A BRUTAL EXHIBITION.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1262, 7 May 1886, Page 3

A BRUTAL EXHIBITION.

A prize fight took place on the 19 th ult. between William Farnan (of South Melbourne) and Thomas Lees (of Sydney) at Williamstown racecourse, for L2OO a side. The usual quiet of Williamstown was broken by the constant rumble of cabs and vehicles from the early hour of 3 until the commencement of the " mill,” at a quarter past seven. s At first it was determined to fight with naked fists, but the presence of six mounted troopers in plain clothes and a small posse of foot police, also in plain clothes, caused the priori* pals to change their tactics and fight .with six ounce gloves, under the Marquis of Queensbury rules. At a few minutes to 7 Lees appeared In the ring with his second, Peter Newton) and some time after his opponent, whom Abe Hicken seconded, followed. From the commencement of the first round it was obsei vable that Lees was much the better boxer, and offers of 5 to 1 on him were soon forthcoming. In the sixth round hitting was lively on both sides, but Farnan already showed signs of being over-matched, while his facial appearance at this stage was considerably disfigured, one eye being closed. Towards the tenth round Farnan showed signs of “weakness and staggered about the ring, Vnit with bulldog gameness ho refused to give in. In the seventeenth round it wis patent to all present that the fight had now verged into a mere brutal exhibition of a serai-insensible man, blind of an eye, foolishly allowing his opponent to punish him, with little or no ability to respond. Beyond a cut lip and some abrasions on the left breast, Lees had got off scatheless. On the eighteenth round being started, Senior ’Constable Irons, who was in charge of the police present, ordered the fight to stop, much to the di-gust of the majority of those present, after an hour and 18 minutes’ battle. Notwithstanding the precautions of the police the prize fight was resumed at Essen.-, don at daybreak two days afterwards, and resulted in a victory for Lees after four rounds had been fought. Farnan was terribly knocked about, and the gloves had to be cut from his hands, Both Lees and Farnan were subsequently arrested and pheed in the lock-up, but were bailea out, on a charge of assault.