The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-08-22
FIGHTERS RELISH
THE BEST FOOD
Seine Know the Art Of
Ordering
ALSO TO EAT TOO MUCH
Sullivan a Past Master in Getting
Away With Big MeaIs-Morrissey
a Pioneer in Selection of
Fancy Dishes.


Bennett, one of Hyers admirers years
ago. to the fighter.
" It's a grand piece of meat, Bob, but
I'll have to get somebody to help me con-
sumo it,! replied the old champion, who
hunted up two broken down sports and
invited them to enjoy the feast. Tom
never cared to eat alone.
John c. Heenan was q good liver and
always put up at first-class hotels. He
surprised the sports of England with
his lavish ways. He was also new type
of fighting man to them. They had been
used to the low browed fellows with the
pugilistic swagger and rough behavior.
Heenan was an American fighter who
wore a silk hat and fine clothes and who
lived like a lord.
when John Morrissey first came down
from Troy he was rough and ready
chap, but he soon got in with the big
gamblers here and learned to eat and live
like royal person, for, let me tell you,
the old time gamblers as a class were
among the best feeders in town. They
wanted the best and were always willing
to pay the highest prices without ques-
ton.
when Morrissey ran the big clubhouse
at Saratoga with his partner, Reid, he
gave some swell dinners. We could al
ways get the best to eat and drink there,
even better than at the big hotels where
the millionaires stopped; but Morrissey,
like many other men of humble origin,
would often tire of the fancy French
dishes and order of corned beef and cab
bage.
lone night we all sat around Morris
sey's table in the clubhouse. There were
many prominent politicians there too.
Gentlemen, what's your order?' asked
Morrissey several times without receiving
any definite reply. At Last an upstate
politician broke loose with the remark:
I'll order, gents! Give US ham and
eggs all 'roundl' Morrlssey and the whole
crowd burst into a hearty laugh at the
pilSer order and John then said:
well, senator, you can have all the
ham and eggs you want. but give me
big plate of pigs knuckles and sauer-
kraut as long as we are getting down
to common everyday food? Then the
rest Of the party ordered a repast that
extended from soup to nuts.
''Old Jem Mace when he was in busi-
ness here with Phil Hargraves In TWEEN
ty-third street near Sixth avenue was a
robust eater. He liked fine big mutton
chops and luscious steaks with good old
ale on the SIDE Seeing a young boxer
eating watermelon and pie one day Mace
turned to his partner and exclaimed:
g Hi say, Phil! 'Ow can that blawsted
chap do hany f1ghtin' on that stuff, eh?'
Mace was very fond of eating at the
old House of Lords, in Houston street,
and other chop houses that reminded him
of home.
To ell with these fawncy dishes'
he would say. Give me the good hold
roast beef and Yorkshire puddin'. That's
the stuff ter make yer fight, me lad!'
Mace was always pretty careful liver
and never drank or ate to excess.
Today he's Is and lively as cricket.
when Joe Coburn was the special pet
of the multimillionaire, George Law he
lived at the top notch. Law thought moth
ing was too good for his favorite fighter
and often staked Joe to a couple of
thousand plunks at a time. I saw Law
and Coburn many a time dining in the
SWEETEST hotels along old Broadway. 1t
was Law who gave away $4,000 worth
of diamonds to some sports and pugilists
at Saratoga one day just as presents.
It was no wonder, therefore, that Coburn
became a high liver with so liberal a
friend behind him with an open purse;
but this eating and drinking made an
old man Of Coburn long before his time.
Law gave Coburn couple of saloons,
but they were failures because of the
fighters habits. In his cups Coburn was
always quarrelsome, and nothing pleased
him more than to wallop a cop. The
police, however, finally got to Coburn and
after beating him almost to death they
sent him to Sing Sing for about four
years. Law and all his money could not
square It for Coburn, who came out of
prison a physical wreck. / remember he
spared a friendly bout with John l..
Sullivan at the latter's benefit in the
Garden in 1882 1t was a pitiful sight,
for all of Joe's skill was gone, while Sui
Ivan the year before had won the cham
pionshp from Paddy Ryan.
''When Sullivan fought that big horse
market bully John Flood on a barge
anchored off Yonkers one night in 1881
practically all the New York sports be-
lieved Flood would win. About an hour
before Flood entered the ring, however,
he insisted on having a big steak in spite
of the protests of his trainer Johnny
WEIGH. m
"'Tll not fight unless get the steak
said Flood I want to be good and
strongr So they let him have a couple
of pounds Of beef, and when Sullivan pro-
ceeded to punch him in the stomach in
the early part or the battle Flood became
Ill. Flood knew nothing about ring rules
or physical condition and could not under
stand the idea of fighting on an empty
stomach Sullivan therefore annihilated
him in eight fierce rounds.
"Sullivan was one Of the greatest feed
ers l ever knew. In his prime he could
eat more tain any fighter in the world.
One night he went to supper in Brooklyn
with his hacker, Charley johnson, and
Jimmy Dreyfuss. a friend. They each
ordered double porterhouse steak with
the fxings Johnson was very poor
eater and got away with only small
portion of his meat Dreyfuss wasn't
very hungry either, and hardly ate
mouthful Sullivan, however, quickly de-
voured his steak, after pouring lot of
tobasco sauce on 1t and then gobbled up
the steaks of his friends. When he had
devoured the whole business Sullivan
looked over at Johnson and said
Charley, I'm not feeling very well to<
night. or I'd order something else!'
I'm very glad indeed, John, you're
not feeling just fit" replied johnson. IF
you were you'd eat the whole restaurant
out! When did you eat last?"
"Oh, had q fine course supper about
couple of hours ago." said John, blink
ing, but there's nothing like good, SOL
Id steak, Charley, you know!'
t"When Jack Cusack kept a chop house