The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-02-22
SCENES AND INCIDENTS.
Size of the Crowd and What Ii Cost
to Sec the Ffubt

to Sec the Fight.
The special cars awaiting to take the
spectators to the fight at the Ell Paso depot
were attached to the regular train on the
Southern Pacific. which was forty-five min
utes late coming into FL Paso There were
five cars. About $50 people bought tickets
at the station for Langtry, putting up sl1S5
each. The tickets TO the fight were $50 and
those who wished could secure sleeping car
accommodations for g. A quie;er and bet
ter behaved lot of visitors to prize fight
never gathered. Fitzsimmons and his party
occupied tie next car to the last sleeper in
the train Of nine cars. Maher ard his party
were in the one Immediately ahead of Fitz-
simmons. The run to Langtry is $50 miles
1t was without nomentous incident. At
Marathon, about O'Clock in the morning
Fitzsinmons espiei big black bear chained
to the corner of house about five hundred
feet from the track. Fitzsmmons logged
over to the bear and scrapei an acquaint-
ance while the engine was taking water.
General Mabry and twenty-six of his
Texas Rangers, with heavy laden cartridge
belts, horse pistols and Winchester rifles. ac-
ccmpanied the train. The rangers and the
Adjutant-general witnessed the fight and en-
jcyei it. But those who had the best view
Of the show were the villagers and persons
fer mics around, who have been looking for
it for week or more. They were perched
in the cliffs the Texas side of the river
and had b.rd's-eye view OF the arena be-
meath and they cheered at the knockout
as loudly as those close at the ringsiie.
The village of Langtry has one saloon,
'tAe Jersey Lilly" and about fifty resi-
dents. 1t is $50 miles from FL Paso and
23i miles from San Antonio. Del Rio is
sixty-four miles away. special train from
Del Rio and Eagle Pass brought 115, which,
with those from FL Paso. were all there
were about the ringside. No more perfect
place for a fight without interference could
he devised. 1t is all but inaccessible and
from the Mexican side cannot be reached
except by coming up or down the stream for
long distance. Once the banks were
reached the troops could fire from. the cliffs
on those who might be beneath; TWO hum
ready to move on advice from the Governor
OF Coahuila, in which State the fight took
place, but il would have taken them two
days or forced marching to reach the spot
of the fight.
The weather was threatening and just as
the train pulled into Langtry the drops
began to fall A ligat rain fell until Just
before the men entered the ring, when ii
practically ceased. but came again in oc-
o2sional spurts-
The general opinion among the sporting
men who witnessed the fight was that II
was a most brilliant and unqualified victory
for Fitzsimmons. Maher may not have been
in as good condition as the Australian, but
he could not have been outfought so quickly.
no matter what his condition, had he not
been badly outclassed in point OF skill. The
general feeling was that Fitzsimmons is
fully capable of giving Corbett or any other
man on earth desperate hard fight at
any time. No weights were announced at
the ringside but FitzsirHmonS weighed about
l65 and Maher about $50.
The crowd disappeared from Langtry al
most quickly as IL had come and 1t was
not in the neighborhood over two and
hair hours all tod. The west-bound regu-
lsr train for El Paso was held until 6
o'clock and when il went Ii carried with
who had come down TO see the fight. To
ore special train from Eagle Pass started
on its homeward way at the same time and
the great fight was over and done.