The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-10
SHARKEY PARTY TO THE STEAL
THE FIGHT FIXED BEFORE FITx
LEFT NEW YORK.

Ahe NatAouA Annette Club Conn
posed of Sharkey's BaclSers-Ref-
cree carp to Receive $1,000 FOr
the Decision Giving the Fight 60
ShnrLey-AustraIian billy SmIGh
Gives the Whole Snap Away.
San Francisco, Cal, Dec. "a large
assemblage of ring followers and men
about town. crowded Judge Sanderson's
court room this morning in expectation of
hearing sensational developments re,
garding the manner in which the Fitzsim-
mons-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, Sharkey's trainer. Fitzsim-
mons was a defeated man before he LEFT
New York. According to Smiths testi-
mony J. j. Groom, j. II. Gibbs, Danny
Lynch, Sharkeys manager, and Sharkey
himself We're the men, who composed the
National Athletic Club, before which or
ganizatlon 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 Sharxey
the fight directly Fitzsimmons landed a
body blow or stomach punch, which might
be stretched into a foul. carp was to re-
ceive $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 assist
ing. He had frapt1aFf
Sharkey about his prospective contest
with F1tZsimmons. Three weeks prior to
the Ight, Sharkey requested Smith to sug-
gest good referee. Smith named Hiram
Cook and Lynch promised to call on that
gentleman. A few days later Lynch in
formed smith that Cook was not a suita-
bic referee. Smith was then advised by
Sharkey of the fact that he (Sharlxey) and
Lynch had an interest in the National
Club. Sharkey stated that Lynch, Groom
and Gibbs were all broke and that he. him
self' was obliged to put up $500 to guar
antee his appearance in the ring, leaving
him almost broke. Lynch and he were
each to receive 20 per cent. of the gate re-
ceipts after the expenses and purse money
had been deducted. Ten days before the
fight Sharkey mentioned to Smith that
Lynch had succeeded i'm 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 Fitz-
simmons hit him a body blow at close
quarters, and in consideration of his de-
elslon, the referee was to be paid 81, 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 con-
tnued; "Sharkey was dazed at the end
Of the second round, and was practically
La to1 han q Al. f.
blow After Sharkey fell, Lynch whis-
pered to him pretend to be in great pain,
and 1t will be all right We carried Shar-
Key TO his dressing room and put him on
cot. Lynch refused to allow anybody
in the room. 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 Lynch stopped me. We then carried
Sharkey to hack and removed him to his
MOTEL Allen, Lynch, Needham and my
self laid him out on a bed. / took off his
shoes and trousers and Allen removed his
trunks. He made no complaint except re-
garding his head and ear, and / saw no
evidence Of discoloration about the groin.
few moments later we heard Sharkey
screaming, and Allen remarked: L don't
like the looks of this. ! am going away
After waiting fifteen minutes, Lynch let
me into Sharkey's room again and l
found Tom all bandaged up
bottle Of iodine of potassium stood
on the washstand. do not know what
1t was used for, but it could hardly have
been applied to his sore ear. Lynch then
told me l could go for 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 put up and told
him pretty good. He said that Fitzsim-
mons could whip Corbett I'm two rounds.
He hits like a mule, continued Sharkey,
and Corbett would not last any time with
him. Sharkey told me / could stop with
him that night. i offered to put hot
bandages on him, but he told me they
were not necessary. Before going to
sleep he jumped out of bed lit cigar and
walked around the. room. He assured
me that he was all right excepting his
sore ear"
On cross-examination, Smith stuck TO his
story and could not be shaken. He also
disclosed the fact that DR.. Lee was not
summoned to Sharkeys bedside until two
hours and a half after the fight was over.
Lynch, Groom and Gibbs denounce
Smiths testimony as rank perjury They
claim that Smith demanded 81 900 for his
services as trainer, and declined to accept
the 500 rendered him.
Allen, who promises to corroborate
Smiths testimony tomorrow, was offered
$500 but attempted to blackmail sharlxey
and Lynch into paying him double that
amount.
Lynch asserts that Allen and Smith,
finding that their attempt at extortion
would be futile, went to Fitzsimmons' at
torneys and offered to make certain dis
closures concerning alleged jobbery
which can easily be disproved. Col. Ko-
walski, Fitzsimmons' counsel, AYERS that
he has enough testimony to convict the
entire Sharkey following for gross con-
spiracy and fraud.
Smiths testimony has created n tre-
mendous sensation among the sporting
fraternity.