Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-05
FIGHTERS UP AND
PUG|L|STs DOWN.
Story Of One Time Champions
Who Died PENN
less.
---------------
sULLlVAN's DEATH UNIQUE.
suLLlvAN's DEATH UNIQUE.
George Law, millionaire, Left Joe
Coburn ana Other Boon Com
panions Simply Nothing.

One of tho proudest mortals on
earth is champion pugllst sur
rounded by host of enthusiastic fol-
lowers, while on the other hand one
OF the saddest beings Is the broken
down, penniless prize fighter, wreck
cd by dissipation, deserted by his
friends, hanging to the ropes of life
with no way to make an honest
living. Many Of these unfortunate
fellows die in the alcoholic wards of
charity hospitals and are buried
among the unknown in Potter's field.
Their glorious battles III the ring are
forgotten by the new generation OF
fight fans, who are Interested eX-
c,lsivcly in the doings Of the present.
day pugilist.
Yankee Sullivan was a pugilistic
hero half a century ago. He fought
some desperate battles in the cast with
such topnotchcrs as John Morrissey
Tom Hyer and Billy Bell Tt was
Bell who had Sullivan finished and
the latter cried enough Just as
Bell turned TO go to his corner Yankee.
ran up behind and landed Il blow that
put Bell down ana out. That was
one OF Sulivans characteristic tricks.
and because of his sneaking style of
fighting he was not held in high es-H
TEEN by the best class OF sporting
men.
Shortly after the gold fever broke
out in California, Yankee SULLIVAN
made his way to the coast and rapid
Iy fought his way TO the front. lie
became the associate of thieves and
thugs and soon got into bad repute.
He was locked up in Frisco by tho
vigilance committee as a dangerous
character and on the morning OF
May 81. 1856. he was found dead In
his cell, having committed suicide,
it was said. Two years later a tine
monument was placed over Sullivan's
grave with this inscriptions:
SACRED.
To the Memory Of the Late
JAMES SULLIVAN,
Who died by the Hands of the Y. c..
on the 3lst day OF May, 1865,
Aged 40 years.
"Remember not, O Lord, our of
Neither take Thou vengeance on our
sins
..'Thou shall bring forth my soul
out of tribulation. and III Thy mercy
Thou shall destroy mine enemies. ;"
It is strange. but nevertheless true
that another famous pugilist lies in
an unmarked grave on the Pacific
pareil, idol of the tistic< world 10
years ago, passed away at Portland,
Or. after a famous career. Demp-i
sey's grave has been sadly neglected.
There Is no shaft Of. marble or gran
lite upon which is told who and what
he was, He was buriedsin an out of
the way spot near Portland. forgot
ten by all, but few. 1t was not
long after his death that several un-
'scrupulous person: collected a fund
from sporting mon in various cities
with which to build a monument i'll
memory of the former middle-weght
chapion, but the money was spent in
other ways.
Tom Hyer was perhaps the most pop
ular fighter New York City ever pro-
duced.. He was the broadway Dandy"
of his day. Dressed in a Prince Albert
coat, high silk hat, patent leather shoes
and stylish trousers, he always cut a
swath on the Great White way. Hyer
was frequently wined and dined by the
New York sports, especially after his
victories over Country McCluskey
George McChester) and Yankee Sulli-
van, in his last days, however, Hyer
for an existence and when he died they
were compelled to pay for his burial.
CoBuRN AND 5McooL.
Joe Coburn, another former heavy
weight champion of America, became
the pet of the sporting element in New
York City after his triumph over Mike
McCool In Maryland in 1858. They bat
tied with bare knuckles for GO rounds,
the fight lasting hour and 10 min
utes. Among Coburn's admirers at that
time was George Law the late mil
lionaire railroad magnate. Law was
a noted spender and was never SO
happy as when he had Coburn at his
side as sort OF protector. Billy
Tracey's saloon on Twenty-rinth street,
just off Broadway, was the headquar-
tiers of the millionaire and his pugil-
istic friends. 1t was also the resort of
Billy Porter, Jimmy Hope, Red John
Inary, Big Frank Mccoy, Shang ORA
per and other classy bank burglars