have been applied
to his sore ear.
Lynch then told me l could go f6r the
night, as he had engaged a man to sit up
with Sharkey. The following evening |
called on Sharkey and found the swelling
on his groin very apparent but he did
not complain OF suffering any pain in that
region His ear troubled him, however.
He asked me what kind of a fight he had
put up and / told him pretty good He
said that FitZsimmons could whip Corbett
in two rounds
- He hits like a mule continued Shar-
key, and Corbett would not last any time
with him. Sharkey told me l could sleep
with him that night. l offered 10 put
not bl ndages on him. but he told me they
were not necessary. Before going to sleep
he jumped out of bed. lit a cigar, and
walked around the room. He assured
sore ear
DENOUNCED AS PERJURY.
on cross-eXanlination Smith stuck to his
story and could not be shaken. lie also
disclosed the fact that DR.. Lee was not
summoned to Sharkey's bedside until two
hours and half after the fight was over.
Lynch, Groom, and Gibbs denounced
Smiths testimony as rank perjury. They
claim that Smith demanded ST 200 for
his services as trainer and declined TO
accept the S40O rendered him. Allen,
who promised TO coTroborate Smiths testi-
mony tomorrow, was offered $500, but
attempted to blackm all sharkey and
Lynch into paying double that amount.
Lynch asserts that Allen and Smith, find
ing that their attempt at eXtortion would
be futile, went to Fitzsimmons' attorneys
and offered to make certain disclosures
concerning alleged jobbery which can easily
be disproved Col. KowalSky, FitzSim-
mons counsel, AYERS that he has enough
testimony to convict the entire Sharkey
following of gross conspiracy and fraud.
Smiths testimony has created a tremen-