Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 March 1896 — MAHER KNOCKED OUT. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MAHER KNOCKED OUT.

BIG FIGHT LASTS BUT ONE SHORT ROUND. Fitzsimmons / Lands the Deciding Blow After One Minnte and Thirty-five Seconds of Actual Fighting—Texan Rangers at the Ringside. Battle in Mexico. Bob Fitzsimmons won the championship of the world Friday afternoon in one minute and thirty-five seconds from Peter Maher in a twenty-four-foot ring pitched on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande within sight of the Texas village of Langtry. Exactly 189 persons saw the mill and wondered at the short-arm, righthand, back punch which settled the business. Up to the time of the knockout it was any sort of odds that vietory would perch on the Irishman’s banner. Fits,

in the early stages of the short fight, was most uncertain in his delivery and seemed to have a very poor idea of distance, and his wild misses with his right hand caused consternation in the ranks of his advisers and bnckers. Three different times

Maher escaped right-hand swings. They were not ordinary misses, nor was it by cleverness or agility that Maher got his head out of danger. It was due to Fitz’s wildness. All three of these blows were at least a foot wide of the mark. The Irishman did not look to be Entirely confident of victory when he stepped into the ring, hut his manner and appearance soon changed when he found that he could dodge Fitz’s leads easily. When the men were* called np for instructions both agreed not to hit in clinches and to break away clean, even when one arm was free. * Maher, who claims he did not agree to this, struck Fitz in the face in backing away from the first clinch. There were loud cries of “foul” from the New Zealander’s corner. Referee Siler warned Maher not to do it again. The fight, though short, was full of action, and it was fight all the way through. Both men started in from the bell ring to make a hot pace. Fitzsimmons, except in the last rally, did not use his left and then he only feinted in a strange way so characteristic of the man. It was more of an upper cut than a straight lead, and drew Maher’s head in range. Quick as a flash Fitzsimmonsl shot his right across square on the poiit of Maher’s jaw and the Irishman’s hegd hit the floor. It was a short right-hander. The place Where the fight took place was in a rocky amphitheater and the sports had to tramp across a pontoon bridge to Mexico to reach the ropes. The ridge of rocks was fringed with men and women, but within the tented inclosure, which was so close to the Rio Grande that its roar drowned the voice of the gatekeeper, 250 fatigued sports leaned against the ropes.

ROBERT FITZSIMMONS.