The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-04
FIGHTERS SUCCEED
BIG MEN WON HONORS IN THEIR
 EARLIER DAYS.
Crokef, Tweed. O,Brien and Other Not-
 able POlitfciaMs Were Handy With Thefr 11its Before .-,z T0ucxnfnE Politics.

l - . A New York paper has the follow. ing:
 NNeariy all the big fighters, and poll iticai leaders In my younger days sprang from the old volunteer Ire de. partnent." said the old New York l the other night as they discussed the good. old days when the boys ran with the machine and gained in some in- stances political prominence by light Ing many hard fist battles. There was the old "Americus Rig Six a famous fire scornpang, that lay at the corner of Henry and Gopverneus Streets. It was organized in 1949 un. der the inspiration of Boss Bill Tweed: gameness; in many hand-to- hand hght with rival fire companies.
 ~It was Tweeds- hard fighting that made him the political leader Of Tam many Hall.
 Another great aghtef followed Boss Tweed as the leader of Tammany Hall. who in his younger days was ready to scrap lat the drop of the hat: Any ago will recall his fighting face and his well-knit frame. With his beard shaved on Kelly would have passed for typical prize fighter. Many rough and tumble scrap around election time proved Kelly to be. just what ma. ture had intended him fora physical tighter as well as a leader among men. It was his pugnacity that made John Kelly the undisputed leader Of Tam many for many years.
 CPOIker Could Co Some.
 "Dick Croker followed Kelly as boss. In his early life Croker worked in the machine shops of the Harlem Railroad. where he developed his strength and grew up as hard as nails. He soon went to the head of his class as a lighter while still in his teens, winning many a hard battle before he was 25. s"One of Croker's first notable Victo- ries was over Ready Haskins in a for maj battle that was fought in cellar on the East Side. Croker's next op- feated in a hard mill in a saloon at Third Avenue and Twenty fifth Street. Probably the most noteworthy battle in which Croker had hand was the pug, which took place in Jones woods one fine Sunday morning in 1S66. It was a terrific battle. lasting nearly one hour, Croker beating his man so hard of the ring. in a helpless condition | After this victory Croker was match | ed with Matt Green and Denny Leavy, | both of whom he defeated in his char nstSs iistic honops is ssen gave croEer much | prestige with the fighting element on | the. East Side, and at the age Of 26 he was elected an alderman with the con- | sent or IWSeQ.
 'Sheriff Jimmy O'Brien was also a noted lighting leader of those days and it was 0!Srien.s reputation as fighter l that attracted the attention of Jim l Fisk Jay Gould and Fisk had a big battle on with old Commodore Van defbilt over the control of the Erie Railroad, and Fisk wanted a good game fellow as a sort of bodyguard who could scrap himself and furnish | in this capacity, made good on more | than one occasion. and Fisk paid him well for his pains.S
 | Fatty Walsh. once a leader of the old Fourth Ward. was another fighter when in his prime.
 Fists Took MOrrtseX to Congress.
 "It was Jol1u Morrisey's ability as 2 pugilsit that sent him 10 congress ano mixed up with statesmen. John. how. ever, soon tired of politics and opened up several gambling houses, at whicf he made considerable a,,i money; o litical leaders nowadays is not so es' sential as it was forty or fifty yeari ago, in the days of Morrlsey, Poole Tweed, Mclaughlin and others. but | you will look around town you car see a few leaders who have reputa tions as fighters even todsY
 Suppose, Rig Tim Sullivan was small, weak-bodied fellow would h'
 holds on the lower East Side? No
 much! Why. Tim had to go througi his district like hne-tooth eon1b ant wallop the klekers into line before hI got absolute control.
 "There's our genial sberin. Tom Flo
 ley. too. remember a few years ag' when he could have whipped any priz'
 lighter in the ring. For that matter it's dangerous even now for some O
 these aiIeeed scrappers to get in Fo
 iey's path, yet a more kind-hearted
 eaceful man never walked on Broad
 way.
 T. Sullivan. after being a fighter him
 self, and who also handled charle.
 Mitchell. Jack Dempsey and other pu
 gilists Is now deputy sherin fl
 Broollyn, and Is well up in the polit
 icai game. Marty McCue. well inowl
 here ten years ago as q pugilist o
 much ability. is representing an uppe
 East Side district In the Assembly. .. ..-.- v.sS, Na.a.aa