WAS A POLICE FINISH.
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Barry-Leon Fight Stopped in the Fourteenth Round.
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LEON HOPELESSLY BEATEN
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But a Draw Was the Verdict of the Referee.
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Huge Mob of Sports Crowd Second Regiment Armory--Ryan and Santry Go Undecided.
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Jimmie Barry last night whipped Casper Leon. True the police stepped into the ring and ordered the fight to cease, but this was not done until Barry could not lose and Leon was hopelessly thrashed. The affair was to be a draw if both men were on their feet at the end of the fifteen round or in the event of interference.Thus the sporty boys were treated to another police finish. Leon got an awful drubbing, and Barry, while the records won't make mention of the fact, scored a really decisive victory. The end came just before the conclusion of the fourteenth round. Barry had been pummeling the Sicilian all over the ring, had him bleeding, and finally, already groggy, Leon was sent to the resined canvas with a left and right hand swing. Both landed on the face. The latter felled him, and, with his bleeding face upturned to the ceiling, the practically whipped man heard Referee Malachi Hogan count eight seconds. He staggered to his feet unsteadily as if to proceed, but Captain Martin Hayes and six of his men in civilian attire had already ordered the referee and Barry to stop.
There were between five and six thousand men of all shapes and conditions in the old Second Regiment Armory on the Lake Front last night, drawn thither by two fights. One was an eight-round affair between Kid Ryan and Billy Santry, the other, the star feature of the evening, was the Barry-Leon bruising match. The arrangements were wretched. Men who paid $2 and $3 apiece for reserved seats found themselves crowded out and made to stand up. The rail dividing the reserved sections from the general admission was brushed away like a cloud of smoke, and the "cheap push" invaded the high-priced territory.
Between the two affairs Paddy Carroll asked the audience to remain quiet for the big affair, but the sports were out for a night of blood and riot, and his words fell upon deaf ears. Carroll announced that "Strangler" Lewis and "Farmer" Burns would wrestle for the heavy-weight championship of the world, with no holds barred, for $1,000 a side and the total gate receipts on April 20 in the hall, and then the combatants came on. This was at 10 o'clock, the main event having been previously announced to begin at 9. Barry entered the ring first, with Choynski, Essig, and McGurn behind him. Leon followed, backed by Billy West, Billy Duplessis, and that inordinate esquire of losers, James Robinson. Malachi Hogan was referee, Cohn and Vere Davies respectively acting as timers for Leon and Barry.
Fight by Rounds.
First Round--Leon looked the bigger of the two as they came up, though there could not have been five pounds difference between them, Leon being the heavier of the two. Both were in apparently good shape, Jimmie Tomkins, on whose farm near Kankakee Leon had trained, stating that the alien was 50 per cent better than he was when Barry licked him at Lemont last year. Leon started the fracas by sending in a short left lunge, which landed lightly. Barry swung his right, but missed, and a clinch followed. Leon got in a left-facer and repeated. He again landed, this time on the neck, as the gong called them apart. Leon's round.
Second Round--The Chicagoan rounded to here and set out at a merry clip. After some harmless exchanges Barry got home to the jaw with a dazer. It staggered Leon, and it looked as though things were over with. Leon clung to, however, and a desperate rally ensued. Both landed, but Barry's efforts were propelled by the greater steam. Barry's round.
Third Round--Leon surprised everybody by coming back here and getting the better of this round by some sharp short-arm work. He crossed over on a short lead from Barry's left, and crashed his right in against the local man's jawbone. Barry dropped, cleanly knocked down. Leon's round.
Fourth Round--Leon and Barry shaped up about even in this round, Barry going for the heart and Leon essaying some futile and very amateurish left-hand work. Even.
Fifth Round--Barry's left eye was coloring up. He closed in and landed enough short-arm swings to give him the best of the round.
Sixth Round--Barry found the jaw with the left, and followed this with a right to the body. Barry forced matters, and closed with his banner pretty well up in the air.
Seventh Round--Leon had slightly the best of this, though Barry kept up his bombardment of the heart and short ribs.
Eighth Round--This was the tamest of the lot and productive of little worthy of mention. Even.
Ninth Round--Barry sent in a couple of repeaters to the heart and the body. Leon doubled successfully to Barry's body and left eye. Toward the finish a hot exchange occurred in which Leon was badly punished. Barry's round.
Tenth Round--Both were tired. Leon's face showed signs of warfare. Barry kept pumping away at Leon's heart, landing one every now and then to the face. Leon got in one blow. Barry's round.
Eleventh Round--Leon had long since looked the loser, and Barry tried to finish him. He got in all over his man. Leon's feeble left lunges bringing his face well in to Barry, who took only mediocre advantages of the openings. Barry finally got in to the heart, changed his course, showered in a succession of rights and lefts, and then planted a hot right-hander on Leon's jaw, which floored the latter. As the gong sounded Leon's face was a study in rawness and crimson.
Rounds Twelve and Thirteen--These were all Barry. He went at his man with set teeth and poor judgment, or he might have finished him at almost any stage. Leon's useless left cost him many a blow.
Round fourteen has already been described. Leon, game and all that, was "up against it," as Jimmie Tompkins put it. Tompkins wanted the boy taken out of the ring, but could not get near enough to pull Cohn's man away.
It was vociferously announced that the initial bout would be put on, not at 8:16, but sharply at 8:15. As usual, the sports were humbugged, and Ryan and Santry did not come on until 9 o'clock. In the interim an infantile club swinger amused the crowd. Tommy West and Billy Duplessis then boxed three "friendly" rounds, and failed to make much of a hit.
Ed Santry and "Kid" Ryan followed this affair in an eight-round go, forty-five minutes shy of Cohn's schedule. Ryan had Will Mayer and Dan Keeley as seconds. Santry was looked after by Harry Pigeon and Joe Bertrand. Son Val Praag held the watch for the hall, Davies for Santry, and Ryan working without a timer. Ryan was much the heavier of the two, but through it all Santry's cleverness gave him the best of it. There was really no hard work done on either side, and when Referee Siler declared the thing a draw he did so, because compelled to under the conditions, which called for a draw if both contestants lasted through the eight rounds.
Fond of the Game.
Among those present were:
Parson Davies.
W. A. Pinkerton.
Henry Brown.
Joe Donovan.
Wm. Whitcomb.
Wm. Tindsley.
M. Champagne.
Geo. Dawson.
Mart Davis.
Geo. Morgan.
Tom O'Hara.
Jos. Stilson.
Billy Davis.
Hugh Maher.
M. A. Hogan.
Tom Ryan.
Jack Wyatt.
Big Sandy Waters.
Lee Price.
Vere Davies.
Senator Hunt.
Dr. J. J. Davis.
Charley Cougle.
Joe Thomas.
Captain Mullen.
Ed Ehrman.
Chas. Anderson.
L. Bensinger.
Jerry Daly.
Wm. Stickler.
M. Blumenthal.
Fred Kammerer.
Jimmy Tompkins.
Sol Van Praag.
Bill Riley.
Jules Train.
Tom Murphy.
Marsh Brown.
Senator Lott.
Murray Brown.
Dr. Safford.
Dr. Cote.
Captain Jacks.
M. Nathanson.
Larry Gallagher.
Leo. Mayer.
W. Bushkirk.
J. J. O'Neal.
Billy West.
Dan O'Leary.
Sam Mayer.
Abe Cohen.
Billy Myer.
Harry Lyman.
Wm. Wightman.
John Collins.