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HAS BEEN A P8IZE FIGHTERJack Driscoll of This City Wu a One Tim® Ring Champion Had Several Noted Encounters.Jack Driscoll, who has been working with Wm. Sexton for the past year tiling and who lives at the Qua 11 Howshar# home, has had lt;|ulte a varied experience In the fifty-four years ylofhls life. He waN Imrn in New el York City, of Irish pa rente, Sept. 28, 1H52, and he lived In that city until 11 he was eighteen years of age, when elite took up railroading for a profession. For twenty-four years he was in train service, serving on various roads as yardmaster, conductor, switchman, etc. He began hla rail* road wora In the east In New York state, on the Delaware ft Hudson ('anal Co.'s lines. In 1*?1 he came west to Iowa City, and went to work on the eastern Iowa division of the Rock Island system, running to Brooklyn. Mr. Driscoll was always n good man with the gloves, is an exceptionally strong man, and he lias always been In almost perfect physical condition. In lHKrt he was Induced to try his hand in a prize light, t 1 his first combat being a bare knuckle tight with Jim Cleary May 10 ,1880.IsBSirtel just across the Illinois river from :11 Peoria. The tight lasted for twelve i I rounds, and Driscoll won In the twelfth.The next battle was with ('apt. James Dalton, a bareknuckle tight to a draw, eighteen rounds, March 3, 1884. His next appearance was his first public appearance. It was against Capt. .las. Dalton agaio, and 11 was before H.(HH) people in Battery I), n| Chicago. This was a glove contest, four ounce, and lasted four rounds. The tight occurred May 29, and Mr. Driscoll \\as knocked out in tiie last minute of the fourth round.Driscoll next met the stock yard pugilist at the Wigwam in the town of Lake, 43rd and Wallace Sts. lie knocked the stock yards man out in one minute and thirty seconds.Next he won a victory over O. II. Shatter before a private club in Cedar Rapids. Four ounce gloves were used, and the battle ended in the third round in Driscoll’s favor. In lt;ctol»er. 1*84 he defeated Paddy Car-11 roll at Cedar Rapids. Next he met Mike Haley, champion of Colorado, and defeated him In eight rounds for the championship of Colorado and Nebraska. In defending this cham plousldp tie met George B. Simpson 11 in the People's theater in Lincoln,I |Nebr., and deleated Simpson In six rounds. At a benefit for Jack Hanley in Omaha in 1880 lie defeated Hanley in one minute and ten seconds. Shortly after this, Driscoll injuredII ids hand in a self defense battle with a had man of the west in a western town.His hand is permanently crippled L I as a result, and he was put out of the pri/.e fighting business, but ids love for excitement anti adventure prompted him to enlist as a volunteer recruit at Ft. Snelling In the 5th U. S. ar tlllery during the Spardsh-American war. He was with the first troops that landed at Manzinillla. He was at K! Caney. Seboni and San Juan, tie saw Teddy on his gray horse, and the Rough Rider troops. He was mustered out the 23d of November, 1898. His captain, John Rielley, went to China, and was killed at Yang Tong, just outside the walls of Pekin. Mr. Driscoll’s wounded hand is enough to bar him from the regular f I army service, but lie managed to I wiggle Into the Cuban service. He isI seen about our streets every day, and although he is still a big strong man he is not hunting for any trouble. He is content to live the quletsimpleII life of a man who has retired fromsI!lirini tf nrkifr !
Newspaper Details
Washington Evening Journal
Washington, Iowa, US
Wed, Aug 15, 1906
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
John H.
IL, USA 11 May 2017
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