The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-21
WALcoTT LIVED ON ICE.
How "Giant Killer" Made the Weight
 to Fight Kid Lavlgne.

From the New York Sun.
 A dispute between sporting men as to the weight sealed by Joe Walcott and Kid Lavigne in their memorable fight at Maspeth in 1895 has been settled by La vigne's old manager, Sam Fitzpatrick. who handled the former lightweight cham pion on that occasion. This Is the way Fitzpatrick explained the details at the scales:
 "Lavigne and Walcott were to weigh in at o'clock in the evening of the battle at 133 pounds each or less. They weighed in at a well known Turkish bath house, and neither sealed 133. After each had been weighed, Tom o'Rourke, who was Walcott's manager, said:
 Joe, step on the scales and show them what you really do weigh.
 ''Walcott jumped back on the scales, and he tipped the beam at exactly l3lh pounds then said to Lavigne
 Step on the scales, Kid and as he did so 1t was seen that he, too, weighed 131M. As soon as they had been weighed Walcott dashed into a Bowery hotel and threw a good. square meal into himset. l: was the first hearty meal that he had eaten that day. The Kid had consumed two good meals, on the other hand, while Walcott, In his eagenrness to keep down to 1S3 pounds, had not taken even drink of water, but had sucked chopped ice all day.
 Two hours before weighing-in time l saw Walcott going about his hotel carry ing a pitcher of cracked ice. oRourke, who was with him, laughed and said;
 txya mi as well wegh-in without further delay To which l responded:
 We will weigh-in at exactly 6, Tom. No earlier O'Rourke smiled, but Wal colt did not short time previous l had written to Jim Kennedy, the manager or the Empire A. C., which pulled off the fight, that 1 had learned that Walcott could not make the weight. We had S5OO forfeit up to make 133 pounds, and notified Kennedy that if Walcott did not scale under those figures we would claim his forfeit and there would be no fight. still have a letter from O'Rourke in my possession offering to forfeit yo09 if I would let Walcott weigh-in at lSo pounds. I concluded that If itswas worth s5O0 to O'Rourke 1t was worth $5Oo to me to keep Walcott down, so l declared that fl would have to be 133 pounds or no fight.
 "There was no purse offered. The men fought for 50 per cent. of the gross re- ceipts. I had put up my $500 against O'Rourkes siO00 that Layigne would stay the fifteen rounds, which was the stipula- ton J. P. Dwyer handed me the $500 when he heard O'Rourke make the crack that he was willing to, make such a bet. As is the usual thing with Dwyer when he stakes a friend that way. he took down his $500 after Lavigne won and gave the 5000 to me to split up with the Kid. It was a very cold night and the house had turned out to be below expectations, but the fight was the hottest thing that was even seen In a ring. have seen nearly all of them. and I still maintain that It was the best glove fight that e->r look place in this or any other country
 It has often been set up as fact that Walcott and Lavigne were never the same pugilsts afterward. For year at least both men were ailing. Wolcott narrowly escaped a knockout in the last round. but 1t has always been the contention of sport ing men who saw the mill that the colored prglist was greatly weakened by the weight limit, to reach which he was com pelled to practically starve himself.