Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-17
CIVIL WAR DID NOT HALT
BOXING, SAYS JACK SKELLY
Many GrueIIing Battles Fought
During Darkest Days of
Rebellion.
BOUT FOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Coburn Won the heavyweight
Crown During War Between
North and South.
BY JACK SKELLY
Brooklyn Featherwelsht Who Once Gave
George Dixon Great Fight for Title.

George Dixon Great Fight for Title.
When the slsughtering. bloody Civil
War broke out in this country in 1861
many of the noted listic stars OF the
ring, both in the North and South.
shGuldered a musket and went to the
front to shoot each other down ike
other warriors. 1t was an unholy,
unwise, diapolical conflict. ike 1.lrious
other wars, and many a fine, brave,
young boxer met an dntimely death
on the horrible battlelields Of this feir
land.
= However, the ghastly rebellion do
not stop the manly art from progress
ing. for quite a number of noted
pugilists remained at home TO keep
the sport a-going, while many OF the
boys in the army occasionally pulled
off mills to relieve the monotony Of
camp life.
Unlike the European Fighters.
1 find. in looking over the history OF
American fistlana, there were about
twenty-siX finish ring battles fought
in 1861 with bare knuckles, under the
old London rules, in various States OF
the North alone. So, you see, a mere
war did not interfere greatly with the
old game in this broad continent as 1t
has done across the deep Atlantic at
present.
We all know that boxing is dead in
Europe at present, and it will be as
long as the internal war lasts. In
fact, 1t will take a long while after
peace has been declared to revive the
hstic game in the old world.
American Spirit Hard TO Kill.
Under the most distressing condi-
tlons the great American boxing
spirit seems always TO prevail With
all the puritanical and unjust laws
against the manly sport It still -four
ishes throughout this immense coun-
try and will continue to do so for
years to come.
In 1852 when the Civil War threw
dl.K, dismal cloud over this nation.
at least twenty eight hard bare
knuckle contests were pulled off Oh
this side of the Mason-Dixon line
alone.
Among them was one fought be
tween Jim Leville and Mike o Rourke.
couple of ''bould sojer boys belong
ing to Company \, First Fire
Zouaves, stationed at Newport News.
Vaa on January 2, 1862.
About an hour after reYeille had
been sounded the principals and
those who were in the secret, repaired
to the beach where ring was formed.
ORourke was some twenty-five
pounds the heavier but that did not
make much difference on such an
occasion. The soldiers fought twen-
ty-one rounds when the officer of tne
day appeared and caused a stampede.
/ only wish to refer to the above
mill to show how the boys had the
real boxing spirit almost on the eve
of a Strengthening battle. The same
Jim LeVille became quite prominent
as promoter of boxers in New York
city many years after.
Some of tue Old Warriors.
Among the noted flstic men who
fought finished mills in the roped
arena during the War of the Rebel
lion, noticed the names of Australian
James Kelly. whose battle with Jona-
than Smith, near Melbourne, Aus
tralia, is the longest bare-knuckle mill
OH record, six hours and fifteen min
utes, In 1856; Oweny Geoghegan, who
years after ran his famous boxing
hall on the Bowery, New York; Mike
McCoole, Jim Dunno and Joe Coburn,
who were three American heavy
weight champions; Ed Price, who be-
came n famous New York criminal
lawyer; John C. Heenan, who went
to England in 1850 and defeated Tom
Sayers for the worlds heavyweight
title; Bill Davis Harry Hill, BIN
Hastings, Bill Clarke, who ran a ia
nous sporting headquarters in st.
Louis for years and lived to be
eighty-two years Of age in comfort
and prosperity; Jimmy Elliott, Con
Orem, and a host of other old boxing
warriors.
Important Ring Battles During War.
1t was on May 5, 1862, that Joe Co
burn defeated Mike McCoole for the
heavyweight championship Of Ameri-
ca at Charleston, Md, in sixty seven
gruelling, bare-knuckle rounds. On
May 76 Jim Dunno, OF Brooklyn.
whipped Bill Davis, in Pike County,
Pa, in forty three slashing rounds
under the old rules.
Billy Dwyer, afterward a Brooklyn
alderman, fought some rough mills in
1863 with Tommy Chandler, of Cali
fornia, and Johnny Walker, of Eng
land. The battle with the game
Briton was a very strenuous affair
The first day they fought until dark
ness came on and the referee ordered
the men to hght it out the next day.
The final mill lasted LOG rounds.
Walker being blinded so badly that
his seconds threw up the sponge.
Billy Dwyer was brother of Johnny,
who years after beat Joe Elliott for
the heavyweight championship Of
America at Long Point, Canada.
On January II, 1864, Dick Holly
wood fought forty-six terrific, punish
ing rounds in snowstorm at Grave"
send, Long Island, for the feather.
weight title. In the last session Hol-
lywood fouled his opponent and ths
mob. around the ring broke up ths
mill and the referee refused to render
a decision. There was fierce crowd
present who badgered the principals
and the referee and threatened all
kinds of personal violence. 1t was
no Sunday school picnic to attend
one Of the old-fashioned London rule
fights. with a hard gang armed to
the teeth. Not bit pleasant for the
fighters or the peaceful spectators
who wanted to be fair and see the
best man win.
After the War.
When peace was finally declared
between the North and South in 1865,
pugilism began to boom and sporting
men opened up boxing halls in all OF
I L