The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-01
MURPHY AND BARRY
The Matching of These Bantams Fills
Out the Big Programme.
AT THE FlSTlC CARNIVAL
Stuart Has Done Much Hustiing to
Arrange a Go Between Little
Ones-The Illinois Champion
Has Never Lost a Fight.

FL Paso. Texas, Jan. s1.-The match
ing of Johnny Murphy and Jimmy
Barry rounds out and fills up the big
knuckle and bull fighting carnival to
be held near this city Feb. IA to Is.
Murphy and Barry have been sparring
around for FIVE weeks on the weight
question. both going into training when
the match was made in anticipation OF
the final agreement as to weight. Par
son" Davies little gladiator wanted to
fight Murphy at 107 pounds. The Bos-
ton man demurred. Propositions and
counter-propositions were made, Barry
yielding pound by pound until San An
tonic finally got the pair together.
When 1t began to look dark for the
Murphy match Stuart looked about for
another to pit against the bantam
champion. Jimmy Anthony of Austria
LA and Johnny connors of Springfield,
ILL.,, were looked over. tried out, fgur-
atively. and passed up" Mr.. Stuart
found that the Australian was miles
removed from being a worthy foeman
for the champion. Connors did not
rank high in the estimation OF Stuart
because he once disappointed New
Orleans crowd by crawling out of a
pTlOT ndtcn WIN lodTTys anu lntH re-
straining the stakeholder from paying
over TO Barry the forfeit that in all
equity and fairness was his. Pedlar
Palmer. the conqueror of the once pre-
sumably invineible Billy Plimmer. was
communicated with by cable, but the
English champion could not be pre-
pared for the battle in time. In match
ing Johnny Murphy with Barry the
rsf-4 a..
gave Champion George Dixon forty
rounds of the toughest gruelling that
ever eliminated in a victory for Lit
tie Chocolate"
on Oct. 23. 1890. at Providence. r.. l.,
before the Gladstone Athletic club. for
a purse of $1,000 and a side wager OF
like amount. Murphy fought Dixon for
two hours and forty minutes. In the
fortieth round, and while the bantams
were in a mix up in the center of the
ring, both in action and apparently
good for lots more, one OF Murphy's
seconds threw a towel in the air, Ref
cree coakley parting the men on the
signal and declaring Dixon the victor.
Murphy up to this day claims that he
was betrayed by the second who threw
up the towel, and since that time has
offered to re-match himself against
ORourke's wonder.
Barry has nothing but victories to
his credit He has never lost a fight.
Born in Chicago in 1871. the present
bantam weight champion began his
ring career Feb. l. 1892. winning from
Billy Wellington, then a soft mark
for nobody" in six rounds. A year
later. at the now defunct Columbia
Atheletic club at Roby, Ind. he knock
ed out Pete Shea in four hot rounds.
The scalps of Con Sheehan, Jack Fitz-
gerald and Joe Cranston were given
dangling room from Barry's belt I'm the
order named, and then ne made the
first bid for national recognition by
knocking out Joe McGrath. the little
Irish champion whom Plummer whip
ped. 1t took Barry three rounds to en-
compass the coup. and the finish saw
McGrath knocked unconscious. Bob
Costello was whipped next, and Barry
was matched against Jimmy German
at New Orleans. The fight took place
June 2. 1894, Barry winning In eleven
rounds. Casper Leon ran second to
Barry on two different occasions, once
in a finish of twenty-eight rounds and
again in a police finish. when the men
were 20 go fifteen rounds. His short,
sharp and decisive fight with Kid Mad
den at Coney Island is recent ring his
| tory.