The sun., 1909-05-02
.FIGHTWG AMERICAN TARS
NAVY PRODUCES MANY PRO-
FIpIENT Grove WIELDERs.

< -. A----
Hing Cusesp. IIsse Been Hold for Years
% ttn1IeS eNnss Wsrships Jimmy
Il, AkSse-fsrmess Champion, Also Won
I! E%a1NA Tttierycea shAfkey the Best.
'ThA Yshiye sailors are noted all over
the world for their game fighting quail
ity. 'eAaitithc old New York sporting man
to his friends the other. night during a
tanning bee about incidents Of the prize
ring. Il remember away back forty-two
years tSo when ! shipped aboard the
o. g. 3, Pawnee as boatswain and sailed
for south America.,
I&Snted 70 see tho world and GER
tainfy did see 1t too with great deal OF
satisfaction from the deck of a man-o'-
war. When we got to Montevideo In Sep
tsmbef, 1881. we had the U. S. s, Guer-
risre with US. On board both vessels
there was a bunch Of lads willing and
anxious for little sport, Finally Jack
Mitchell and Billy Turner, two sturdy
young tars, agreed 10 fight II out under
the old London prize ring rules. They
both belonged to the Pawnee and put up
q slashing battle Of twenty-five rounds,
each taking severe punishment for more
than anrhour. when we decided that they
had gone far enough, and the fight was
called a draw.
The next month we had couple moro
hard mills. the first being between, Pete
Keeland and Joe MoAvoy of the Pawnee.
They fought at Rio and McAvoy had
enough in Ave rounds, lasting just four
teen minutes, In the same ring John
O'Connell, alias Blunt met Jimmy Ross.
the champion of the navy at that time.
After q good battle for nine rounds Ross
was declared the winner and proceeded
to issue challenge to any than-o'-wars-
man In the world.
Ross was only a middleweight. but
he had 8 terrible wallop and was also
as game. as a pebble. One evening a
lark. They ran up against crowd OF
greasers who we're very insulting and
swore that they opuld clean up the
Yankees with ease. There we're five
greaeers who we're particularly offensive
In their TRADE against Uncle Sam. After
some hot challenges Ross stepped for
ward and declared -he' would fight each
Of tbs I've greasers. one at time. with
ten minutes rest between battles. They
laughed at the offer at first, but finally
agreed to have one fight and selected
the biggest greascr as Ross's opponent.
The men stripped quietly. and the
Rio gang thought they had cipch, II
was 4, 60 as you please scrap. regular
rough and tumble affair The big greaser
made desperate grab at Roes's throat
but the sailor ducked and responded
with an uppercut that put his antagonist
on the floor. In a second Ross was on
top OF the greaser, butting his face into
q pulp. The Rio gang was amazed at
Ross's ,quickness and the fierce punish
ment he handed out and soon agreed to
buy drinks for the crowd in order to save
their man from furthtP harm. Ross s
victory settled tho whole shooting match.
and after that the Yankee tars commanded
much more respect In Rio.
.In the early part Of 1868 Harry Bet
ford of, the, ,Pswnee and Mike Travnor Of
New York met in the ring et Montevideo
ard foukht one 6f the hardest battles
ever ssw. II lasted for thirty seven
rounds, one hour and, ten minutes. Tray
nor winning after receiving a terrible
punching, On the big dock at Rio not
long after saw the fierccst rough and
tumble battle Of my life between Tom
McGrath and Barney Farrell Of the G,ier-
riereS After terrible struggle which
/ lasted more than two hours the men fell
from exhaustion and the mill was de-
clared q draw. They were so fearfully
punished that thev we're kept In q hospital
for nearly month. Farrell, by the way
psid he WAS cousin OF the noted Joe
Coburp. who .was then tte heavyw eight
champion of America. 80
Shortly after this scrap Joe Garron
and Dan Dempsey fought in coal bunker
aboard the Guerriere. Dempsey won by
closing both of Cartons ewes in tho four
teenth round, TIE brittle lasting one hour
and nineteen minutes Altar this affair
the Pawnee and the Guerriere wore or
dered home and the L. s. $. Lancaster
Englishu1an. was one Of the Lancaster's
crew and he CHALLENGED any man in the
feet toa combat, Mike Iandv accepted
and the battle took place aboard the
cruiser. II took twelve rounds for game
Mike 10 put a stop TO Big Bill.
aboard at this IL. time t. s. Big Ti csdrns nrfs0 IN Tss ss
psoific Ocean. He deffed every tar in
tire navy. One fine day Tel was ashore
1T Valparaiso whan re- ran into Tommv
RoIndkead w ho short time before bad
a hot 20 with tho yell known Dugl;st
Tommy Chandler. Roundhead disputed
priscolfs claim to plgilstic honors in
VI Q navy and thev fought like tigers until
there was riot in progress et the ring
side. Each man cleime1 victory. but
IL was such mixed up affair that there
was no decision.
@In 1874 the L S s Plymouth was In
the European feet Aboard Of her
was Tom Hunibornc fighting English
man. who had been the terror OF the feet
for several years. On tho sama vessel
was Billy Golfer. alias Cochran, who had
no ring record but who volunteered 10
tackle the aggressive Briton on French
soil. They h'd slashe5 awav for thirteen
rounds when Golfer wns Gecl,red the win
rer Golfer afterward married the widow
Of DaEk errigan. ut one time middleweight
champion or Apcrica.
when the American feet was at Kew
West In 1873 Billy Bovln or the r. S 3.
Dictator kont ~ sporting hotel there
which was the hang 1rt for all kinds OF
fohters- They bad tn, gloves on day
and night and ,'here were both boxing
hcw Paloy Sons knocked out The Terror
from New ,Orle !ns who came over to Kew
Wet TO- wipe out all tha tars in the feet.
Al ter WallnDjne Tn" 'Perror cut i'm seven
scsn rounds BALD was arrested paid
fine and. Was oil the job bright and early
iext mcrnrc washinr the deck.
1On the 7. s, s. Colorado in 1874 were
Tim Mshoncy and Daro Casey. They
fought twic~ along the coast between ey
cided advant1ee. although most Of us
considered Mahoncy thu 6ettor man.
About the 81 mo time tive L y S Swatara
wae out in New N alaud A bllrlv Emo.