The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-27

,eh' ne Dougnt 100 acres OF land In Flush
ing which contained valuable building
on M sold 1t to most anybody on credit
without proper security. On this prop
erty Hill built a fine hotel and country
home. He became the owner OF a fleet
Of tugboats and a couple OF steamers,
after which he wanted to establish a ferry
between Flushing and Fulton street,
new York. q venture In which he sank
thQusanda Of dollars.
police and fought them tooth and nail
until his fortune was exhausted. The
cops never let up on Harry and followed
him to Brooklyn, East New York and
nnaiiy Corona, near Flushing, where be
died fourteen years ago at the age Of 10,
a financial and physical wreck. II he had
saved half the money he spent on ~pugilists
he might have lived his last days in com.
fort and ease.
."If. there ever was a man who went
plumb broke on the pugilists It was Warren
lewis. He had a big heart. q ready fist,
an open purse and an idea Of honor that
would not have disgraced q churchman.
Lewis was born at Ithaca. N. Y, in 1874,
and became a first class railroad engineer.
When the civil wa broke out he was
Valley road. He quit r~ailroading and
went to the front, but his arm was broken
In battle and he had TO leave the Union
army. The arm was not properly set and
was always crooked In after lie. This
bent arm often fooled q fellow In an i'm
promptu scrap, for Lewis could punch
good and hard with II.
the war and ran the first engine over the
old Culver road to Coney Island. Then
he got mixed up with the sports and
opened a couple OF saloons. One Of
these resorts was in Bond street, this
city. and was q great meeting place Tor
the pugs. Among them was Jack Demp.
sey. Mho gaze nightly exhibitions OF
s wnssiauae 10 At b assry H y ,op D netoR ssh xss
and in 1880 he induced Lewis to back him
against Billy Dsoey In a skin glove battle
for the lightweight championship OF
Long Island, which was pulled Oh 10 the
parlor Of the old Campbell House on the
Coney Island boulevard. Dempsey won
so easily that Lewis and Gus Tuthil put
up 81 600 for him to meet George Full
james. They fought on Staten leland
where South Beach 10 now and Jack won
in eighteen hard rounds.
Then Tuthill stole Dempsey away from
Lewis, and the two hackers who had been
partners in business separated. They
had built the first big dance and concert
hall Sbar on the the 0 mad Iron . II pie or m At oSns goa 1sasaa'
WIOt0 Why hhhoO y " u b1oAoy sOsOWfoi'
There was no special police force at Coney
Island then and by special sanction from
John Y. McKane the enterprising Lewis
organized he most wonderful force the
island has ever known. It was made up
Of ten policemen, all OF them pri1ehghters.
Steve Taylor ri the captain and Jack
a;d's t John sI.n M'G =. Doc DScn %,o hsyri sob M,1s
George Rookie. Gus Lambert and Joe FL
lingsworth were in the ranks.
'Lewis spent much money trying, to
get Dempsey whipped. He also lost
a bundle backing Jake Kilrain against
Sullivan. onsl night he was out for q
lark with Jack McAulife. They drifted
into the Gilsey House and met Al
Smith, who told them that Jim Corbatt
was broke and had no hacker to make
good 81 500 for his match with Fitzsim-
mons. Lewis. who had bsBn hitting up
the wine, offered to put up this money
for Corbett and this was printed the next
morning. much to Lewis's surprise. But
he stuck to his word. backed Corbett.
made several big bets that he'd win, took
several friends In a private car to Carson
City, whore he lived for four days Like a
lighting cock, and then returned home
a loser to the extent Of $4,000.
Lewis never broke his word with the
fighters. He offered a 81 500 purse for
a battle between Peter Maher and Steve
o oonnen at &c S9ne Al, Island ND. on Inc Christmas os1dsss
frost in the history OF local pugilism,
for the clubhouse was practically empty.
Just before the mill started Lewis's son
tried TO get the old man to call 1t n and
give back the money to those who had
paid admission.
.'No, my son. replied Warren. m
I'll pay the q. 500. sit in my box and enjoy
the sport. Let all Coney Island come in
This costly fun lasted only about
half a minute, for Maher put O'Donnell
out in a punch. The only complaint
Lewis made was in a jocular way when
he turned to Maher and said:
peter, / told you not to hit Steve too
hard at FIRST, as l wanted to get my
moneys WORTH
Lewis's end was pathetic. When his
bank roll had dwindled to $47.5l he drew
a check for that amount in his sons favor,
took the steamboat Rhode Island, n
when che reached the darkest part OF the
Sound the broken hearted old sport
driven the veteran hacker OF pugilists to
commit suioide. -.
sDiok Roche at one time was one Of
the gamest hackers OF pugilists in this
country. He put his money up for Jack
MoAulife and other noted men OF the
ring in thousands Roche was a very.
wealthy gambler in the middle West
twenty years ago. He often won or lost
S25 900 at a sitting without turning a hair.
he was a high class faro bank player and
never had a limit: but Roche seemed to
encounter misfortune after he became
stuck Oh the fighting game. He opened
the old Puritan Club over In Long Island
City / n 1891 and dropped a barrel Of coin
irving to make 1t q success. When Roche
In his prime he was an easy mark
10 fighters Who wanted TO make a touch,
but now he's down and out.
when Bob Ftzsimmons was in hard
luck a couple OF years before he became
champion Of the world by defeating Cor
bett he met a great friend In Police Cap
tain Charles Glori Of Newark, who FED,
clothed and housed the Cornishmun until
the latter could get IN his feet. Fitz
at the time didn't have a cent. but Can't.
Glon became so infatuated with hin
that he resigned from the Newark Police
Department to become the freckled
fIehter's manager. Glorl secured some
EASY matches for Fitz. formed a theat.
rical show that made big money and
finally got a backing which compelled
Corbett to make q match. After doing
all this and much more Glori was de-
iiberately turned down by Fitzslmmons,
who also threatened to punch his head.
Then the good nntured captain found
himself high and dry without a show or a
position and was forced to accept d much
lower position with the Newark police
force.
noteI Tor their unerstefuiness. n you
ami believe IL ask al Smith. parson
U--v Wakeiv Dick Roche