The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-06-27
CLUB
HOUSE IS GONE.
THE ALBENIARLE HAS "A RE
NIARIxABLE HISTORY.
There, in the Days When "Real SPORT
Was Supported In Minneapolis,
Many Notable Pugilistic Battles
Were Fought and Many Big Po-
ker Games Played.

ker Games Played.
The Albemarle clubhouse, on Hen
nepin, between the West hotel and
the Masonic Temple, which is being
RACED to clear the site for the rather
remarkable combination Of church
and theater, has an interesting his
tory. In fact, with the demolition Of
this building there passes what for
many years was the center of sport
ing life in Minneapolis and the north
west.
When Minneapolis enjoyed and
supported real sport the notable
mills were fought at the Albemarle
club, and the pugilists, by their fast,
furious fights-one go" was a bloody
seventy-six-rounders wide rep
utations for themselves and the
club. And as poker joint the
northwest had nothing to equal the
Albemarle. The stories Of the excit-
ing games played by prominent men
for big stakes spread thruout this
section of the country. Since the work
of razing the building began, the "old
sports" of the days when the club
was in it's prime have been recalling
the notable things that happened
there, and, incidentally, deprecating
the decadence of sporting life in Min
neapolis.
The two-story building originally
was one of the most notable man
sions of Minneapolis. The erection
of the West hotel on one side and the
Masonic Temple on. the other, how
ever, gave the property speculative
value as q business location, and it
has changed hands quite often.
1t was purchased by the late Colonel
John T. West fourteen years ago as
a matter Of protection, he fearing
that the site might be utilized for a
been occupied by various clubs, the
membership of which has been COM
posed of men of sporting proclivities.
Was Muchmore's Idea.
J. E. Muchmore, the oarsman, first
conceived the idea of using the
house for club purposes, but it was
Frank A. Cotharin, who came here
from Detroit, Mich, and shortly af-
made this club the talk of the town
and, indeed, the entire northwest.
He had been running a club called
the Pickwick on Nicollet avenue, near
the old city hail. In some way he
| displeased the local gambling dy.
nasty that then held sway, and he
learned that the wagon was to be
| phernalia confiscated.
He quietly arranged to lease the
Hennepin avenue house, and interest.
| ed a coterie of neWspaI er men in the
| organization of what was afterward:
| known as the Chrysanthemum club
| for the purposes Of social enjoyment
When the descent was made upon the
Pickwick club, Cotharin stood on thu
| doorstep and distributed cards adver
| Using his new location.
The club was popular and Cotharir
proved to be a prince of entertainers
| Sports, theatrical people and the liv
Hest element in the town gathered
about@him. Baseball was played il
those days on grounds just back ( O
the West hotel, and Hy Hach ant
| Sam Morton, the local magnates, ant
! their retinue made the place thei
headquarters.
The next suggestion was that
| gymnasium should be added. TIL
money, about $4,000, was raised b,
subscription and the two-story build
ing was erected which is to form
part of the auditorium which j. E
| Rogers now proposes to erect. It ha'
| a running track, bowlingalley, bath
and enough gymnastic apparatus t
make a good showing.
i ! Famous Mills There.
i But the great feature of the club
the name of&3wIlich was changed t
the Twin City Athletic club, was 1t
monthly meetings at which some ifs
tic event Of Importance was invari
ably pulled off. Purses running a
high as $1,000 were hung up, an
some notable events occurred. Th
first fight was between Jimmy Grit
fin and Charles Weber, and Griff
knocked Weber out with such EN-
phasis that fora couple of hours
looked as If there might be bushes
for the coroner.
Some of the boxers Of the day wer
4 attracted. Kid Mccoy fought Their
and also the Harlem Coffee Cooler
: jaw" who afterwards attracted niue
attention in England. Oscar Care
, ner received christening as eth
Omaha kid in his first good figl
here The BLACK Pearl built up
| reputation that secured him backin
for a ''go' with Bob Fitzsimmon
Charles Kirnmick and Dick Moor'
local pugs Of much promise, had mar
3 a fight there as did Charlie Johnso,
the welterweight, Shadow Mabe
8 Billy Hawkins, and George Kessle
t EDick Moore and Dan Creedon had
) battle that attracted attention tt
4 country over This was when Gre
! don was in his prime, and he put
end to Moore's claim to be pugili
: Of the first class in eight rounds. o.
Of the warmest and most excitir
n events was the defeat Of Geors
:. Peters, the colored cyclone Of Detro
e Mich, by Thomas P. Gleason, now
\ Nicollet saloonkeeper.
a
The 76-Round Battle.
The event that gave the club a rep
J, tation, and Tommy Ryan likewise, w
= the seventy-six round fight with Dam
= Needham. Needham's hands We're
, bad shape and he had stipulated tn
. he could wear courtplaster. Lot
Houseman, Ryan's manager, no.
ever, refused to allow this and ne w
the fight for, his man by his Joke
ing. Needham said before he enter
the ring that he would be unable
IS n11nish RYAN sufficiently to win al