The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-05-19
GPORT YARNG
 O BY THE VETERAN O
By THE VETERAN.

IA FitZSim mons as m1ddIeWelgnl champion of the world, was born 32 years ago last Monday. It was on the night of May IS, 1887, that a melodrama was produced by barn storming company in the "opery house" of the little city of Nashville, Ind, and among those present was 14-year-old lad named Norman Selby, the son of a country merchant. One of the principal characters in the play, was bold, bad man, highwayman or train robber or some thing like that, who was set down in the program as Kid Mccoy. Young Selby watched the play with breath1ess interest, and the villain of the melodrama so appealed to his youthful imagination that he determined to emulate the exploits of that vicious character The next day he told his playmates that hereafter his name was Kid Mccoy, and the youngsters, having respect for Selbys prowess with his fists, granted his de- sire.
 So Kid Mccoy was born, and the name has stuck through all his busy career as a pugilist, wine agent, auto mobile dealer, hotel keeper and the score or more other pursuits the Kid has followed. Although he is now in his 46th year, having really been born in 1873, Selby "came back about seven years ago and did more than make good in the ring in Paris. Mccoy ran away from home short ly after he had adopted the name of the melodrama villain and ever since he has been continually on the move. He has usually had the money where with to gratify his desire to rove, but in his youth there were times when he had to ride the freights and was probably referred to as a hobo by such persons as he appealed to for a handout He had been given a fair education by his parents, who wanted him to become a minister of the gos- pei, and in his wanderings over the earth he has acquired all the polish of a man of the world.
 Tall, slender and graceful, with a pleasing countenance, the Kid when clad in evening dress looks the thor ough gentleman and bears no re- semb1ance to the conventional type of pugilist. He is now said to be living in villa at Nice, in southern France and has acquired the French lan- guage. Mccoy has long entertained literary ambitions and has even writ ten poetry, some of which has been
 good enough to pass muster with the magazine editors
 N MONO the scrappers who won h fame and titles in the ring in the early days of the game in America. not the least in prowess and ability were Joe Coburn and Mike McCoole. It will be 52 years ago today since Co., burn and McCoole fought their fla nous bareknuckle battle for the
 championship of America at Charles L. Baltimore. Washington. Philadelphia and other cities witnessed the historic encounter, which lasted one hour and ten minutes and went 63 rounds be- fore Coburn won the victory and the title.
 A little later Coburn retired from the ring. and the title was claimed by Billy Davis, a Californian. Davis was whipped by James Dunn, but the lat
 ter immediately retired, and Davis again claimed the honors. Mike Me- Coole then defeated Davis, and be- came champion. In 1869 McCoole whipped Tom Allen in a bout which was declared to be for the worlds championship, although Jem Mace, Joe Mermaid and other good Eng lishmen were in the ring and Wor- maid had whipped Allen. In the McCoole-A1len fight the latter appear ed to have the best of it, and many contemporary reports declared that McCoele won by a fraudulent decision.
 A year later the first bona fide worlds championship battle ever fought in America was pulled off in Louisiana and Jem Mace defeated Tom Allen. In the meantime Joe Coburn had returned to the ring and challenged Mace to do battle for his new honors. The match was set for Dover, Canada, and was for the worlds title and s2,0o0. The mili- tary interfered to prevent the rookus, and 1t was not until 1872 that Mace and Coburn met in the ring. The bat tie ended in a row and was called a draw.
 Coburn was a husky battler, strong an OK and fairly clever, and one of the best fighters of the bareknuck1e era His brother, Mickey Coburn. was one of the best of the light weights of that period. After quit ting the ring Coburn ran a cafe in New York, and was for a time a prominent figure along the great White Way. He had many wealthy admirers, perhaps the mos enthuei- aetlc hoN1ng been George Law. th4n . na1alti= Ire traction m