Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-12-27

WCfS Tile CJubcobSltS III kAODdu4y Tic
first prize fight ever held In what was
then Montana territory. The bout was
staged at Nevada City, old gold min
ing camp in Alder gulch.
And, although the fight was a bare
knuckle affair, fought in the days be-
fore boxing gloves, and went 40 rounds,
it was practically as bloodleSs as the
Shelby fight.
Orem and Dryer fought before
crowd Of several thousand gold miners
without knockout or a decision. The
fight took place on Friday. Oct. IS,
1857.
Sheriff OBLIGATED
After the fight had gone 40 rounds
the sheriff Of the county, who was
officiating as referee, adjourned the
battle over to the following morning
when it was intended to continue the
fight to finish, but before the time
arrived for resumption of hoStilities
the hackers of the two men got to-
gether, agreed upon a division of the
purse, called off all bets and suspend
ed further activities.
The two men fought at about 14O
pounds and the match was staged in
a corral about 100. feet square with
seating accommodations for between
2,500 and 5000. Miners, teamsters,
stage drivers, gamblers, and merchants
Of Nevada City, and the nearby town
of Virginia City, as well as from the
placer diggings of the collaborating
gulches in that section of the state,
constituted the crowd which congre-
gated for the fight and when it had
gone 40 rounds with neither fighter
going down for the count they were
greatly disguised with the result.
Disgusting Finish
This dissatisfaction found lasting
expression In an account of the fight
written by the editor of The Montana |
Post, published at Virginia City, ap- |
pearing in the issue of Nov. 2, 1867, as |
follows:
1--WE premise the sequel to the fight |
of last week by stating that we are |
utterly disguised with the task. At |
noon on Saturday we wrote out and
published in an extra a statement |
that we afterwards found was not the |
exact facts in the case, and suppressed |
it. In that we stated what was the
general impression on the street, and |
it was not until late in the afternoon
that any other reports we're circulated.
after the first day the referee re-
fused to have anything further to do
with the affair, and no other referee
has been chosen, leaving us to give
the case as nearly as we can under
conflicting statements. At o'clock on
Saturday morning Jimmy Dwyer
walked down TO Nevada and at 8
o'clock stripped and toed the scratch
a minute and a half, in good condi-
ton for a renewal of the fight
Orem Got $500
"In the meantime. four gentlemen
met in Con Orems room, where the
arrangement was made: The
hackers were allowed to withdraw the
main stakes and Orem was 10 receive
something like $500 of the ring money,
about one-third, while Dwyer received
Oren then signing paper
that he was not in a condition TO re-
new the fight on account Of his hand.
Jimmy Dwyer returned to town not
knowing that any arrangement had
been made with Orem; but it had been
made at half-past eight. Those who
had bet ON Orem nearly all paid their
bets on the presentation Of the paper
signed by him. Orem had the worst
Of the first days fight, and did not
come up to the record he had made
for hard fighting; yet we believe it
was a perfectly honest and square
set-to. He was not, however, so badly
punished as in his first encounter
With Marley.
Blue AS Indigo
"Jimmy's fight was a good one and
veil managed His blows were not hard,
but he put them in thick and fast
about Orem's head, until his face be-
ran to swell when he let Orem do the
orcing and maintained the defensive.
"Orem crowded the fight for a few !
rounds. Failing to get at his man the
light fizzled into a sparring match.
0wyer Is a cool, game fighter and
handles his fists admirably. he showed !
yery little punishment from the en-
counter, his excellent condition pre-
Tenting any swelling or diScolor, while
)rem, with a face full Of meat,
welled up and got SIS blue as indigo.
'Dwyer's friends claim he is the
and won the fight squarely,
While Orems refer to the arrangement
made and the fact he still retains his
olors. 1t is a muddled affair as we a
ook at 1t, and as there Is no referee {
o decide, we leave the decision Of the, q
o us, very unimportant question to y
hose Interested The above are the 4
acts In the case as nearly as we can (
rive at them" 7
sury the Ratchet L
That this dissatisfaction, particular n
? upon the part of the indignant (
ditor Of The Post, threatened to re- o
ult in the passage of a law by the
srTitorial legislature to abolish prize
Ighting, is shown by another article o
caring upon the fight which APP r
cared IN the same issue Of that paper. f
t follows: fl
There was considerable talk yester- A
az OF another match between Con
rem and Jimmy Dwyer. The men n
anne together last evening to talk C
he matter over and after a short o
Interview agreed to bury the hatchet, W
l..