The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-22
FEUDS OF PUGS' WIVES
AsBURY PARK LAUGHED AT FITZ-
sIMMONs-CORBETTM ENAGEs.
Trouble Now TranspIanted to New
York, Where the Beautiful Mrs.
Kid Mccoy Takes a Hand.
Kate Masterson. in New York Press.

|
Kate Masterson. in New York Press.
Feuds existing between leading pugilists.
| as evidenced by their alterations and
| brawls at hotels, are taking on a somewhat
amusing social nature owing to the fact
| that each of the three men now most prom
| inently before the public is possessed of a
| young and pretty wife. The pugilist. like
the enterprising burglar, has his moments
| of dalliance with lfe's frivos. AS ne gains
wealth and reputation he acquires a home.
and he always marries good looking
woman. Then he begins TO learn the mean
ing of pink teas and society. His manager
| insists on his appearing In public wearing
a Tuxedo coat and his wife shows him how
to brush his hair in the prevailing style.
| Besides the followers that each leading
| pugilst has, he has a distinct social follow
| ing, led by his wife, The social pugilistic
sets are located in Harlem, where Mccoy,
Corbett and Fitzsimmons have homes
owned by them and furnished with consid-
cradle elegance and taste. Mrs Mccoy,
Mrs Corbett and Mrs. Fitzsimmons each
has her own set of feminine friends, her
dressmaker, her tailor, her millner, for the
| wives of popular pugilists spend consider
able money in the direction of personal
adornment. The successful fighter, like the
successful gambler, loads his wife with rich
| jewels when he has money, for he knows
that they represent negotiable collateral
which can be turned to account when for
tune frowns upon them.
| The Fftzsimmons-Corbett feud f1ourished
all summer at Asbury Park, from which
place both of these doughty warriors have
/ departed for their city homes, thus trans
VD1o l1nk%
where new faction-the Mccoy party-en-
tiers the arena. The fight waxed so hot dur
ing the summer at Asbury that the two
feminine leaders of the feud were constantly
devising new and startling coups which
would bring their respective huzoands to
the front. 1t was this social ambition
which brought Mr.. FitZSimmons into close
proximity with the church. In Newport the
possession of money or a villa will give one
position; in ASbury there is no better card
than religious status
Asburys visitors were surprised one
ers portraying Mr.. Fitzsimmons IN elab-
| crate evening dress, an overcoat thrown
carelessly over his arm and watch chain
ana locket heavy enough to anchor yacht
| draped over his solar plexus.
In these pictures Mr.. Fitzsimmons was
1 portrayed wearing the look of a startled
faWn and no wonder, for, beside the poster,
on an accompanying bill, one read in huge
letters. THE Church of the Holy Spirit"
moTe huge oT letters or mr. n Robert Fitzs hT
mons" When ones curiosity was aroused
sufficiently to peruse the bill in an endeavor
| to find out what the pugiliSt had to do with
the Church of the Holy Spirit, you read that
he was to. give boxing exhibition In aid OF
| the church.
became the scene of a social feud fiercer
| than ever ragged at Newport. and Mesdames
| Corbett and titzsimmons each gathered her
| feminine heelers about her. 1t was the cot
| tage faction of Mrs. Fitzsimmons that
| planned Fitzsimmons's association with the
| Church of the Holy Spirit, move quite as
/ brilliant as Mrs. Potter Palmer's when she
| captured the Count of Turin for her
| luncheon.
In the meantime the Corbetts were going
| in for swagger clothes. A rumble of gossip
began in the neighborhood of their piazza
cI1ticising Mr. F1tzsimmons's style OF dress
| There were whispers that he had been seen
| on the board walk in the morning wearing
! an alpaca sack coat, silk hat and tan
| shoes. There were rumors that Fitzsim-
mons would never discard his silk hat. even
/ If the weather were sweltering, and that he
had been seen going toward the beach in a
but with the famous hat still firmly in it's
place. -
1t was at this juncture that Corbett had
| some new clothes sent from New York and
/ began to startle Asbury with white flannel
suits and pink silk shirts. He gave up his
| pompadour and brushed his hair down over
| was Mrs Corbetts idea. Then some one
objected to Corbett playing ball in a court
|
to the Fitzsimmonses, and the gossip rumble
about their stoop deepened to feminine
| roar.
One day after Corbett was seen at Pleas
| ure bay at supper wearing a Tuxedo, Fitz-
| simmons appeared on horseback 1t cannot
be said that it sent him forward any in the
| social race. In fact, it was a setback. He
had discarded his silk hat, but wore a
straw hat rakishly on the side of his head.
| He smoked a large cigar held at a terrific
angle. He wore all his diamonds His man
ner of holding the reins was peculiar. Els
| seat upon the animal he rode caused his en-
emies TO. say that he looked like a bunch
| of rags" AS he went through the streets
| of Asbury, his diamonds cleaning through
| the, clouds OF smoke from his cigar, he
| looked like a. circus advertisement Even
| his friends tried to persuade him to give
| up horseback exercise.
| 1t was about this time that the Fitzsim-
mons family began to drive out in state in
a stylish trap with coachman and footman.
| The family-Mrs. Fitzsimmons, the children
and a maid-occupied the trap Mr.. Fitz-
simmons rode beside them on his charger.
Despite the fact that the street on which
the Corbett cottage was located was thick
with trolley tracks the FitzsimmonS process
sion always drove in slow state past the
Corbett home.
One day Mr.. and Mrs. Corbett sat upon
the stooD attired in the latest CONNECTIONS
from New York modistes and tailors. They
laughed audibly as the cortese went BY
Mrs: Corbett is reported to have said, .'lia
hal! audlbly. Mrs. Fitzsimmons called back
some badinage rejecting on the Corbett
menage.
Next Gay the TWO men met IN the Street
Each was accompanied by his wife and by
other friends. AS the two gladiators neared
each other their eyes turned away toward
the sea- But as they passed Fitzsimmons,
without letting his glance rest once upon
his foe, calculated two syllables. Fla, hal"
Those who heard his expression of mirth-
less laughter say that it was blood curdling
in its significance 1t was challenge and
a yell of victory rolled into one. The idle
phrase, Giving him the ha, ha,' will al
ways have deeper meaning to those who
heard the Fitzsimmons "Ha har'
Now the feud has been moved here to
town. One evening last week Mr.. and Mrs.
Mccoy were having supper in a chop house
on Sixth avenue. They wore gorgeous .'ai-
ment and were enjoying Holsters and ether
midnight foods with some friends when by
an opposite door entered Mr.. and Mrs. Cor
bett also gorgeous, also with friends. The
looks the women of both parties cast at
each other were frozen.
A man sitting at a table near by said:
''Times have changed, aren't they? Here
are two fighters, one of them an ex-cham-
pion both given any amount of attention
by the papers. backed by large amounts of
money and matched to win a big purse and
here they are. b'gee. done up like darned
doods at a pink tea and sheir wives dressed
1ika tha f0l1r hundred There amt M 6Oht-