The Ronan pioneer., 1917-11-02
CON @REM, PIONEER PQy@0A0$T OF MONTANA,
LOST ONE CHA PD0MSHDP BATTLE THR@W
PISTOL POINTED AT HEAD OF THE REFEREE

Is the squared circle a thing of the
past in Montana?
If pugilism has gone forever, ban
ned and barred, it is of interest, at
least, to know that it was a prize
fighter-and one of the best ones,
too, who ever vaulted over a rope
who started the movement that re-
dent Lincoln of the territory of Mon
tana, the same being carved out of
what in the early COS was Idaho.
Con Orem, dead and gone these
many years, was the man who is Gre
dited with first having given voice to
the idea of separate territory in
Guiding the boundaries of what is
now Montana. 1t was this same Con
Orem, who, by the way, died in Butte
quarter of century ago, who
fought the famous battle of 1856
rounds to draw with Hugh O'Neill
in Virginia City in January, 1868.
Pioneers still living, who resided in
old Virginia City in that far distant
day, can still shut their eyes and see
the battle as it took place that win
ter day. Orem weighed 1873 pounds
and was considered one of the great
est fighters in the country, while
O'Neill, weighing 1856 pounds-47
pounds more than Orem--was expect
ed to be easy victor. But when the
sun was sinking in the west behind
the mountains, Orem was still bat
tling, so the referee declared all bets
off and called the fight draw. This
proved a popular verdict
I,,io,,Il C%i11 T.iunS
Con Orem came to Montana from
Colorado, and before he was attracted
to the gold camps of Alder gulch and
Grasshopper creek, he claimed to be
the champion of Colorado. He had
little difficulty in defending his title
on the Platte river, so in 1862, bef> re
he drifted back into what today is
Montana, he decided to head eastward
and see whether there we're any along
the Atlantic seaboard who cared to
challenge the supremacy of the
champion of Colorado.
Along in April of that year he
CHANGED to be in Philadelphia, where
a fighter of some note-OWney
Geogheghan-met Orem's challenge
and May 8, 1852, was fixed upon as
the day for the battle. There still
lives in Philadelphia, at the age of
"a, Billy McLaren, an old-time prize
fighter, who saw that battle and who
tells of the exciting incidents sur
rounding it. Billy Mclean lives at
Rittenhouse Square in the Quaker
City, being the official caretaker OF
the place, which position he has held
for 25 years.
Bluffed Referee With Gun
The feature of this fight, according
to Mclean, was the manner in which
Orem, although an easy winner, was
cheated out of the decision by spec
tator, who held a revolver at the head
OF the referee and forced that official
to declare the contest won by Geog-
hegan on foul at the end OF the
fifth round.
Beside being for the champion
ship of Colorado" said Mclean re-
Gently to a Montana resident, "the
fight was for a purse of $1,000, each
side having contributed one-half OF
that amount toward the stakes. A
weight of 140 pounds was stipulated
London prize ring rules to govern
The place selected for the battle wa:
Cheesequake Creek, few miles from
Keyport, N. j.
"I've seen many and many f1gh'
with the raw 'uns on the turf, bu
never in the history of the prize rims
since the days of Tom Cribb has there
ever been such a lawless gathering
at sporting event as there was tha
day Orem fought Geogheghan. The
worst element of roughs from Phil
adelphia, New York and the whole
eastern seaboard was congregatet
to see this affair. Money was plenti
full. Some of the eastern states wer'
then paying 81, 200 to $1.500 bount!
for soldiers, and fully two-thirds o
the mob present were bounty jump
ers. They arrived by the hundreds
in and about Keyport the night be
fore the fight to get the proper til
as to where the ring would be pitched
on the following morning. The sa
looms were packed all night. Run
had full sway Jersey apple jack
Riot and incendarism were the rul'
of the mob all night. Barns were Sc
on fire for the amusement of th'
toughs.
"The morning of May 3, 1862, wa
a right, crisp one, and at daybreak
" ~ " ~ nm