The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-01-20
A LIVELY STARRING MATCH
HIGGINS VAN0UISHES 1IAHONETIN
 THE SIXTH ROUND.

Entertainment at St. Patricls's T. A. E. Hall-Police Interfere and Stop the show A Large Crowd Present--Some Fine Exhibitions of the Manly Art. Billy Higgins vanquished Frank Ma ! honey in a siX-round sparring match last evening. The contestants for fistic honors started in on the seventh round, when the police interfered and stopped the fight, as Mahoney was suffering | badly. The match between Higgins and Ma | honey was the crowning event of a series of wrestling and sparring con tests given in St. Patrick's T. A. B. hall on Wallace street under the aus l pices of the society.
 An admission fee of fifty cents was charged and many went away with their half dollars in their pockets and sad hearts underneath their vests una hle to see the show. About eight hun l dred, however, by much squeezing, scolding and jamming managed to fin ally get into the gymnasium, where the ring was fenced off with ropes. The Higgins and Mahoney match was the last on the program and was looked | forward to with great anticipation by | the crowd.
 At last the two boxers appeared and were famed, rubbed and put in good condition generally by their attend- ants, John Conboy, Frank Davis and Sim Collins performing that kindly of flee for Mahoney, while Jim Hughes, Mcclure and Cosgrove performed a l similar duty for Higgins.
 l Dr. Kelly was the referee. Master of | Ceremonies Gray announced that there | would be ten rounds, and that it was to be a clever sparring match and no fight, as many anticipated.
 The two men stripped to the waist, shook hands, took their places in the center of the ring and commenced op- erations. In physique the men were about evenly matched, Higgins being a little taller, but exceedingly muscular and wiry, while Mahoney, a trifle | shorter, was somewhat stoclier and was credited with having a little more l
 science.
 For the first two rounds the men spared carefully, seeking to do the other up by scientific methods. Hig- gins proved the more aggressive and persisted in driving his left hand on | Mahoney's neck, while the latter gen tleman seemed to be campaigning more on the defensive, incidentally striving to put in his right where it would de- prive Willie of his wind.
 At the last of the third the constant contact of Willie's hand with Frankie's s jugular seemed to tell somewhat on the latter and he ended the bout breathing heavily. In the next two bouts he braced up considerably and visited some of the punishment he had been receiving on his opponent.
 In the sixth bout the exhibition got decidedly warm and Higgins, who had been very aggressive from the start, grew still more energetic and the two men closed and fairly rained blows on each other. At last several of Hig- gins left handlers landed square on Mahoney's face, which seemed to stun him, and several more blows similarly located felled Mahoney over the lines. He returned to the ring again and Hig gins began to give him the same severe punishment. The two men grappled several times and it required the active efforts of Referee Kelly to separate them.
 After following Mahoney around the ring Higgins again knocked Mahoney over the ropes, and time being called the round was stopped.
 It was thought that this would close the sparring, but Mahoney, full of bulldog grit, was determined to start and and finish the exhibition, but his grit was evidently better than his en- durance, and to prevent his being fur ther punished the police stepped into the ring and stopped the show The crowd then dispersed.
 The other features of the entertain ment was an accordion and guitar duet by Connor and Beecher.
 A three bout sparring match between David Ketchley and John Canaugh, in which Ketchley seemed to get rather the best of 1t, was one of the even ing's features.
 Another three round sparring match between James Roach and Hugh Con- nors, which appeared to be about an even thing, took place
 In a wrestling bout lasting ten min utes, between John Klund and John Markett, neither one got down The exhibition was scientific and interest ing.
 Following this three round spar ring match, between Tim Rooney and Frank Lewis, ended with the odds de- cidedIy in favor of Lewis.
 Lewis drew the calret from Rooney's nose In the second round, and drew g . copious stream of the fluid. And die so again in the third round.
 The next was a three round sparrins match between James Mulvey anc James Turbett. The sparring was de. | cidedly interesting and considerable science was shown. The two James
 had about an even thing of it in the three rounds.
 ; In the first round Mulvey hit Turbett !, a right hand upper-cut and knocked him down, but the fallen James was or , his feet in jiffy and making it warn } for the other James.
 The police commissioners received , complimentary invitations to the show and Commissioners Clancy, Ullman Hubinger, Doolittle and Moran were present, besides Smith and Hubbard l L.