Chapter III: Tom King (champion) (3)

12.――Tom was a little more on his guard this time, and
led off; Heenan returned, and a few seconds of very
hard fighting took place, both men being hit severely
about the head till they closed, when King again
succeeded in turning the tables, and threw Heenan
heavily.

13.――Although this round began with some countering
which looked very heavy, yet Heenan’s blows did not, as
a rule, tell very much; and when his seconds sent him
up King looked clean, and comparatively free from
punishment. Heenan again gave his man the hug, and
threw him. After this round Heenan’s left hand became
gradually of less service to him.

14.――Heenan feinted with his left, and threw in a
smasher on the head with his right. King stuck to him,
but after some stinging exchanges, in which he had the
best, he was thrown――one of the most tremendous
cross-buttocks ever seen――and so stunned and shaken was
King, that but for the tact and presence of mind of
Jerry Noon, it is doubtful if he could have come to
time.

15.――In spite of the very heavy falls being nearly
always in his favour, Heenan was now almost as much
distressed as King, and the punishment given was
certainly much against him. After a little sparring,
heavy counters were exchanged, and then three or four
smashing hits left and right, without a semblance of
stopping or avoiding. Heenan drew back a little, and
then lunging tremendously with his right, nailed King
with such terrific force that he staggered and went
down. (This was _first knock-down blow_ in favour of
Heenan, and was one at the few clean hits he delivered
or even attempted to deliver during the fight.)

16.――Although slower than before in answering the call
of “time,” King came resolutely up, and did not seem
greatly shaken by the knock-down blow. Indeed, Heenan
appeared worse from the effects of the last round than
did his opponent, as King had planted so heavily on his
left eye that it was badly cut and nearly closed. In
some more heavy punching――pure slogging give-and-take,
without any show of science――Heenan’s eye was quite
shut up, and he showed some decided signs of weakness.
King dashed in, and, after an exhausting struggle,
forced him down.

17.――In this round Heenan again got the fall; but it
was for the last time. He was evidently falling off;
and when once his superiority in strength or wrestling
power was gone he seemed useless and almost helpless as
a boxer. King hit him tremendously about the side of
the head and on the eyes, and it appeared as if Heenan
would soon be blind. However, as just said, he clutched
King desperately, and threw him one of the hardest
falls in the fight. But it was his last effort, and
while he became visibly weaker every minute, King,
strange to say, seemed little the worse.

18.――There was at first some fear that the ring would
be broken in; for the intense excitement among the
outer crowd had induced a rush, which broke through the
lukewarm resistance of the constables, and brought the
mass up to the ropes. Luckily, however, nothing came of
it. Heenan, thinking he had shaken King more than was
really the case, and probably feeling that he was
growing exhausted himself, rushed furiously at his man
to improve his advantage. King, however, who had
quickly recovered himself, met him with a couple of
hits left and right, stopping the Yankee’s rush, and
while he was yet on the stagger King closed, and,
giving him the crook, pitched him over, and tell on him
with stunning force.

19.――Heenan came up rather hurriedly when time was
called, but it was at once seen that he was almost
beaten, and was quite groggy. He tried his rush, but it
was no longer dangerous, and King stepped back twice,
measured his distance, planted on him without a return,
and, by a second straight hit, sent him down. In the
20th round King managed to back-heel Heenan. The same
description applies to the next two rounds, excepting
that in each of them Heenan grew shakier and wilder,
and King’s superiority more marked. At the commencement
of the 23rd round it was proposed to throw up the
sponge, but Heenan would not hear of it, and staggered
at his man with the semblance of his former rush. He
staggered after receiving a blow, and was thrown by
King without a chance of resisting. His backers, seeing
that it was hopeless, and that it was only exposing the
sinking boxer to punishment, insisted on his surrender,
and the sponge was thrown up in token of defeat, after
a desperate, but slashing, hugging, and unscientific
battle of _thirty-five minutes_, and twenty-four
rounds.

REMARKS.――We may well spare any lengthened comment upon
a contest the leading characteristics of which were
“clinching,” rushing, squeezing, and attempts at
strangulating hugs on the one side, and wild, desperate
sledge-hammer defensive hitting on the other. Heenan
proved beyond doubt or cavil that he did not deserve to
rank in the first or even second rank of artistic
boxers, and that sheer brute strength, seconded by
weight, stature, and a certain amount of mere animal
courage were his only qualifications. He seemed to have
little idea of sparring for an opening, or as a means
of defence; while the use of the skilful feints,
well-timed delivery, or accurate measurement of
distance, of getting close and then getting away, as
practised by professional boxers, he ignored or
despised. It was not the fault of Tom King that the
fight was so bad. His form and style were far the
better of the two, for he did not trust to mere
wrestling and hauling his man about, and would have
made a better show of tactics with a better man. Those
flatterers who told Heenan that he could stand a
comparison with King’s former opponent, Jem Mace, must
have been grossly ignorant or wilfully deceived
themselves. Few who saw this contest but felt, that it
was solely the accident which so early in the battle
disabled the gallant Tom Sayers’s right arm, had
prevented the signal defeat of Heenan on the memorable
day at Farnborough. King showed but few marks of severe
hitting after the fight, nor was he so seriously
exhausted by the falls as might have been expected,
considering the weight and stature of both men. On the
other hand, Heenan was seriously disfigured, indeed,
utterly prostrate, and nearly blinded at the close of
the encounter. Altogether, while an honest and game
fight, it was an unsatisfactory one; the sole point
settled being the entire absence, on the part of
Heenan, of those scientific attainments and steady
attributes indispensable to the successful practitioner
in the Prize Ring. The immense stake, £2,000, so
glaringly disproportionate to the merits of the battle,
was duly paid over to King. For the circumstance of the
appearance of the once formidable Tom Sayers at the
ring-side, as second to his former antagonist, John
Heenan, the reader is referred to pages 435 and 436 of
the present volume.

Again, and for the last time, Tom King announced his retirement from professional pugilism; we shall not, therefore, follow him into private life farther than to say, that he has carried with him the respect he earned by his public career, and that the last we heard of him was that he had earned the peaceful distinction of a prizeman, as a successful cultivator of flowers at horticultural shows, held in the neighbourhood of his suburban dwelling. And here we legitimately close the task we voluntarily imposed on ourself, of committing to the press the history of ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF BRITISH BOXING.

[41] As an example of the way Ring affairs were managed, we
may note that, after 21 rounds in one hour and a quarter,
the police really did come; that the men met the next day,
January 1, 1862, and the police, after three rounds in 17
minutes, again appeared, there being strong ground for
suspicion that they were sent for by telegram. Brettle
having sprained his ankle, a postponement was granted until
March, and then they met (the bet of £300 being off), and
after four rounds, occupying one hour and 40 minutes, the
referee gave them 15 minutes to strike a blow; but as one
wouldn’t and t’other didn’t, a “draw” was declared, March
11, 1862.

L’Envoy to the Reader.

“CONSTANT READER!”――for surely he deserves that title who hath borne me mental company through fifteen hundred pages――this is an old-fashioned book, written by an old-fashioned “pen,” recording old-fashioned manners, customs, and pursuits of men in times fast becoming old fashioned; it therefore seems fit that, in the old fashion of the L’Envoy, the Author and the Reader should have a few “more last words” ere they part company.

When Cid Hamet Benengeli, in the ultimate Chapter of “Don Quixote,” apostrophises his pen, he speaks of scribblers “who compile false and idle histories.”[42] Even so does the smaller author of PUGILISTICA feel as he ceases from his “Story of the Ring.” It would seem from the denunciation of the worthy Cid Hamet that in all times there have been literary fabricators and forgers, and the writer can certify that the History of the Ring in the present day has more than one flagrant instance. Foremost of these is a weekly newspaper professing to be the Argus of the Turf, and the Titan of Tipsters. The “Famous Old Fights” appearing in its columns are pure fiction, grafted on well-known names, dates, and anecdotes procurable from standard works of reference; the details of incidents, of rounds, &c., &c., being the emanation of the lively imagination of the newswriter, who, to our knowledge, and from innumerable instances in his blundering romance, is utterly ignorant and innocent of any acquaintance with the Ring, its professors, or the scenes he so inventively describes. The sole reason for this _exposé_ is, that as, in many instances, these forged accounts of battles purport to be between men whose combats are authentically given in these pages, the reader should be made aware, that no such reports exist in any contemporary publications, of which innumerable proofs might be given, but that we cannot spare the space, time, and trouble to “break a butterfly on the wheel.” Yet do we bear no grudge to the ingenious fiction-writer; and having set the point of truth and accuracy in its true light, we say, as did Uncle Toby, when he released the fly, “Go thy ways, there is room enough in the world for both of us.”

And now for one other topic of our desultory gossip. In the later portions of the Lives of the Boxers, we have had occasion to notice the crusade which cant, cowardice, and hypocrisy successfully carried out to the bitter end against pugilism and pugilists; we shall not here iterate their defence or apology. To render, however, the work more complete as a reference, in times when even the first principles of fair-play to an antagonist, and forbearance towards the vanquished seem to be little more than a memory, and to be fast vanishing out of the minds of a pusillanimous populace, we shall here preserve the text of the latest form of the “Regulations” which governed the practice of honourable combat between professional opponents in the P.R. The old Code, known as “Broughton’s Rules,” are given in volume i., page 25.

RULES OF THE RING, AS REVISED BY THE PUGILISTIC ASSOCIATION.

It having been found that many of the Rules of the Ring
are insufficient to provide for the various
contingencies which continually arise in prize battles,
an entire revision has been determined on, and a
committee of gentlemen, members of the Pugilistic
Association, undertook the task. When the revision was
complete, the laws were submitted to a general meeting
of the members of the Prize Ring (being members of the
Association) and unanimously agreed to.

RULE 1.――That the ring shall be made on turf, and shall
be four-and-twenty feet square formed of eight stakes
and ropes, the latter extending in double lines, the
uppermost line being four feet from the ground, and the
lower two feet from the ground. That in the centre of
the ring a mark be formed, to be termed “the scratch;”
and that at two opposite corners, as may be selected,
spaces be enclosed by other marks sufficiently large
for the reception of the seconds and bottle-holders, to
be entitled “the corners.”

2.――That each man shall be attended to the ring by a
second and a bottle-holder, the former provided with a
sponge, and the latter with a bottle of water. That the
combatants, on shaking hands, shall retire until the
seconds of each have tossed for choice of position,
which adjusted, the winner shall choose his corner
according to the state of the wind or sun, and conduct
his man thereto; the loser taking the opposite corner.

3.――That each man shall be provided with a handkerchief
of a colour suitable to his own fancy, and that the
seconds proceed to entwine these handkerchiefs at the
upper end of one of the centre stakes. That these
handkerchiefs shall be called the “colours;” and that
the winner of the battle at its conclusion shall be
entitled to their possession as the trophy of victory.

4.――That two umpires shall be chosen by the seconds or
backers to watch the progress of the battle, and take
exception to any breach of the rules hereafter stated.
That a referee shall be chosen by the umpires, unless
otherwise agreed on, to whom all disputes shall be
referred; and that the decision of this referee,
whatever it may be, shall be final and strictly binding
on all parties, whether as to the matter in dispute or
the issue of the battle. That the umpires shall be
provided with a watch for the purpose of calling time;
and that they mutually agree upon which this duty shall
devolve, the call of that umpire only to be attended
to, and no other person whatever to interfere in
calling time. That the referee shall withhold all
opinion till appealed to by the umpires, and that the
umpires strictly abide by his decision without dispute.

5.――That on the men being stripped it shall be the duty
of the seconds to examine their drawers, and if any
objection arise as to insertion of improper substances
therein, they shall appeal to their umpires, who, with
the concurrence of the referee, shall direct what
alterations shall be made.

6.――That in future no spikes be used in fighting boots
except those authorised by the Pugilistic Association,
which shall not exceed three-eighths of an inch from
the sole of the boot, and shall not be less than
one-eighth of an inch broad at the point; and it shall
be in the power of the referee to alter, or file in any
way he pleases, spikes which shall not accord with the
above dimensions, even to filing them away altogether.

7.――That both men being ready, each man shall be
conducted to that side of the scratch next his corner
previously chosen; and the seconds on the one side, and
the men on the other, having shaken hands, the former
shall immediately return to their corners, and there
remain within the prescribed marks till the round be
finished, on no pretence whatever approaching their
principals during the round, under a penalty of 5s. for
each offence, at the option of the referee. The
penalty, which will be strictly enforced, to go to the
funds of the Association. The principal to be
responsible for every fine inflicted on his second.

8.――That at the conclusion of the round, when one or
both of the men shall be down, the seconds and
bottle-holders shall step forward and carry or conduct
their principal to his corner, there affording him the
necessary assistance, and that no person whatever be
permitted to interfere in this duty.

9.――That on the expiration of thirty seconds the umpire
appointed shall cry “Time,” upon which each man shall
rise from the knee of his bottleholder and walk to his
own side of the scratch unaided; the seconds and
bottle-holders remaining at their corner; and that
either man failing so to be at the scratch within eight
seconds, shall be deemed to have lost the battle. This
rule to be strictly adhered to.

10.――That on no consideration whatever shall any person
be permitted to enter the ring during the battle, nor
till it shall have been concluded; and that in the
event of such unfair practice, or the ropes or stakes
being disturbed or removed, it shall be in the power of
the referee to award the victory to that man who in his
honest opinion shall have the best of the contest.

11.――That the seconds and bottle-holders shall not
interfere, advise, or direct the adversary of their
principal, and shall refrain from all offensive and
irritating expressions, in all respects conducting
themselves with order and decorum, and confine
themselves to the diligent and careful discharge of
their duties to their principals.

12.――That in picking up their men, should the seconds
or bottle-holders wilfully injure the antagonist of
their principal, the latter shall be deemed to have
forfeited the battle on the decision of the referee.

13.――That it shall be a fair “stand-up fight,” and if
either man shall wilfully throw himself down without
receiving a blow, _whether blows shall have previously
been exchanged or not_, he shall be deemed to have lost
the battle; but that this rule shall not apply to a man
who in a close slips down from the grasp of his
opponent to avoid punishment, or from obvious accident
or weakness.

14.――That butting with the head shall be deemed foul,
and the party resorting to this practice shall be
deemed to have lost the battle.

15.――That a blow struck when a man is thrown or down,
shall be deemed foul. That a man with one knee and one
hand on the ground, or with both knees on the ground,
shall be deemed down; and a blow given in either of
those positions shall be considered foul, providing
always that, when in such position the man so down
shall not himself strike or attempt to strike.

16.――That a blow struck below the waistband shall be
deemed foul, and that in a close seizing an antagonist
below the waist, by the thigh, or otherwise, shall be
deemed foul.

17.――That all attempts to inflict injury by gouging, or
tearing the flesh with the fingers or nails, and
biting, shall be deemed foul.

18.――That kicking or deliberately falling on an
antagonist with the knees or otherwise when down, shall
be deemed foul.

19.――That all bets shall be paid as the battle-money,
after a fight, is awarded.

20.――That no person, under any pretence whatever, shall
be permitted to approach nearer the ring than ten feet,
with the exception of the umpires and referee, and the
persons appointed to take charge of the water or other
refreshment for the combatants, who shall take their
seats close to the corners selected by the seconds.

21.――That due notice shall be given by the stakeholder
of the day and place where the battle-money is to be
given up, and that he be exonerated from all
responsibility upon obeying the direction of the
referee; that all parties be strictly bound by these
rules; and that in future all articles of agreement for
a contest be entered into with a strict and willing
adherence to the letter and spirit of these rules.

22.――That in the event of magisterial or other
interference, or in case of darkness coming on, the
referee shall have the power to name the time and place
for the next meeting, if possible on the same day, or
as soon after as may be.

23.――That, should the fight not be decided on the day,
all bets shall be drawn, unless the fight shall be
resumed the same week, between Sunday and Sunday, in
which case the bets shall stand and be decided by the
event. The battle-money shall remain in the hands of
the stakeholder until fairly won or lost by a fight,
unless a draw be mutually agreed upon.

24.――That any pugilist voluntarily quitting the ring
previous to the deliberate judgment of the referee
being obtained, shall be deemed to have lost the fight.

25.――That on an objection being made by the seconds or
umpire the men shall retire to their corners, and there
remain until the decision of the appointed authorities
shall be obtained; that if pronounced “foul,” the
battle shall be at an end, but if “fair,” “time” shall
be called by the party appointed, and the man absent
from the scratch in eight seconds after shall be deemed
to have lost the fight. The decision in all cases to be
given promptly and irrevocably, for which purpose the
umpires and the referee should be invariably close
together.

26.――That if in a rally at the ropes a man steps
outside the ring to avoid his antagonist, or to escape
punishment, he shall forfeit the battle.

27.――That the use of hard substances, such as stone, or
stick, or of resin, in the hand during the battle shall
be deemed foul, and that on the requisition of the
seconds of either man, the accused shall open his hands
for the examination of the referee.

28.――That hugging on the ropes shall be deemed foul.
That a man held by the neck against the stakes, or upon
or against the ropes, shall be considered down, and all
interference with him in that position shall be foul.
That if a man in any way makes use of the ropes or
stakes to aid him in squeezing his adversary he shall
be deemed the loser of the battle; and that if a man in
a close reaches the ground with his knees his adversary
shall immediately loose him or lose the battle.

29.――That all stage fights be as nearly as possible in
conformity with the foregoing rules.

We ask, in the name of humanity, too often taken in vain, a calm and dispassionate perusal of these rules, confident that the appeal will at least induce a more charitable opinion of the men who could frame and act upon them than ignorance or prejudice would form. “It has been constantly urged,” says an experienced writer, “as a ground of objection to the study of the skilful use of the fist that it makes men pugnacious, and more ready to seek than to evade a quarrel, in order that they may display their fancied superiority. Observation and experience do not confirm this view. We have almost invariably found (except with persons who cannot command their temper, and if this be the case, whatever be their acquirements, they will be equally without control) that the consciousness of power inclines men to be less prone to quarrel, and more forbearing against an opponent. Of this abundant proofs are to be found, not only among the ordinary classes of society, but more particularly among professed pugilists, who, with a few exceptions, are the last to invite a quarrel, and the first to seek a reconciliation. Many instances are on record, and have passed under our notice, in which the most respectable members of the Prize Ring have actually submitted to positive insult rather than exercise their athletic powers and take advantage of the weakness of an assailant. This calmness of disposition, joined with perfect self-possession, is in fact one of the most valuable attributes of a British boxer, and one of the best tests of true courage. That there may be and are exceptions to this rule cannot be denied; but all must concur in the proposition, that for the strong to oppress the weak, or the scientific boxer to take advantage of an ignorant and helpless opponent, is an act of cowardice deserving the utmost contempt. The ruffian who would strike a woman is not less deserving of execration than he who, for the mere purpose of displaying his scientific acquirements, would assail another not equally gifted. The great end of pugilistic instruction is, to instil into the mind of the pupil a manly and honourable bearing, combined with personal confidence in the hour of danger; we have no apprehensions, therefore, that its pursuit will lead to the abandonment of those principles of self-respect and fair play which are alike estimable in the minds of all classes.”

And here we will once again ask the question, without fear of a valid retort, “Has the experience of the last twenty years, read by the light of our police reports, and the records of our criminal courts, shown any improvement in the character of what are called ‘offences against the person’?” On the contrary, familiarity with the use of deadly weapons, of the knife in murderous varieties of “the bowie” the “Spanish,” “the Arkansas tooth-pick,” the “knuckle-duster,” the many-chambered revolver, with the stringent repression of all pugilistic conflict by an ever and over-vigilant police, has undoubtedly led to swifter, more sanguinary, more treacherous, and more deadly modes of settling those differences which must arise, especially among the lower classes of society. To this humiliating catalogue of brutality we may add the savage use of the iron-bound clog, and the “running kick,” so fatally studied and practised by a section of the community which in ruder and in better times would have scorned such an unmanly mode of attack, and would not even have permitted it where several spectators were gathered together. But alas! the outcome of the decay and suppression of fair fighting is manifest; the doctrine of assassination is publicly preached in the press and in public meetings, and “the gospel of dynamite” is the latest development of the “superior civilisation” of a people who

“Scorning all treacherous feud and deadly strife,
The dark stiletto or the murderous knife,
Boasted a science sprung from manly pride.
Linked with true courage, and to health allied――
A noble pastime, void of vain pretence――
The fine old English Art of Self-defence.”

Whether fair and regulated prize-battles are destructive of life, and absolutely and directly shorten the period of man’s longevity, may be fairly a subject of inquiry. A few statistics may well give us pause before we decide this point, which an insufficient investigation and popular prejudice would pronounce in the affirmative, while a candid consideration of the following table may prove the negative――that is, as compared with many other gymnastic and sporting exercises. Deaths in the prize-ring, or even as the consequences of pugilistic encounters, do not show a marked diminution of the term of human life, in the recorded instances of the ages of the most celebrated professors and practitioners of the art of boxing:――

AGES OF THE CHAMPIONS FROM BROUGHTON TO TOM KING.

BORN. DIED. AGE.
John Broughton 1703 1789 85
Tom Johnson (Jackling) 1750 1797 47*[43]
Daniel Mendoza 1763 1836 73
John Jackson 1769 1845 76
Jem Belcher 1781 1811 30*[43]
Tom Belcher 1783 1854 71
John Gully, M.P. 1783 1863 80
Tom Cribb 1781 1848 67
Tom Spring 1795 1851 56*[43]
Jem Ward (still living) 1800 ―― 81
Bendigo (William Thompson) 1811 1880 69
Benjamin Caunt 1815 1861 46*[43]
William Perry (Tipton Slasher) 1819 1881 61
Tom Sayers 1828 1866 38*[43]
Jem Mace (living in 1881) ―― ―― ――
Tom King (living in 1881) ―― ―― ――
――――――――
880 yrs.
An average of fourteen lives nearly 63 years.

Our last plea shall be drawn from the records of the “collective wisdom” of the nation, wherein we flatter ourselves manly common sense will find little difficulty in discriminating the characters of the meddling, malignant and persecuting preachers of the doctrine of “sweetness and light,” from the generous and tolerant spirits who declined to use the powers of government against the much-maligned Ring, its professors and patrons.

We have noted the wave of puritan cant which for some ten years previous to 1860 had rolled over the land, and the force of which was long after felt. In the last-named year it gave trouble and unrest in the Senate.

On the 13th of April, Mr. HADFIELD gave notice, on presentation of a petition, that he would call the attention of the Government to a meditated breach of the peace, by a pugilistic contest to take place between an American citizen and a British subject for a so-called Championship. He added the extraordinary information that “the newspapers had given notice of the time and place (?); “therefore he asked the Secretary for the Home Department whether he intended to take measures to put down such intended disturbance of the public peace and prevent an exhibition so contrary to the religious sense of the country at large――(laughter)――and he would further ask whether the public might rely on his doing his best to prevent so brutal and demoralising an exhibition to the rising generation as the announced contest between this American gladiator and――――(Laughter prevented the rest of the hon. member’s question reaching the reporters’ gallery.)

Sir GEO. C. LEWIS, rising, said: The contest between these redoubtable champions (a laugh) has been brought under my notice, and I have transmitted the letter to Sir Richard Mayne, who, I have no doubt, will take the necessary steps to prevent a breach of the peace within the metropolitan district. Beyond this I cannot assure my honourable friend; I cannot venture to give any positive promise――for if he is informed of the time and place I am not, and I don’t think they are fixed――it is, therefore, impossible for me to say whether the police will succeed in preventing the “incursion” in question. (Laughter.)

Mr. HADFIELD was by no means satisfied with the Right Honourable gentleman’s answer, and should again raise the question.

The fight came off unsatisfactorily, as all the world knows. _Punch_, in the following week, tells us (in his “Essence of Parliament”):―― “_Commons._ More fun about the fight. Mr. Ewart admitted but deplored the interest taken, and the questions raised upon this matter; but wanted to know what power there was to suppress such doings, except the police power to suppress riot? Sir G. G. Lewis was also at a loss to know how to deal with our modern Dares and Entellus.”

A young Yorkshire noblemen, however, a newly-fledged M.P., Lord Lovaine (now Earl of Beverley) sought to make political and religious capital out of the affair. His lordship opened fire by an attack on the directors of a certain railway company――the South Eastern――for “their conduct in offering facilities for the conveyance of persons to these illegal contests,” and to raise the question, my Lord Lovaine, “moved for copies of any correspondence on this subject, which had passed between the Government and the South Eastern Railway Company.” He also inquired whether the Government had attempted to enforce the law, or whether anything had been done to stop the practice of letting trains for the purpose he mentioned.

To these impertinences, spiced with some personal inuendoes, Lord Palmerston replied in the following terms:――“He would not argue the technical legal question that a fight between two men――not a fight of enmity, but a trial of strength――is, legally, a breach of the peace, and an act that renders the parties liable to prosecution; nor whether the persons who go to witness it are not, technically, involved in the charge. But, as far as they are concerned, they may conceive it to be a very harmless pursuit; some persons like what takes place; there may be a difference of opinion, as a matter of taste, whether it is a spectacle one would wish to see, or whether it is calculated to excite disgust. Some people look upon it as an exhibition of manly courage, characteristic of the people of this country. I saw the other day,” said his lordship, “a long extract from a French newspaper, describing this fight as a type of the national character for endurance, patience under suffering, of indomitable perseverance in determined effort, and holding it up as a specimen of the manly and admirable qualities of the British race (hear). All this is, of course, entirely a matter of opinion; but really, setting aside the legal technicalities of the case, I do not perceive why any number of persons, say 1,000 if you please, who assemble to witness a prize fight, are in their own persons more guilty of a breach of the peace than an equal number of persons who assemble to witness a balloon ascent (laughter). There they stand; there is no breach of the peace; they go to see a sight, and when that sight is over they return, and no injury is done to any one. They only sit or stand on the grass to witness the performance, and as to the danger to those who perform themselves, I imagine the danger to life in the case of those who go up in balloons is certainly greater (hear and laughter) than that of two combatants who merely hit each other as hard as they can, but inflict no permanent injury upon each other (hear, hear). I think there is moderation in all things――moderation in all opinions; and although it may or may not be desirable that the law should be enforced――whatever the law may be――still I do not think any advantage is gained or good done, either to public morals or public feeling, by the sort of exaggerations in which the noble lord has indulged. At the same time the motion is one to which I see no objection, and therefore I do not oppose it.”

Some sparring took place, in the course of which Lord Lovaine taunted the Premier with a love of pugilism, and with sanctioning rather than discouraging these meetings. Mr. Scully also had a fling at the Premier.

Lord PALMERSTON replied as follows:――“I distinctly stated that it was ruled by legal authorities that such prize fights were breaches of the peace; but I protest, at the same time, against the exaggerated terms in which the noble lord (Lord Lovaine) characterised the conduct of the spectators on those occasions.”

“Colonel DICKSON was surprised to hear his hon. friend (Mr. Scully) take the noble lord at the head of the Government to task for the remarks he had made on this occasion, for he (Colonel Dickson) could not understand an Irishman objecting to fighting (a laugh). The noble viscount (Palmerston) had not laid himself open to such taunts. He sat on a different side of the House from the noble lord, and did not often find himself in the same lobby with him on a division, but he would say for the noble viscount that if he had one attribute more than another which endeared him to his countrymen, it was his thoroughly English character and his love for every manly sport (cheers). He (Colonel Dickson) never saw a prize fight in his life; but he would say that the two men who fought on the recent occasion showed qualities of which the whole English race had reason to be proud, our own man in particular (laughter), who evinced powers of endurance and an indomitable pluck which entitled him to the admiration of his countrymen (cheers.) Many men in this country received honours who did not so well deserve them. He did not think Parliament ought to legislate with the view to put down manly sports; and, with regard to the duties of magistrates the law was clearly laid down. Magistrates themselves ought to know when to act and when to shut their eyes (a laugh).”

The returns were then ordered; but whether any such papers existed, or of what use they were to the meddlesome movers, the world is to this day in ignorance. We should say that the whole debate was a peg on which to hang a sanctimonious attack to the glory of the “unco’ guid” assailants. While on this topic we will add a well-authenticated anecdote which was current at the time in the clubs.

While the Home Secretary (Sir G. Cornewall Lewis) was solemnly explaining and admitting the illegality of Ring-fights, a well-known sporting M.P. was collecting a “purse” for Sayers. Lord Palmerston came upon the group, and was instantly arrested by the amateur collector. “My lord, I want a sov. for Tom Sayers.” “A sov. for Sayers? Splendid fellow that; I’ll give you five.” “Thank you, my lord; but the subscription is limited to a single sov.” His lordship, with subdued alacrity, “Well, here it is; but I wish it was five.” There were noblemen then, in soul as in title; in humble life as in exalted. Do they survive, and have they the courage even of their own opinions?

Ah, me that I have lived to hear
Such men as ruffians scorned.
Such deeds of valour “brutal” called,
Canted, preached-down, and mourned!
Ah! that these old eyes ne’er again,
A gallant mill shall see!
No more behold the ropes and stakes,
With colours flying free!
Yet, in despite of all the jaw
And gammon of this time,
That brands the art of self-defence――
Old England’s art――as crime,
From off mine ancient memories
The rust of time I’ll shake.
Your youthful bloods to quicken
And your British pluck to wake;
I know it only slumbers,
Let cant do what it will,
The British bull-dog _will_ be
The British bull-dog still.

_Valete ac plaudite_: The curtain has fallen!

WOOD GREEN. H. D. M.

[42] “And now, my slender pen, whether cunningly cut, or
unskilfully shaped, it boots not much; here, from this rack,
wire-suspended, shalt thou enjoy repose to future ages, if
no presumptuous and wicked hand shall take thee down, and
profane thee by compiling false and idle histories.”――“THE
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE SAGE AND VALIANT DON QUIXOTE DE LA
MANCHA,” book iii., ch. XXII. Smollet’s translation.

[43] A reference to the memoirs in these volumes will fully
show, that in each of the instances of early death, marked
with an asterisk (*), extraneous causes account for the
comparative shortening of life.――ED.

INDEX TO VOLUME III.

PAGE

B

BENDIGO. _See_ THOMPSON, WILLIAM.

BENJAMIN, BILL, or BAINGE 399, 406

BRASSEY, of Bradford (JOHN LEECHMAN).
Fight with Young Langan 340
Fight with Tass Parker 344
His death 351

BRETTLE, BOB.
His pugilistic career 414
His battle with Tom Sayers 416
Defeats Jem Mace 451
Is beaten by Tom Sayers 452
Is challenged by Jem Mace 457
Adjourned fight 458
Is beaten by Mace 459

BROOME, HARRY (Champion). 1851.
Younger brother to the renowned “Johnny” 308
Born at Birmingham 308
Early glove displays 308
Rivalry of East and West. The Broomes 309
Fred Mason (the “Bulldog”) 309
Harry matched against Mason for £50 309
A prepossessing “first appearance” 310
Harry beats the “Bulldog” 311
A twelvemonths’ rest. Joe Rowe 314
A trip down the river 315
Harry defeats Joe Rowe 316
Tom Spring resigns his post as referee 319
Second battle of Broome and Joe Rowe 321
Matched with Ben Terry 323
A suspicious affair and a “draw” 324
“The Great Unknown,” Harry and the Tipton Slasher 325
Broome’s remarkable increase in weight and stature 325
His fight with the Tipton, and Peter Crawley’s decision, 327
Negotiations with Harry Orme 330
Matched for £250 a side 330
Defeats Harry Orme 333
The old “Tipton” again 336
Broome forfeits to the “Tipton” 338
And to Tom Paddock 338
Is beaten by Paddock 338
Retires from the Ring 339
Becomes a publican at Portsmouth 339
His death in 1865, aged 39 339
Joe Rowe’s “Sultan Stores” (note) 339

BURKE, JAMES (“the Deaf’un”).
His birth and parentage 94
Strand Lane Stairs. “Jack-in-the-water” 95
The Thames in the first quarter of the century 95
The old “fighting days” 96
Joe Parish. “the Waterman.” “The Spotted Dog” 96
Eminent watermen pugilists 96
The Deaf’un’s first fight 97
The butchers of Clare Market 98
An Impromptu mill. Defeats Tom Hands 98
Defeats a “New Black” for “a purse” 99
Enrolled in the _corps pugilistique_ 99
Beats Berridge at Leicester 99
Matched with Fitzmaurice 99
Beats Fitzmaurice at Harpenden 100
Spars with Young Dutch Sam 100
Is ruptured by an accident 101
Defeated by Cousens of Chichester 101
Defeats Girdler at North Chapel, Sussex 102
“Whiteheaded Bob” and the Duke of Cumberland 102
High prizes prohibitory of prize-fights 104
A stratagem. Grabbing the wrong man 104
Beats Gow at Temple Mills 104
Bob Hampson’s challenge and defeat 105
Three battles within six weeks 105
Beats Tim Crawley 108
Tommy Roundhead and Frosty-faced Fogo 109
A Homeric battle; the muses appeased 110
“The Deaf’un’s” merits as a sparrer 110
Matched with Birmingham Davis 111
A disappointment 111
Defeats Birmingham Davis 112
Matched with Blissett 113
Beats Blissett 114
A dinner at Tom Cribb’s; and a match 115
Beats old Jack Carter 115
A “little go.” Lazarus and Jem Brown 116
An interval and a sparring tour 116
Beats Yorkshire Macone 117
Challenges from Cousens and Josh Hudson 117, 118
Bill Charles, “the Welsh Champion” 118
Claims the Championship 118
“Too heavy” for Young Dutch Sam 118
Sign articles with Simon Byrne 119
“The Deaf’un’s” courage and humanity 119
The “Irish Champion” and “the talent” 119
The day before the battle 120
The fight and fatal result 121-125
Verdict of “manslaughter” against Burke and others 126
Subscription for the Widow Byrne 126
Trial and acquittal of Burke 127
Presentation of a service of plate to the Editor of
_Bell’s Life in London_ 128
Challenged by O’Rourke 128
And by Young Dutch Sam for £500 (!) 128
And by Jem Ward for £500, but not less than £100 a side, 128
O’Rourke’s challenge and departure for America 129
The Deaf’un’s “ancient statues” 129
Harry Preston and “the Deaf’un” 130
Plays at Sheffield in “Valentine and Orson” 131
Burke’s “farewell,” and high stakes for prize battles 131
A maximum stake of £200 voted 131
Sails for America 132
His welcome in the New World 132
Sails South to meet O’Rourke 133
Riots in New Orleans, and escape of “the Deaf’un” 133
Returns to New York 134
Battle with and defeat of O’Connell 135
The _New York Herald_ and the P.R. 135
Burke’s arrival in Liverpool 138
The “big ones” of 1838 138
A general challenge from “the Deaf’un” 138
The school of “Tom and Jerry;” a trip to France 139
Returns, and is beaten by Bendigo 139
“The Lament of Deaf Burke” 140
The Deaf’un again in the field, and matched with
Nick Ward 141
Beaten by Nick Ward 141
The Deaf’un’s oratory 142
Indicted with Owen Swift, Ned Adams, Dick Cain, Lord
Chetwynd, and others 143
The “Battle of Bedford” and Parson Cautley 143
Address of Deaf Burke to the Grand Jury of Bedford 144
The trial and its result 148
Receives forfeit of £15 from the Tipton Slasher 148
Night-houses in the Haymarket 149
Bob Castles and “the Deaf’un” 149
A match between Old Ones 149
The voyage to Rainham Ferry 150
The fight. Burke the conqueror 151
“Triumphant epistle of Deaf Burke to Bob Castles” 155
Dissipation, disease, and death 156

C

CASTLES, BOB 149

CAUNT, BENJAMIN (Champion) 1841.
A native of Nottinghamshire 47
Hucknall Torkard and Lord Byron 47
His first defeat by Bendigo 47
Beats William Butler 47
Beats Boneford 48
Second match with Bendigo 48
A mail-coach Journey to Doncaster in 1838 48
The road to the fight 52
The combatants “interviewed” 53
Incidents and mishaps 54
The fight; a magisterial interference 56
The fight won by a “foul” 58
Remarks on the battle 59
Caunt receives the stakes 60
A new match for £100 a side and a forfeit 60
Challenges by Brassey and Caunt 60
“An heroic epistle from Brassey to Caunt” 61
Estimates of the men 62
Newmarket and its neighbourhood 64
A battle of “big ’uns” 66
Caunt the victor 69
Claims the Championship 69
Challenged by Nick Ward 69
Loses with Ward by a “foul blow” 70
A second match made 70
Stratford-on-Avon the rendezvous 71
The field of battle, Long Marsden 72
The Champion’s new belt 73
Caunt defeats Nick Ward 74
Caunt “Champion,” sails for America with the “Belt” 77
A “buncombe” challenge 77
Charles Freeman, “the Giant” 78
“The Michigan Giant” and “New York Baby” 78
Returns to England, March, 1842 79
Caunt’s “Champion Cup” 79
Challenges Bendigo, Tass Parker, and the Tipton
Slasher, in six months, each for £200 79
Bendigo again in the field 80
Caunt loses his third battle with Bendigo 80
A dreadful domestic calamity 80
Caunt and Nat Langham; a silly feud 81
Matched for £200 a side 81
Ben’s challenge to Tom Sayers 83
Misgivings as to Caunt and Langham’s encounter 84
The battle 86
A “draw” and a “dispute” 88
The “dropping” system 92
Caunt in retirement 93
His death, Sept. 10, 1861 93

H

HURST, SAM (“the Staleybridge Infant”).
His battle with Tom Paddock 307
Matched with Jem Mace 459
His battle with Jem Mace 460
Defeat and retirement 463

J

JONES, AARON.
His fights with Harry Orme 253, 262
Ditto with Tom Paddock 283
Beaten by Tom Sayers 237, 287
Fight with Bob Wade 245
Challenges Tom Sayers 419
A renewed match with Sayers 431
Surviving in 1881 358

K

KING, TOM, (Champion) 1862.
His birthplace, Stepney 490
Adopts a sailor’s life 490
Voyages to Africa 490
A foreman in the docks 490
His inoffensive character and courage 491
Disposes of a “’long-shore” bully 491
Introduced to Jem Ward 491
A challenge for a small stake 491
A forfeit from Clamp 491
Matched with Tommy Truckle, of Portsmouth 491
Beats Tommy Truckle 492
Arrival of Heenan 494
Matched with Harry Poulson, of Nottingham 494
Challenges Sam Hurst for Championship 494
Matched with Evans (Young Broome) 495
The Championship and Circus quackery 495
Ring performances of Young Broome 495
King defeats Young Broome in two Rings 496
Large stakes for little fights 500
Matched with Mace 500
A tedious interval 501
The approaching day――anxiety 501
A clerical “tip” 501
The journey to the fight 505
King defeats Mace for the Championship 505
King resigns the belt 509
A telegraphic message corrected 510
Heenan again in the field 510
Agrees to meet Heenan 511
Articles for £1,000 a side 511
Heenan in training 512
His pedestrian feats 512
Difficulties as to the place for combat 513
Three nights of watchfulness 513
Scene at London Bridge 513
The “roughs” at fault 513
A morning ride 514
Speculation; arrival at the ground 514
The ring at Wadhurst 515
The fight 516
King defeats Heenan 516
Remarks 517
Conclusion 518

L

LANGHAM, NAT.
His qualities and “unlucky” weight 234
Born at Hinckley, Leicestershire 234
His first fight 234
Comes up to London 235
An impromptu battle. Defeats Tom Lowe 235
Challenges Joe Bostock 235
Beats “Doctor” Campbell 236
Challenges; matched with Gutteridge 236
Defeats Gutteridge 237
Nat receives forfeit from Angelo and Gutteridge 238
Matched with Sparks the Australian 238
A trip per steamer and a strategic movement 239
Nat defeats Sparkes 240
In want of a customer 242
Matched with Harry Orme 242
Beaten by Harry Orme 243
Goes into business at Cambridge 243
Alec Keene, Tom Sayers, Harry Brunton 243
Nat matched with Tom Sayers 244
A trip per Eastern Counties Railway 245
A model mill; Nat defeats Tom Sayers 246
Tom and Nat, rival pubs 251
A ridiculous match. Langham and Ben Caunt 251
“A draw.” Nat dies at the “Cambrian,” Sept. 1st., 1871 252

L’ENVOY TO THE READER.
The extinction of the Ring 518
Fabricated accounts of Prize Fights 519
The Crusade against the Ring 519
The noble supporters of Boxing 519
Ages of the Champions from Broughton to Tom King 524
Parliamentary discussions 524
Railway directors and special trains 525
Anecdote of Lord Palmerston 526
Cant and cowardice _versus_ manly courage 527
Farewell to the reader. Finis 528

M

MACE, JEM (Champion).
His merits as a boxer 444
Degeneracy of pugilists and Ring-patrons 444
Birth of Mace 444
His parentage 445
His travelling propensities 445
His first Ring fight 445
Matched with Bill Thorpe 445
Rapid increase in weight of some pugilists 445
Mace beats Bill Thorpe 445
Comes to London. Proposals for matches 448
Returns to Norwich, and matched with Mike Madden 449
A dispute and a disappointment 449
Six months’ quibbling 450
A new match and a “bolt” 450
Reappears as “George Brown’s Novice” 450
Matched with Bob Brettle 451
Beaten (?) by Bob Brettle 451
Appears as “Bob Brettle’s Novice” 452
Matched with Posh Price of Birmingham 452
Defeats Posh Price 453
Becomes a publican 454
Challenges; matched with Bob Travers (Black) 454
Career of Bob Travers 454
Beats Bob Travers (an adjourned fight) 456
Quarrel with Bob Brettle 457
Match for £200 with Brettle 458
Beats Brettle in an adjourned fight 459
Matched with Sam Hurst 459
The “Staleybridge Infant” 459
Defeats Sam Hurst 460
Mace hailed as Champion 462
Tom King challenges the title 462
Mace defeats Tom King 465
Heenan returns to England, 1861 468
Mace in business as a publican 468
Brettle backs “an Unknown” against Mace 469
Brettle receives £25 from King’s backers to retire 469
Mace defeated by Tom King 469
Matched with Joe Goss, of Wolverhampton 469
Mace stakes £600 to £400 on the part of Goss 469
Match-making “considerably mixed” 469
Fighting career of Joe Goss (note) 470
Precautions against police interruption 471
Riotous conduct of roughs at railway terminal 471
An early journey into Wiltshire 472
The “referee” difficulty again 472
A police intervention 473
A disappointment, and return to town 473
An adjournment “down the river” 473
The fight on Plumstead Marshes 474
Mace defeats Joe Goss 474
A “side-light” on “bogus” stakes 475
The anti-pugilistic press 476
The _Morning Star_ and _Dial_ 476
The _Saturday Review_: reflections on the fight 476
A “champion” from the New World 477
Mace and Coburn matched for £1,000 477
Cavilling negotiations 477
A sketch of Joe Coburn 477
Edwin James & Co. 478
Contrast of olden Ring “patrons” and modern Ring
“agents” 478
Lord Shaftesbury an admirer of boxing (note) 478
Provincial tours 479
A journey to Dublin 479
A public “secret” _more Hibernico_ 479
Press men in Dublin 480
Irish arrangements 480
A London celebrity 481
A scene at the rendezvous 481
Goold’s Cross, Limerick, named 481
A shindy, and the match “off” 482
A farce, and the a stakes claimed 482
The stakes drawn 482
Irish humour 483
An archiepiscopal hoax 483
Comments thereon 484
Colours and “good faith” 485
Mace offers to fight Coburn for £100 486
Degeneracy of the Ring 486
New “big ones” and the Championship 486
“Train-swindles” 486
Mace and Joe Goss’s second match 486
A “no-fight” 487
A new giant, O’Baldwin 487
O’Baldwin claims the belt 487
Mace’s “Unknown” 487
O’Baldwin and Joe Wormald for £200 487
O’Baldwin loses his way 487
Forfeits £200 to Wormald 487
Mace offers to fight O’Baldwin 487
Mace arrested and held to bail 488
Sam Hurst brought on the stage 488
Flight of the Champions to America 488
Their “doings” there 488
Mace beats Tom Allen at New Orleans 488
Returns to England 488
A publican at Melbourne, 1881 488

MASON, FRED (“the Bull-dog”) 309, 311

O

ORME, HARRY.
His birth. Harry an “East-ender” 253
His brief but brilliant career 253
Aaron Jones of Shrewsbury 253
Orme defeats Aaron Jones 254
Is matched with Nat Langham 256
Beats Nat Langham 257
A second match with Aaron Jones 259
The “ring,” at Newmarket 259
Hazardous ground. A shift 260
Fight No. 1 262
Fight No. 2. A second interruption 263
A misunderstanding. Jones refuses a third meeting.
The victory awarded to Orme 266
The stakes given to Orme. Legal proceedings 268
Orme viewed as the “coming Champion” 269
Matched with Harry Broome 269
Defeated by Harry Broome 269
Becomes landlord of the “Jane Shore,” Shoreditch 269
His death, June 9, 1864 269

P

PADDOCK, TOM.
The Championship at the appearance of Tom Paddock 271
Tom fought the best men of the day 271
Born at Redditch 272
Beats Pearce, of Cheltenham 272
Defeats Elijah Parsons 272
Nobby Clarke 274
Paddock backed against and beats Clarke 274
Second match with Nobby Clarke 276
Clarke loses by a “foul” blow 276
Paddock as Johnny Broome’s Unknown 276
Loses the fight with Bendigo by a “foul” 276
Forfeit with the Tipton Slasher 276
“Draw” with the Tipton Slasher 276
Receives forfeit from Jack Grant 277
And from Con. Parker 277
Is beaten by Harry Poulson 277
Beats Harry Poulson 277
Convicted of “a riot,” and imprisoned ten months 278
Letter from “Lydon” on the affair 279
A third match with Poulson 279
Beats Harry Poulson a second time 280
Is a matched with Aaron Jones 283
Beats Aaron Jones 283
Aaron Jones’s qualifications 285
Paddock challenges the Championship 287
Receives £180 forfeit from Harry Broome, who is
arrested 287
The late Mr. Vincent Dowling 288
Renewed match with Aaron Jones 288
Beats Aaron Jones 290
Harry Broome’s challenge 294
Preliminary proceedings 294
An excursion by the “Eastern Counties” rail 295
The fight; defeat of Harry Broome 299
Sympathy for the loser 302
The Tipton Slasher again 304
Tom forfeits to the “Tipton” 304
Challenges Tom Sayers. Alec Keene’s letter 305
Caunt challenges Sayers 305
Paddock’s serious illness; kindness of Tom Sayers 306
Paddock’s recovery. Match with Tom Sayers 306
Beaten by Tom Sayers 306
Beaten by Sam Hurst 307
His death, June 30th, 1863 307

PARKER, TASS.
His battles with the Tipton Slasher 191
His fight with Brassey of Bradford 347
Ditto with Harry Preston 351