Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-02

cur carriages had disappeared in some mys-
terious way.
the notorious ovney Geoghegan, who
ran a low boxing dive on the Bowery, in
dulged In q fierce battle with Ed Touhey
in . private room for t6 a side. That vas
In 1851. After forty-nve rounds Of hard
milling Geohegan knocked his man sense
less. There was u beautiful crowd OF
crooks and cutthroats at this affair. and
at one time 4 looked as v there'd be a
great rough house.
Mike McCool. who afterwsrd gave Co
burn a bitter struggle for the champion
ship. fought Tom Jennings for 500 a side,
also in 1851. The mill took place about
fifteen miles above New Orleans anc Nc
Cool won by smashing two Of Toms -ibs
and also knocking the wind out OF him
in the twenty-seventh round. McCool was
another puEilist who could put a man away
with a terrific body blow.
FeatherweiEbt Champion Parse.
"Dick Hollywood, who finally won the
featherweight championship of America by
defeating game little Johnny Heating near
Fort Hamilton. was pltted against Mike
Dorsey OF Brooklyn at a secluded Ions
Island resort in December, 1861. for $50 a
side, but they put up a rafting fight of
thirty-two rounds, Dorsey winning. Think
Of Abe Atteli going thirty-two stiff rounds
with bare knuckles for a paltry s2S, Oh,
my,
Go back to the fighters of twenty years
ago, when even the great Jack Dempsey
did not refuse to fight for a. couple Of hum
dred dollars. John L. sullivan in mis- early
career, when he was really at his best. re-
ceived only $50 for beating Steve Taylor
at Harry Fills old sporting resort in 1881.
The same year Sullivan got $50 for knock
ing John Flood out in eight rounds IN that
memorable fight on a barge in the Hudson
river. Sullivan thought he was the greatest
man that ever lived when he flashed the
coin around town that night.
II saw Paddy Ryan sitting down weeping
at Golfers Station. w. Va, after defeating
old Joe Goss in 1880 in a sixty-five-round
fight and winning the heavyweight cham
pionship Of America.
What's the matter. Paddy" I asked.
Ryan pulled out $500 out of his pocket and
counted the tens and twenties over slowly
as he replied;
1--we got myself all battered up for a
few dollars. This is all I get for training
and fighting. Ny hackers pocketed the
other seven hundred
Gul DlCbb NCI OANf = 0NNSf
h'ain't yer the bloomin' Champion ex-
claimed old Goss. who came over to assure
Ryan that he harbored no III feeling.
Cheer up, Paddy. You're a youns
'un hand you'll ave jolly good times when
yer get back home. me lad continued
Goss as he patted Ryan on the back in a
fatherly way.
Charity for Joe GOss.
sfTbts -as tbe opIv loser of n fight j
ever saw giving consolation TO the winner.
1t was rather pathetic, too, coming as it
did from an old broken down prize fighter
who had Just received the beating that
ended his long ring career. When he got
aboard the train some Of the boys Clipped
in and presented old Joe with about $500,
for Goss had lost every dollar ne had in
the world on the result of the mill and was
going home dead broke. Poor Goss vas
arrested shortly afterward as one OF tile
principals in this affair and was taken
back to West Virginia, where ne served a
year behind the bars. But even this hard
luck did not seem to bother him. for he
soon made many friends at the jail end
was treated like a prince. Goss was the
best natured pugilist I ever knew. He
could also entertain with comic songs and
good stories. He had a big heart and was
one of the most popular fighters that ever
came to America from England
Charley Mitchell fought Jack Burke on
the Ascot race track in England in 1881 for
$3.50 a side, the battle lasting one hour and
seventeen minutes TO a draw. Ii was a
fight with the raw 'uns and both men as a
result served six months in prison. Mitchell
fought a lot Of hard battles for less than
half that amount. The first big money ne
got was when he boxed Sullivan the first
time in Madison Square Garden. l might
20 on and cite a hundred fights where the
old pugilists put UP great battles for as
much money as the modern pug pays his
tailor for a suit of clothes, but think Ill
turn to the money mad side OF the case.
some ModerR Fighters.
There's Jack Johnson, the new coon
champion, dreaming of a $4,000 purse and
c.. d. Hillman Of Seattle declaiming he g
ready to give that sum for a battle between
the negro and J~effries. ! think both the
fighters and the promoters who talk about
a 500 900 purse must be smoking some new
kind OF money mad pills. There's no place
in that world that will draw that amount
Of money unless the fight could be pulled
off in Madison Square garden, and that's
only another dream because the authorities
would never stand for 1t.
There's Battling Nelson, the lightweight
champion. declaring that his price Is tlO!VN
for, ten rounds, win, lose or draw. Still
Jack McAuliffe fought a slashing seventeen
round battle with Jack Hopper, skin tighi
gloves. for 500, and, mind you, McAuliffe
was a far better lightweight champion thar
Nehson has shown himself 10 be. George
Lavigne, VIM was McAuliffe's successor
to the title, only got s75e when he defeated
Johnny Griffin in ten rounds at the old
Seaside Athletic club, at Coney Island
and let me tell you, Layigne, in mis- prime
would have walloped Mr.. Nelson down anS
out inside Of ten rounds.
""rhe new middlewelght champion, stan
ley Ketchel, wants at least $4,000 TO bo'
ten rounds with any of the lesser lights II
his class. Pack Mcfarland is another higf
priced fellow who usually demands $500
for ordinary ten round goes, and muci
more money il his opponent is a cracker
jack. Leach Gross, who has been whipped
by Mcfarland and Drisooll, asks $500 To-
ten rounds but might fight for 5000 !
The other fellow looked easy. Sailor Burke