Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-07-30
THE PUGILISTS.
Tn @ Prize Fighters of the Old
 Ring Days.

All Are Now About Passed Away
 Some Who Achieved Greatness Po-
 litically and Otherwise-Young Cor
 bett Puts Away Another Aspirant-
 George Gardner Does Some Dictat-
 ing.
 Prize fighting never took high rank as an amusement for refined people, and the manly art' as exemplited in the prize ring has always been looked upon as a debasing spectacle. But despite their brutal characteristics fights have been patronized to some ex- tent by men who are neither ruffians nor fighters, who excused themselves for countenancing and encoura ging the contests by saying that the sport was scientific. Ring contests with bare knuckles became popular in Eng land more than two centuries ago. and men with ambitions to excel in the roped ring gave exhibitions of their knowledge of the art of self-defense in the early days of the republic, but 1t was not until early in the hfties that the sporting element of the country became deeply interested in ring con tests. Tom Hyer, Tom Savers, John c. Heenan, Barney Aaron, John Nor rissey and a host of other fighters ap- peared in the ring. %a
 They became popular heroes with a part of the community, and in the far west, particularly California, they were lionized. Hats. collars and otll- CT articles of mems wearing apparel were named for them. Heenan hats and Savers collars were popular at the time when these two pugilists were as pirants for the championship, and a cane made to initiate Irish blackthorn was known as a McCool shillalah.
 The contests in those days took place for the most part in the open air. The ''ringside'' was the turf.
 There was less scientific fighting in those days" said an old man who had been fighter himself, and who is still an enthusiast, 'sbut there was more fun for those who looked orl--not quite so much, though, for the fighters
 John Morrissey's bar-room in Troy was the congregating place for long time of the fighting element of the gamblers. The stage had no attrac- tion for fighters in the early days of the sport in the United States.
 When John c. Heenan was at the height of his glory-young, handsome and crowned with the prize ring lau- rels-he married an actress who had gained notoriety by appearing in spec tacular plays. He was induced by his wife and her friends to appear on the stage in 8 part written for him, but he was a melancholy failure as an actor. and retired from the calling after a brief and thankless career. His old adversary, John Morrissey, developed an ambition in the direction of poli- tics. His associates in Troy and Lan- singburg belonged to the class which in later years made Ed Murphy the boss of Troy, and the condition which they brought about made Bat Shea possible. Morrissey went to New York and was elected to the fortieth and forty-frst congresses, where he was pointed out as the prize fighting member He became the owner and oSA OA SCYOAd4 pO11ldSdA houses and in 1877 took his seat in the New York state senate, representing the fourth district His immediate predecessor was John Fox, who suc- ceeded William M. Tweed Morris sey died in 1878, and since then no fighter has become prominent in poli- ties. John L. Sullivan wanted to go to congress, and had hopes in the di- rection of the chief magistracy of Bos- ton, but his political ambitions came to grief.
 ''The stage fight,'' said a follower of the sport, "gave the big fellows an idea that they were actors. The fights in the big halls and athletic clubs also gave rise to speculation on the part of managers. Who ever heard of prize fighter having a manager or a press agent in the old days? Nowadays they require these staff officers"
 Sullivan was the first prominent fighter to make his appearance on the theatrical stage, after fighting again became popular, and since that time the ring has been looked upon as 8 stepping stone to, the stage, and it seems to be in the regular order of things to see a pugilist's name on Il play bill soon after he has won a ring victory. The public house is still his ambition, and mindful of the drawing qualities of well known fighter rum sellers and brewers have given prize fighters handsome salaries for the priv ilege of using their names in connection with rum shops of the gaudily be- decked kind.
 Billy Edwards. who in his day gained considerable ring fame, was for years the t'bouncer'' in New York ho- tel Barney Aaron follows the races regularly Mike Donovan, who is known in New York as square sport" is now an instructor in boxing
 Tie fighers point with pride to the fact that Richard Croller and Tim" Sullivan who have always been patrons of the sport for pleasure and for prof it, were themselves once fighters of no mean order.