The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-26
"ONE-EYED" CONNOLLY GONE.
Stories of the welI-Known Cham
piOn Dend-Beat.
From the New York Sun.

Tie New 1OTk Sun.
While Ryan and Carter were battling
up at Fort Erie last Monday night one
of the most celebrated ring followers
in the world was missing. In a little
undertaker's room out in Chicago lay
the dead body of "One-eyed" Connolly,
who in his time saw every fight cf
Importance and never paid penny to
get within the gates. No sporting man
who has patronized glove contests will
ever forget this odd character. who,
with his ready wit and unlimited gall,
made himself known from the Atlantic
to the Pacific.
Connolly was an Englishman whose
rich cockney accent never left him. He
was fighter himself, once, though not
always in the squared circle. his left
optic having been clawed out in one
of those ough-and-tumble barroom
affairs which Connolly revelled in
whenever he got a chance. That was
when he was young and of a daring
disposition, for in later years he was in
constant dread of trouble and was act
ually a peacemaker on several occa-
sions. 1t was on the way to Carson
City to see the Corbett- Fitzsimmons
fight that "One-Eyed" was in the boil
ing pot all the time. BY some mystic
rious means he had secured a railroad
ticket through to Carson and was sc
proud of it that he showed 1t to every
body on the train. Among the passen-
gers was a well known fighter, and hi:
pupil, colored pugilist The crack
fighter had a ticket for himself, but
his pupil was without one. They board
ed the cars at Virginia City, New, and
soon Connolly came into their coach
with the remark:
Il say, me boy, I've got a ticket al
the way to Carson, ye know!"
Lets see it," demanded the fighter
with a growl. Connolly handed the
ticket over, and the pugilist, after in
speeding it carefully, put it in his peck
ct. "One-Eyed" asked for it forth
with, but the fighter told him to git"
"One- Eyed then begged, implored,
threatened, cried, jollied and, in fact
resorted to every known method OF
persuasion without avail. The pugilist
simply said:
"Git, now Git quick! You amt got
no ticket! You never had one, see?"
The conductor came along and ask
I'd for the tickets. The fighting man
handed over two, one for himself, and
one for his pupil.
"One-E Eyed" tried to parley, and no
DOQy MOulu COIlG 10 Ills dSSlSLdHCe. Do
the conductor stopped the train and
Connolly was thrown off into a snow
bank. But he got upon car truck,
and when the train pulled into Car
son "One-E Eyed" arrived with the big
delegation of sporting men rs proud as
a peacock. 1t was the toughest kind of
a proposition to beat the big fight, for
Dan Stuart, the promoter, was so close
that even the sheriff had to pay for
his friends. But Connolly was not at
all discouraged. He went to Stuart and
said:
ct say, mister, wot'll yer give ter
know the man that is goin' ter sell a
thousand counterfeit tickets outside
the gate?"
"I'il give $780," replied the promoter
of the big mill.
"Well,' said Connolly, drawing
closer, 81 don't know his name, but he's
got agents ter work for him and he
seq that he's dead safe. If you will
let me stand just inside the gate I'll
spot him when he comes through, and
you can do the rest"
"All right" exclaimed Stuart, who
was clutching at the air with the idea
of capturing the men who would thus
cut into his business. You stand
here"
So "One-E Eyed was stationed next
to the main gate, watching like we'll
drilled sentinel. But he didn't watch
long, for he saw the crowd gathering
at the ringside, and, fearing that all
of the best seats would be taken, he
hurried up to the ropes with the other
people and sat down in a place where
men who paid 500 each for the same
privilege logged elbows with him.
When the fight was over "One-Eyed"
told Stuart that the man, evidently
frightened off, had not put in an ap-
pearance. and that no counterfeits
were sold after all. He got enough
money from Stuart to get back to 'Fris-
co and had a jolly time on the way.
"One-E Eyed always pointed to this as
the greatest achievement of his career
and whenever referring to it he never
failed to say:
'For I'm the man that beat our
friend Dan Stuart"
1t was at the Lenox A. c., this city,
the night of the Corbett-Sharkey fight,
that "One-Eyed" ran up against some
merciless doorkeepers. No matter
what excuses he offered, they would
not listen to him and ordered the po-
lice to throw Mr.. Connolly out into the
street. The order was obeyed to the
letter upon several occasions, but each
time, like the cat, "One-Eyed" came
back. With an eye like that of a
hawk, Mr.. Connolly soon caught a
glimpse of Tom O'Rourke, the clubs
manager.
II say, Thomas. / say, you know"
yelled Mr.. Connolly. Are yer goin'
T. aaY