The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-11-10


easiest thing in the world to lay
please you and say with assuran
can be deceived if the combatant!
l give you my word I have
heard ringside crowds shout
F'ake! when as matter of fac
the fiercest attacks were being mel
by superlatively fine defenses
again ! have heard the same
crowds (typically) cheer a raw melo
drama of Wallops and knockdownl
that made an expert grin and look
at the ash OF his cigar rather than
at the fight.
can't help remembering the
crack that George Siler made to
an overheated fan in the fight
which occurred between Peter
Maher and Bob Fitzsimmons, their
first encounter, In ring set up on
the Mexican side Of the border,
opposite Langtry. Tex, February
81. 1896.
SIler was the referee and in the
thiTty-fifth second of the second
minute Of fighting in the first
round Fitzsimn1ons hit Maher a
smash that all but murdered him.
Maher, as he lay there, showed
to SIler's practiced eye a man
down for q good, long nap. But as
Siler in counting him out reached
the downward arm stroke OF Eight, -
an excited bird from the bleachefE
yelled:
1TIey. George. Is it q fake?"
Not interrupting his count,
Giler, between the ninth and tenth
wave of his hand, looked up and
cOuntered:
"If he lives It's . fake; II he
dies it's ON the level"
But the historic fakes of the
game in America force their way
INTO this chronicle of my knoWl-
edge of Fistaflia, and here they
are:
Not attempting to set dates down
in their regular order in These
affairs, the first one which comes
to mind i'd the affair between Kid
Mccoy (then really q kidd and the
veteran Frank BosWOrth. Mccoy
had then no following; Bosworth
a large one, for he was a near
champion of his time.
It was agreed in advance that
they were to go the limit with a
view to q re-engagement due to the
showing of cleverness Mccoy would
make. And he surely was clever
beyond anything Bosworth ex-
pected. for in the second round he
deliberately Crossed. Frank with
that same corokscrew punch which
was to become so famous.
regret to state that it wasn't
the Kids only stunt of the sort.
In Quaker Hall, Philadelphia, he
met Jim Hall under the auspices
of the Arena A. c. of that city,
and here the crowd when it ho0ted
the fighters out OF the ring, the
referee concurring in the fifth
round, was dead In the right. The
men had been staIling all the way,
and for two SUCH clever men gtall-
Ing so clumsily that small boy
could get wise.
A bad odor. win always cling
around the bout between Mccoy
and Jim COrbeEt at Madison Square
Garden, August 80. 1900, when
Gentleman Jim" put the Kid away
IA the fifth round. The wives Of
both men were later to come out
with statements that this knockout
which the two cleverest men Of the
ring staged that night was piece
Of acting and not fighting, and the
exposure was Of such positive char
acter that Il unfortunately stands
accepted as the truth OF the match
to this day.
Going back five years, Peter
Makers match with Jim Hail FEB.
ruary Q, 1890, went six rounds to a
draw that official records call "al.
legged draw" Maher pulled his
punches" to a degree that was laugh.
able. A few months later Joe
ChOynski knocked Hall out in three
rounds in bout that was frequently
Sneered at.
December, 1896, marked one of the
most amazing dramas of the ring.
side. 1t occurred in San Francisco,
Bob Fitzsimmons being matched
against Tom Sharkey, with Wyatt
carp for referee. carp supplied the
He was gambler and notorious
''bad man" of the. West. He toted
q gun, was reported to have used it,
and had everybody believing hs
would be sure to use 1t If sufficiently
moved or excited.
It was subsequently pretty well
established that the coterie Of gam
blers who got together to offer the
$4,000 purse-$s,500 to the winner
and $1,000 to the loser, all swung
their bets to iShar'key in the fight.
Fitz plastered Sharkey all the way,
but in the eighth round dropped him
for what looked like q k. o. AT this
juncture carp suddenly waved Fitz
back to his corner and declared
Sharkey the winner on a foul.
Sharkey was awarded the $500
for winning-at least he said he was
and Fitz was handed a check for
H,500 as the short end. When Fitz
tried to cash the check II was handed
back TO him at the bank marked
mo good"
In my next article / shall have
some more to say Of famous old
flake fights" before continuing
on TO the gentlemen fighters.
copyright. 1S2St New York world),
Press Publishing Company. All
right reserved.
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