The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-31
FULLERTON n.: Or :,

putting Owney down and practically
out. The mob, SEEING ii was all over,
broke into the ring, surrounded the
referee, and with drawn pistols de-
manded the fight on a foul, claiming
Cons last blow was delivered when
Owney was on the ground. The ref
cree hesitated about two seconds,
when, feeling the muZZle of one revolv-
er at his temple and seeing another
stuck under his nose (and that by a
man he knew would blaze away, he
declared Orem hal lost on a foul Two
days after the mill Orem offered TO
fight Geoghegan in the west for any
amount of money, but the distance was
too lar and too expensive for the mob
\ x
Geoghegan became a noted character
in New York City early in the '70s
He kept a grog shop near the First
avenue gas works, and to sustain his
reputation as a fighter he kept a pair
or gloves, each containing a small
horseshoe, which he would don when
ever any OF the gashouse men became
impressed with the idea they could lick
him. Owney laid many a man cold
with his horseshoe" gloves. and be-
fore he had been in business six months
his name as a terrific, murderous hit
ter was the talk OF the neighborhood
His name as a pugilist Of more than
ordinary abilities brought him shekels
In plenty, and, firing OF the gashouse
district, he drifted to the Bowery,
where he opened a small joint and in
the latter part of the '70s he ran q
large but tough beer hall with boxing
between the best professionals that
could be secured as lie main feature.
Owney, despite his business and his
associates, never drank intoxicants nor
used tobacco in any form. He died
from complication Of diseases I'm the
SOS. leaving a fortune of over 800 900.
That battle was Celt against Celt,
but the part OF the country where
Oren hailed from was against him.
1t was Irish against English at all
times, but whenever two men Of the
same nationality fought, the one with
the gang behind him always won. This
was the rule until J IN L. Sullivan
defeated Paddy Ryan, but as bare
knuckle fights were few and far be-
tween after that, the tough mob got
lost In the shuttle.
Abeut as fine a place of nasty ring
work which has eeHae under nay notice
was that which Butt" Riley, conceded
the best rough and tumble fighter In
the country; Johnny Murphy, a big
six foot two heavyweight, whose cham
pionghip aspirations were knocked out
of him by a Boston amateur, and our
horseshoe" friend, Owney Qeoghegan,
dealt out to Harry Hicken. a clever
English lightV eight, when he fought
Bryan Campbell, an Irishman from the
Pennsylvania coal district The battle
took place at Golfers Station, w. Va,
on March 4. 1873. Hicken was by far
the better man, but the nob-and also
the referee, George Seddons-was
against him, and the result, therefore,
was a foregone conclusion.
In the twenty-fourth and last round
the odds were 800 to $50 that Hicken
would win, as he had beaten Campbell
IN every round. The session ended by
both going down side by side in a
close embrace near Harry's corner.
Just as Ned O'Baldwin, the Irish giant,
who, with Abe Smith, was behind
Hicken, had carried his charge to his
corner and was STOPPING over him.
Geeghegan and Riley struck him and
at the same instant big "Murph." as
he was better known, ran across the
ring and struck sO'Baldwin blow on
the head with the butt end of re-
volver knocking him down. He was
kicked in the head several times while
The ring was broken into and a general
fight ensued. Hicken was forced out
of the ring. but Immediately got back,
fearing a disqualification. Campbell,
his heelers and the referee had left
however, and when the ring official
reached New York he awarded the
fight to Campbell. giving as an ex-
cuse for his verdict that Hicken had
left the ring without his permission.
That was the last pugilistic affair
Ned O'Baldwin had anything to do
with, and about a week after the fight
he retired with the following announce
ment: "Since prize fighting no longer
deserves the name, and the question
at issue is not Who is the best man"
but Where was he bornT and If his
nativity does not suit, what means can
be adopted, even murder If necessary,
to prevent defeat. 1 abandon forever
the prize ring and its present degrade
ton to such men as Riley, GeogheSan
and their cowardly tool, Murphy"