BILLY MURPHY ILL

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 117, 20 May 1939, Page 23

BILLY MURPHY ILL

The many friends in;. New Zealand and elsewhere of Billy Murphy, Wtf time world champion featherweight boxer, will regret to learn that he at present is in the Auckland Public Hospital suffering from a sudden illness. It is just on fifty years since Billy: (William Thomas) Murphy was a world boxing champion, as the result of knocking out the then reigning champion, Ike Weir, in a bout in San Fran* cisco. .:"-'

Since retiring from the rinf oqeS 30 years ago Billy has lived in his horn* town of Auckland, states the Auckland "Star," and until a few years ago earned a living as a clothes cleaned His shop in Dominion Road was 'foe many years one of the show places of Auckland for those interested in sport by reason of the fact that Billy! worked behind a plate-glass window draped with cobwebs and ornamented with his quaint written signs intimating that he was "world champion benc«r and clothes cleaner." In his ardent love for all animal and insect liite Billy made pets of the spiders, in Of window cobwebs,, and of the mice that came about the place. Peering through the window the curi<sus pilgrim COliH often see Billy at work while his tarn* mice played round, often running ufc his sleeves to perch unafraid on hi.

shoulders. ' . ■ i-""^**-He is now.^y^rs^f-agfc/