Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-20
YOUNG MEN FIGHT
WITH BARE FISTS

Continued from PAGE One
boxing circles as Mickey Burke" Each
is in the welterweight class, weighing
about 14o pounds None Of the rules OF
Queensberry were observed in this fight.
1t was a case Of give and take, and fists
hammered against flesh with sickening
emphasis
There were no rounds or rest moments;
both kept on fighting until it was ply
slcally impossible for one of them to fight
any more That one was Berkowitz. He
crumpled up under a blew over the heart
and a stiff right uppercut on the jaw.
The fans waiting on the curb knew the
decision when Schwartz staggered from
the stable. his hair disheveled, his eyes
bloodshot and his face marked by the ter.
rife punishment he had received at the
hands of his opponent. Schwartz VIII
receive the purse today.
Several days ago Berkowitz Is alleged
to have struck Schwartz during an arEu-
ment After that. II Is said Berkowltz
began talking in large numbers mean
ing he was ready to fight Schwartz for
any amount of money. Finally he Is
sued direct challenge. and Schwartz ac-
cepted. Each man Immediately put up
$40 as forfeit money
They agreed to meet at sth and Walnut
streets, yesterday morning, and decide
upon the battle ground. Both men APP
peared at the time agreed upon, and each
was accompanied by 25 or more ad-
herents. In the crowd was Michael
StriclSler, a former Pennsylvania law
student, and n widely known boxing en-
thusiast
BEST MAN WINS"
Each Of the fighters, so the story goes.
made side bet of 5000 which, with the
forfeit money, brought the pure to S42O.
Berkowltz selected Babe" o'Rourke and
Bruce Burke as his seconds, Schwartz
appointed Harry Thompson and another
fight fan as his seconds. The stable OF
Samuel Isaacson, at 510 Pine street was
selected as the meeting place. Both
Schwartz and Berkowits agree to fight
without gloves after the manner OF the
John L. Sullivan and Jack Kilrain bout
of many years ago. II was agreed that
the contestants should go unattended to
the hayloft of the stable, lock themselves
in and fight until one of them was whipped
II was to be the case of the best man
wins"
Headed by Schwartz and Berltowitz, the
fans marched five abreast TO the stable.
Church bells were ringing and hundreds
of men, women and children on their
way to church services looked curiously
at the young men as they made their
way toward the scene of battle. The fans
remained on the curb In Pine street, while
Schwartz and Berl5owitz wended their
way through an alley TO the stable, which
is a three.story brick building The only
occupants of the first floor of the stable
were four horses several chickens and
two ROSTERS. The two men went into
the hayloft on the second floor and
Schwartz turned the key in the lock. Both
men took off their shoes and stockings
and stripped to the waist. Each was clad
only in their trousers. Then they took
their positions, eying each other with cat
like alertness, and waited for signal
from a fan known as whistler Andy. II
was agred that Andy was to give the sig
nal from Pine street, five minutes after
the contestants entered the stable. The
whistle came shril and clear. and the
men hit at each other with their fists
FIGHT EIGHT MINUTES.
The fans waited in tense excitement out
de for the outcome. Thousands OF dol
ars were placed In bets. One of the
heaviest betters was said TO be Barney
FORD, a brother Of Eddie O'Keefe, widely
ynown welterweight. The situation among
he betters became more tense as they
,eard the thud of blows and the whine OF
he wounded and exhausted men in the
,ayloft. Some of the betters themselves
,early came to blows. Each minute seemed
when eight minutes had actually passed
suddenly there was heavy fall, ana
lence in the hayloft. A minute later the |
table door creaked. and out stumbled |
schwartz, breathing heavily.
II win" he gasped. go up and look at
lin. I got him with left jab over the |
,eart. and followed 1t up by stift upper
ut on the chin"
The fans rushed to the hayloft and |
ound Berkowltz lying on the floor. He
vas exhausted, but managed to gasp: He |
rot me by foul blow"
1t developed that early in the fight Ber-
Sowitz injured his left hand by banging |
I against a spike in one of the ceiling |
supports of the hayloft.
Schwartz refused to talk about the fight |
oday in his quarters in the Sherman
Hotel.
"Only a little Misunderstanding" he |
aid. There was no fight forget about 1t. !
will your"
Samuel Isaacson was away yesterday. |
,ut his wife was at home.
II didn't know anything about any |
Ight,' she said IL wouldn't allow any |
ighting around here I did notice, how |
ver. that there were lot of men hanging |
round here yesterday, and 1 wondered !
What they were doing"