Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-03-18
VICTORY.
He Defeats Pugilist Corbett in
Fourteen Hot Rounds.
A CHANCE BLOW WON THE FIGHT.

A CHANCE BLOW WON THE FIGHT.
Corbett Declares He VIII Force the Cha M
picn to Face Him Again, but Fitz Says
He Is Done with Prize Fights-The
Champions Big Winnings.
Carson, New, March 1S.-Under a
clear sky and In a valley 5000 feet
above the sea, circled by snow tipped
mountains, James J. Corbett went
down to defeat yesterday before Rob-
ert Fitzsimmons, who thus became the
champion heavyweight pugilist of the
world. The victory was not gained
without a struggle. In fact, victory
did not seem possible for F'itzsimmons
until the last moment of the battle. He
was giving every indication of slowly
going to pieces when he delivered a
blow in vital part, and followed it
with two others which sent the Cali
fornian to the floor with the agony of
pain and despair imprinted on his face,
and he was unable to rise within the
limit which would save him.
When the defeated champion finally
arose, with the assistance of his at
tendants, and recovered sufficiently
from his dazed condition to realize the
calamity that had befallen him, he
broke out with all the fury of an en-
ragged animal, and discarding all the
rules which govern the art of which
he is a disciple rushed at his victorious
opponent and made vain struggle to
beat him over the ropes, only desisting
when his own friends and seconds
forced him away.
And then the new champion was
borne to his dressing room amid the
cheers of the 5000 people who were in
the arena, accompanied by his Sec
onds and trainers, and also by his wife,
who had watched the contest from a
position within a few feet of the ring
side, and who had taken IN every de-
tail, even at the time when it seemed
that her husband would be knocked in
sensible at her feet.
The contest was accompanied by the
usual delays which attend such af-
fairs, due largely to wait for the
hour when the sunlight would be the
brightest, so that the new electrical de-
vice-the verascope-which was To-
Gated at the ringside, would be able to
obtain the best results. Meantime an
audience of nearly 5000 assembled,
among them being numberof women.
1t was a moment after the noon
hour when the principals and their
seconds appeared, and both were
greeted with great cheers. George
Siler, the referee, arranged the few
preliminary matters in a short time,
and at about 1910 the battle COM
menced Little was accomplished by
either of the men in the first round,
but in the next few rounds Corbett
had the advantage. In the fifth round
he punished Fitzsimmons severely,
battering him on the face and body
until the blood streamed from his face,
and he finally sank to his knees to
avoid further punishment, remaining
there until nearly all the allotted time
had expired, when he arose and sue
ceeded in continuing the contest for
the few remaining seconds of the
round
Nearly all the spectators thought the
end was at hand then, but the Aus
tralian recovered and fought game
battle for nearly eight rounds more,
though there were several occasions
during that time when Corbett seemed
to have had him going. He did land
| they were hard, too, but they seemed
to have little effect on him.
| At the opening of the fourteenth and
last round Corbett looked the winner
Though somewhat tired he was still
strong, and was displaying more sci
ence, and continued to pound the Aus
tralian and keep UP the incessant
blows.
IL.
| the end. That which ended the fight
was left hand punch delivered just
below the heart. 1t was all the more
effective for the reason that Corbett
was leaning backward when it came
1t caught him on the tensely drawn
muscles just over the spleen, and must
have caused the most intense agony.
Corbett was more unconscious from
pain than from the force of the blow.
AS he lay writhing and groveling on
| the floor his face presented the most
| CHASTITY appearance imaginable. No
man in last death struggle could
have Mortified the spectators more,
and his agonizing cries of pain could
| be heard above the cheers for the vic
| tor.
And then followed the widest scene
of the day, when he arose to his feet
and with all the strength he had left
rushed at his opponent and tried to
finish the contest. Those nearest the
ring jumped over the ropes, in spite
of all efforts of the police to prevent
them, and in moment the entire en-
closure was filled with a bowling,
shouting mob, and the noise and con-
| fusion were so great that the referee
was hardly able to announce his de-
cision awarding the battle to Fitzsim-
| mons. In the midst of it all Corbett,
who had been forced to his corner by
his friends, broke away from them and
rushed at Fitzsimmons a second time,
| but instead of attempting to renew the
| fight he implored him to give him an
other chance, and accept a challenge
| from him.
| Corbett, when taken to his dressing
| room after the battle, sank into a
chair and burst into tears. His friends
attempted to cheer him up, but with
out avail. All of them declare that
Fits victory was merely the result of
an accidental blow.
There were two other fights later in
the day. Hawkins knocked out Flah-
krty in sixty-four seconds, and George
Green defeated mysterious" Billy
Smith in eleven rounds.
Fitzsimmons' winnings by his vic
tory of yesterday will foot up substan-
TALLY as follows: Opponents stake
| s., 900; purse offered by Stuart, $4,000;
rights in verascope, $4,000; his own
wager, $500 at 10 to s, $780, sale of
his signature for other writer's who can
say what they please over his name,
| S., 500; total, $45,30O
| Corbett left for San Francisco at 2:30
p. M, arriving in the latter city at
$3.50 last night. He declares he will
force Fitzsimmons to fight him, and
| intimated that he will follow the
champion from town to town to bring
about another battle. Fitzsimmons, on
| the other hand, declares that he will
never again engage in a prize fight.
A Police Commissioners Removed.
New York, March 18.-Mayor Strong
has removed Andrew d. Parker from
q i.