Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-05

has gone abroad Strange countries for to
see and incidentally to add to his store
of fame and fortune. He will certainly see
a lot of things that will interest, instruct
and entertain him., but if he accumulates
much fame or fortune by his trip he will
do a lot better han any of his prede-
cessor champions did who crossed the
brlny for the same or similar purpose.
The first American or real CHAMPION
ship form who went to England was the
negro, Tom Molyneux. He was born in
old Virginny. but made his reputation as
a scrapper around the East river docks
in the vicinity of Fulton Market, where
the crack Liverpool packets lay. He was
a bit of a sailor, and some of the sport
ing captains got him to go to England
where they matched him against Tom
Crib, who was called "England's great
est champion" He was the fistic idol Of
his day. They fought on Copthall Com
mon, December 10th, 1910. Crib was the
odds on favorite in the betting before the
fight began, but Molyneux made such a
showing that the odds changed to 4 to 1
on him. In the 2Sth round Crib was so
exhausted that he could not raise from
his seconds knee. Joe Ward, his bottle
holder, seeing this raised a question Of a
foul, and hotly disputed it for nearly
"oo SSIbS an
him, but in the mainline Crib had been
revived and was able to toe the scratch.
In the 31st round, in the struggle for the
fall, Molyneux though he won it, pitched
over his man onto his own head and
hurt himself so severely that in the next
round he could not keep his legs and had
to give in. Crib and Melyneux fought a
second time September 2Sth, 1911. Molly
neuX was especially trained for this fight
by the famous Captain Barclay. Molly
neux had "rollicked it up a Bit" with
women and wine, and was not nearly as
good as he had been in the first battle.
Old Joe Elliott has often told me that
Tom had been taken on a sparring tour
in a booth, meeting all corners" and that
while thus engaged, his knuckles We're
nearly knocked off him by the cudgels Of
yokels argered at seeing him best their
local champions. Be that as it may, Cribb
won far easier than he did in their first
fight. MolyneuX then entered on a career
of dissipation which ingloriously ended
his career in a few years.
When Ben Count, the English cham
pion, visited this country, he took home
with him a big circus rider named Free
man, to whom he gave a few points in
pugilistic lore. Fireman., who was called
the American Atlas" stood over SIX feet
and a half tall. 1t was said that he could
urn a somersault while riding a horse.
Count dubbed him "the champion of the.
world" and matched him against Bill
Perry, "the Upton Slasher," from whom
long afterwards Tom Sayers won the En-
glish championship. They fought in Sep
TENDER, 1912. The first day after they had
contested 20 rounds in an hour and twen-
ty-four minutes, darkness and fog put an
end to the contest. They met about a
week later and Freeman won in the 37th
round, 1.-The Slasher" having gone down
without a blow. He would have been
beaten in short order had he made a fair
stand-up fight. Freeman, like Molyneux,
entered on a career of dissipation, and
died in a few years a victim of consump-
ton.
The next American champion to tackle
! England for fame and fortune was John
C. Keenan,, 1.-The Benecia Boy" who
fought Tom Sayers for the international
championship. He had Sayers done for
on the ropes when John Morrissey and
others cut them. There was a row, the
referee fed from the ringside and event.
ually the combat was declared a draw.
Fac SMILES Of the belt were to be given
each man. Savers got his, but Heenan
didn't. A few years after this, Heenan
was matched against Tom King, also for
| the championship. Heenan was "dosed'
by his seconds in the interest Of a lot of
gambling sharks, and King won.
Joe Coburn next went to Albion's
shores ostensibly to fight Jim Mace. Co
burn won the toss for choice Of ground
and pitched the ring in Ireland near the
spot where he was born. Mace did not go
to the place. There was a Wrangle and
| the stakes were eventually drawn. Mace
and Cobur afterwards twice "barnied'
in this country.
John l.. Sullivan in the zenith of his
fame visited England merely to make a