The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-23
ENDURANCE SHOWN BY PUGILIsTs
so,E REMARKABLE RING BATTLES WERE GAME

tumble fighter in America. In fact,
Poole was the leader of the Hyer MOB
and did not overlook a chance to taunt
and sheer at Morrissey. Some time aft
er the battle Poole and MOrrisSey acct
dentally met in sporting saloon, ana
after heated argument they agreed TO
fight it out, rough and tumble, at
o'clock the next morning on the dock
at the foot of Amos street. When Nor
rissey appeared at the scene of action
he was attended by a solitary friend,
while Poole had about fifty of his gang
along MOrrissey naturally objected to
their presence, but Poole said with a
sneer:
"Oh, never mind them. They won't
hurt you. I'll be enough"
Then, stripping to the belt, they faced
each other to do battle. Morrissey
quickly planted his left in Poole's eye.
Like a flash Poole stopped and, catch
ing MOrrissey by the heels, he pulled
the latter's legs from under him. What
followed has always been basis for
dispute. MoTrissey always charged that
Poole was well assisted by his gang,
while Poole, on the contrary, insisted
that nobody but himself did MOrrissey
/ any harm Whatever really happened.
/ the fact remains that after being the
under dog in a brutal combat for tWen-
/ ty minutes, Morrissey said that he had
/ had enough. and was allowed to go
/ home, practically beaten to pulp But
Poole was also a fit subject for hOspi-
/ tai treatment. This unmanly contest
proved. however, that both men were
game, but it caused much i'll feeling.
Poole was finally murdered by Dave
Baker, Paudeen, Dad Cunningham, Ed
/ Turner and others, who had been run
out of California by the vigilance COM
mittee.
Previous to the killing of Poole, Tom
Hyer had agreed to battle with Nor
rissey at a well known sporting resort
on the outskirts of New York, but on
arriving there Hyer offered Morrissey
the choice of pistols. But the latter
declined to do battle with deadly weap-
ons. saying that he wanted to fight
with natures Weapons-his fists. 1t
was fiasco, all right, and it was
also the cause of an attempt to murder
Hyer by a tough named Turner and
others. Hyer was game enough, how
ever, to clean out the whole mob. even
though he received a slight wound in
the ribs.
The pluckiest men in the ring have
not always been the champions. Fid-
dler Neary, who died in Newark cou-
pie of years ago. could stand the gaf1
with anybody, aiInOuSn ne never got III
to the championship class. He could
take or give beating with as mucf
grace and ease as a king drinks glass
of wine. Night after night. in all sort.
of weather, the game Fiddler practical
" fought his way hOmeward. He usu
ally started about o'clock at Harry
, Hilrs old sporting resort in New Yorl
: CITY, where he met two or three in hi
class-or out OF it-and, after receiv
ing a good punching, he would take VI
| a collection, sometimes TO the extent o
81 or IS. Then he wouia go to Owne.
Geoghegan's boxing resort on the Bow
! cry. where he would repeat the per
. formance After that the Fiddler wen
, to Billy McGlory's dance hall, where h
: met all corners. BY that time the nigh
: was gone, and Neary hustled across t
= Brooklyn. having taken part in nearl
Z dozen fights. If ne happened to b
l knocked out in any of these little tilt
! he simply waited until he could get hi
: bearings again and was then ready {
go on. He was happy go-lucky fel
Y ilow. who cared nothing for hard knock:
S The Fiddler was as game as any fight
n ing man, even though he did not battl
[ for a championship. Even on his death
i bed the old fellow was imbued wit
@ the same characteristic. for as life
5 candle was about to be snuffed the Fid
= der whispered to the doctor:
Tell them / died game