The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1906-04-13
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)
MOST FIGHTERS DIE POOR.

The story of George Dixon's defeat
the ether day brought me up with a
round turn to take a look over the
field of fighters who have gone to the
bad financially after winning all kinds
of good hard money in the prize ring,
and I began to think back over the list
OF men knew, something of in one way
or another who have come off no bet
ter.
It's funny thing, but the average
fighter never has much horse sense
when 1t comes to handling money I
say The average, but don't count my
self in on the average by a whole lot,
because I've got neat little bundle,
and I am going to hang on to it. I'm
plenty cagey enough for that
It's an actual fact though, that most
OF the fighters have gone off, and
have wound up in restitution at the
end. Perhaps some of these college
sharps who find a good living in fig
uring out things of that sort AMI
writing yarns about them, can tell
what angle in boxers nature brings
him down that way, but can't and
SO I'll leave it to them. I've been
looking up the records bit Of late;
and the first instance can remembes
off the bat, SO to speak, is Yankee
Sullivan.
Anybody who knows anything about
the ring at all knows he was a top
notcher in the game half century
ago. yankee" was, as I say, real
fighter, and his real name was Frank
A. Murray. He went along and beat
everything that was put up agains:
him for awhile-and a good while at
that, until he met Tom Hyer, and Ton,
took his measure. Then he stacked
up against John Morrissey, and John
trimmed him, too. He was down AMI
out, and he went west. He landed in
California somewhere in the fiftieS
and the records show that he ran
across the vigilantes who were dealing
out law and order in Frisco about
that time. They figured him out for
a bad man. and he went to Jail for
= awhile, While he, was there it was
a gang Of burglars that were pretty
busy there, and while there wasn't a
shred of evidence against him, the Wig
ilantes arranged to execute him.: He
was murdered in his cell, but he put
up a game fight, just the same. lie
hadn't a. penny when he passed over
the divide. 80 ~
s"~" -. >~, 80
Everybody remembers John p Glow
who was shot through the heart by a
policeman: at Denver in $780,: The
rolicemanS name was F. c. Marshall,
and the shooting occurred December .:
When they went through the dead mai
they found Is cents, and that was
everything he had in the world but
his clothes, and yet he had cleaned
up a good bit of money in his day.
There was John Morrissey. who
gathered up more money than any
ether fighter of his time, not even cx-
cepting John l.. Sullivan, and he die!
with AZ cents in actual cash on MIN
After Heenan put him down and out.
he went into the gambling game and
opened up somewhere on Broadway
in New York. I've been told on good All
ihority that at one time Morrissey was
worth $2,50O,O00, and that he i. was
steered by old Commodore Vanderbilt
in some big real estate deal. After
the Commodore passed away. Morrissey
hit the toboggan; and passed ON to join
the rest. :" -
It's fact, too. that his widow went
to work in; a collar factory up in Troy.
N. Y, and worked for years for a dol :
lar day.. They tell q lot of stories
about Morrissey, and it has been said
he gave his wife 5000 900 worth Of dia-
monds, and that she used It'd like to
wear them all at once. i OF course. it's
history that Morrissey became state
senator of New York. and later a
eongl essman. but it didn't make his
fall any softer that I've heard. It
was his fault, in way, too, that Bill
Poole got his death in 1855, It's
hong story to go into here, but Bill
got mixed up in politics, and double
crossed Morrissey some way. They
were going to mix it UP with the bare
knuckles, and they were going to meet
on, a dock. Each man was TO have
two friends, but Poole showed up vita
500, and the beating Morrisseye got,
someG him for years. or course he
WAS going to get square, and he did &
in February, OF the next. year "A
gang hoped him zone night when ne
was in Stanwix hall, on the Bowery.
and Bill was shot. / He lasted nine
days, aad he went Soret with the rest.
It isn't necessary to mention that ne
had two dollars and a half whes they
looked him over -: = 4. =. - 8
George Fulljames got his up in
Manitoba 3 few years ago. while h.:
was il the ring with an unknown. A
focal man had some heavy money 90
tie unknown, and when the time came
where George was going to hand his
opponent his, the local man Drained
him with a bunS starter. don't be-
lieve the case was eyer looked into by
the police. iss
Tncr there was John Gully. q crack