Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-05

Tracy was a rough and tumble fighter
himself He was also handy with a
gun and had killed a con" man named
Kid Miller on Broadway.
1t was in Tracey's place, by the way,
that Paddy Ryan had his famous rough
then the recognized champion because
he had beaten Jimmy Elliott for the
title. 1t was a fierce. grueling fight he
tween Ryan and Dwyer whileit lasted,
and probably would have ended in "a
murder had not the belligerents been
separated Both We're badly punished
and eycwltnesses said that Ryan had u
shade the better of it as Dwyer was
not in good fettle and had been drink
Ing too much to do good work. 1t was
at: these affairs that Joe Cohurn was
In his glory with law at his back. Sew
cral times the millionaire fitted up sa
looms for Coburn, but as the pugilist
was not a good business man all these
ventures failed. Law frequently bought
diamonds for Coburn and the rest Of
the gang, spending something like $780,
900 in this way at Saratoga III one day.
But at last Law, after u short illness,
died, and Coburn, Tracey and tho others
We're not mentioned in his Will. 1t WIS
then that Coburn found himself brok-
en- down old man without Il dollar, ana
after hanging on a few years, getting
a benefit now and then. he passed away
and was buried by q few loyal friends.
Columns rnalady was consumption,
Which also caused the death OF Johnny
Dwyer.. The latter was penniless when
the end came, although he had held
a position MS clerk III a police court
Paddy Ryan died q few years ago in
Troy without Il dollar to show that
he was once champion of America.
..., 4,
York City ard elsewhere, but none OF
them ever. paid. Billy Dryer, Johnnyis
: brother, fought some hard battles with
bare knuckles in his early days Later
he won't into politics and became
powerful ward leader and an alder
man In Brooklyn. But he died without
enough to pay his funeral expenses, Ill
though at one time he WAS said to be
we'll fixed.
PETE MCCOY DROWNED.
Pete Mccoy, u very clever middle
weight. who Travelled With the John
l.. Sullivan combination, was drowned.
lie fell or jumped off tug boat in
Long Island. sound. Mccoy was tinan-
cially all in when he met his fate.
sullivan proclaimed Mccoy the best
man OF his weight in the world and
offered TO back him on many occa-
sions for the middleweight title.
The tragic end of Jimmy Elliott. who
was shot dead by the late Jere Dunn in
Chicago, has been often told Elliott
was a desperate sure enough and when
not matched to fight he associated
with some of the most notorious crooks.
In fact, Elliott was regarded as pref
ty good burglar himself, as he had
served a couple of terms in states pri-
son for safe cracking. In 1879 a num-
Der of Brooklyn politicians had him
pardoned from q prison sentence in
order to match him against Johnny
Dwyer They wanted to have Dwyer
whipped for political reasons, 1T was
said. The battle came off in Canada
and DIVER Won q slashng victory In
J2 rounds Elliott was never in the
fight ut all. His long confinement In
a whitewashed cell had dimmed his
cyesight, which he gave as an Reuse
for his defeat. When Dunno shot 81
lott tho latter's body was brought to
this city and the funeral was the most
notable affair of its kind since that OF
Bill Poole. who was killed by Lew Bak-
er many years before.
There were hundreds of other noted
fighters whose deaths were sad and full
Of misery. Poor little Dixon, who held
the featherWeight championship SO
long. died a year ago, friendless,i broke
and practically a drunkard. Peter
jackson, n WONDERFUL lcttVSN We Silt, w tt9sa
a penniless wreck when he passed
away Mike sCleary, George La Blanche
Ike O'Neil Weir, Dooney Harris and
Barney Aaron. great fighters once,
all died lacking the comforts that
money could have provided for them.
Sitting 1t down, 1t may be said that
there were very few noted pugilists
who passed away in comfortable cir
circumstances. Among this number
was Ed Price, who became a leading
lawyer after he retired from the ring
and left a fortune OF at least S2OQ.O00
John c. Heenan was 'fairly we'll fixed
when he died. John Morrissey, who
handled millions in his day, left his
widow practically nothing to comfort
her in her old age. Billy Edwards was
not in want by any means. while Bob
Turnbull, who shot himself last sum
merlin his fine residence on Long Is
land is said to have left 100000 which
he had made in suburban real estate
deals. Twenty-Five years ago Turnbull
was the amateur champion Of Ameri-
ca Subsequently he turned profession
al and fought Jack Dempsey for tho
middleweight title. Jack proved too
much for Turnbull, however. but the
latter afterward toured the country
with John L. Sullivan.