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From the Territorial Enterprise, September 23d.
Yesterday afternoon at two o’clock was the time appointed for the prize fight between Tom Daly and Billy McGrath, at the Washoe race track. By two o’clock there were about one thousand persons collected on the ground. The price of admission at the gate was $2 50; no free list. At a quarter past two o’clock Tom Daly shied his castor Into the ring and made the best time after it that was possible; followed in the same style by the “Dry Dock Novice,” Billy McGrath. Daly weighs 164 pounds in fighting trim; McGrath 160. When stripped, Billy McGrath made a better appearance than his antagonist, showing either better training or more natural solidity. Some little time was lost before a referee was chosen, but finally the umpires selected Reub. Smith. Enoch Davies and Jacob Montis acted as seconds to McGrath, and Tom Belcher and Frank Martin as Daly seconds. Daly won the choice of corners, and the other necessary arrangements having been made, the referee gave the word and the men advanced from their corners.
THE FIGHT.
Round First -- men came up smiling. After a few innocent passes, Tom let fly
a mischievous one for Bill’s dial, which was well stopped, and Bill sent
in a slinger on Tom’s jowl, which sent him gently to grass and gave the
“first knock down” for McGrath.
Round Second -- Daly came up looking slightly indignant at the rough treatment
he had received in the first round, and landed a delicate shot on Bill’s
ivories, without any perceptible result; lively sparring followed, Mac Investing
largely on Daly’s cranium and bread basket, getting a nasty mash on the
smeller in return, which started the claret, and raised the cry of “first
blood for Daly!” Some hot exchanges followed, when the men closed, and
after a little heavy fibbing McGrath was thrown.
Round Third -- Both men came promptly to the scratch, Billy perspiring freely,
owing to the heat, but showing no signs of fatigue; Daly let out heavily with
his left on Mac’s breast, and was handsomely countered on the neck; at
this point McGrath rushed in and got Daly in.chancery, but before he could properly
“state his case” Daly entered a demurrer and threw him over his hip
on to the ropes.
Round Fourth -- Both came up lively at the call of time; after a little cautious
sparring Daly sent In a terrific “digester” on Mac’s stomach;
the men closed, and McGrath was again thrown.
Round Fifth -- Short and sweet; Mac let out heavy and Daly dropped.
Round Sixth -- Daly came up looking slightly fatigued; a little cautious sparring
ensued, followed by a little confused and promiscuous punching, during which
Daly’s second grabbed him and carried him to his corner, Mac’s second
following suit. In this round the men did not clinch at all.
Round Seventh -- Heavy blows exchanged on the start, without any perceptible
damage on either side; men closed and Daly was thrown heavily, Mac falling on
him.
Round Eighth -- Closed Immediately ; heavy fibbing, and Daly thrown as before,
with Mac on him.
Round Ninth -- Mac let fly his left mauley on Daly’s smeller with terrible
vim, and got away from an ugly counter; men closed, and Mac was heavily thrown.
Round Tenth -- Up to this time the betting had been in favor of Daly, but now
even bets were offered on McGrath, who was rapidly gaining favor; Daly got in
heavily on the smeller, starting Mac’s claret very freely; closed with
Mac down.
Round Eleventh -- On nearing each other, Daly struck out rather viciously two
or time times, but fell short of his mark, Bill stepping back out of reach;
after a little lively sparring they closed, and Mac was thrown.
Round Twelfth -- When time was called both came up puffing, caused partly by
their lively fighting and partly by the heat of the day; a close followed, together
with some lively fighting, when they broke away, and after some heavy exchanges
they closed again, and Mac was thrown.
Round Thirteenth -- Daly looked extremely vicious, and squared himself as though
he meant mischief; Mac met him boldly, and after a few dingdong exchanges on
the head and body, they closed, and Daly was thrown.
Round Fourteenth, and Last -- No time was lost in sparring; Mac let out with
his left, which was stopped, but succeeded in getting in a swinging blow on
Daly’s right ear which sent him tottering to his knees; as he was falling,
McGrath tried an uppercut with his left, which grazed Daly’s face. [Here
the cry of “foul” was raised by Daly’s seconds and friends, and
a scene of great confusion ensued, after which some degree of quiet was restored,
and the referee decided the blow foul, thus giving the fight to Daly.
REMARKS.
At the start Daly was the favorite with disinterested outsides -- five to four
being offered on him; but after the first or second round, even bets were freely
offered on McGrath. Both men were as plucky as gamecocks, and showed considerable
science in sparring. Considerable dissatisfaction was manifested when Reub.
Smith, the referee, decided McGrath’s last blow “foul.” The fact
is, Daly was standing square before McGrath when the last blow was struck, and
the blow which was ruled “foul” never reached its mark, but just grazed
Daly’s face. Great excitement and angry words followed between parties
who had been betting on the fight which finally resulted in
THE SHOOTING AFFRAY.
Harry Lazarus had been betting freely on McGrath, and was loud in his denunciation
of the referee, and everybody who agreed with him in his decision. A Mexican
by the name of Epitacis A. Maldanado, alias “Muchach,” had been betting
on Daly, and kept crying out that the blow was foul. Lazarus called him a liar,
and pistols were immediately drawn. As soon as Lazarus and “Much”
commenced firing, two or three other parties joined in (so we are told), but
we wire unable to learn their names. About the ring at this time were a thousand
or twelve hundred men, a large number of horses, in vehicles and otherwise,
and the excitement and confusion that ensued beggars all description. The firing
and the deafening shouts and yells of the combatants and surging crowd frightened
many horses, whose rearing and plunging served to add to the danger and consternation
of all In the vicinity. Two horses were shot in the melee, and the only wonder
is that more men were not struck by the random pistol balls that flew singing
through the air In every direction. One of the horses shot received a pistol
ball In the fleshy part of the hip, which passed through and lodged in his tail;
the other, a fine American mare, was shot in the back, the ball lodging in the
backbone. All this we noted during our delightful little ramble. Returning to
the ring we found it almost deserted, the wounded men, ” Muchach”
and Lazarus, having been carried to the saloon near the gate of the enclosure.
Thither we repaired and found “Muchach” lying on a table, stripped
to the waist, with a ball hole in his right breast, close to the nipple, another
near the pit of his stomach, and we were told that another ball had entered
his side and another struck one of his arms. On another table, stripped likewise
to the waist, lay Harry Lazarus, who had escaped without any apparent serious
injuries; one ball struck him in the breast, pretty high up, about two inches
above the right nipple; another ball had so shattered the fingers of his right
hand that it was found necessary to amputate two of them, after his removal
to Washoe City. His hand was struck while he was in the act of leveling his
pistol, and it is thought, the ball which entered his breast was the same that
shattered his fingers. At the time we left Washoe, about four o’clock in
the afternoon, ” Muchach” was still alive, but was not expected to
survive long.
[Recovered by Michael Marleau from Sacramento Daily Union, September 25, 1863.]
