The Prize Fight Shuffle in Tacoma
After Collins forfeited his match, 'Spider' Kelly of San Francisco stepped in to face Morrissey in a high-stakes Tacoma bout.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Spider Kelly, well-known lightweight of San Francisco, who recently whipped O'Neil of Omaha in four rounds before the Pastime Athletic Club at Portland, will take Collins' place in the contest with Morrissey. The fight has been set for July 15, before the Tacoma Athletic Club for the same purse offered Collins and Morrissey, being $400 to the loser. Collins forfeited $100 to Morrissey for failure to comply with the articles of agreement, as he is well acquainted with the ability of Morrissey to punish a man. Spider Kelly has quite a record in California, having defeated some good men of his weight, his contest with Dooley being one of his best.
“Collins forfeited $100 to Morrissey for failure to comply with the articles of agreement, as he is well acquainted with the ability of Morrissey to punish a man.”
Prize fighting in the 1890s existed in a legal grey area, often relying on private athletic clubs to host bouts that would otherwise be prohibited. The tradition of the 'special' sports dispatch reporting on traveling fighters continues to resonate in today's combat sports scene.
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