AN AUSTRALIAN ATHLETE.

Evening Star, Issue 4015, 8 January 1876, Page 2 (Supplement)

AN AUSTRALIAN ATHLETE.

A well-known Australian athlete, Mr "William Miller, seems to have qeen distinguishing himself in the United States. His career in America is thus related in the ‘New York Times’He left Melbourne for .San Francisco July, 1874, arriving at the latter place September 1, where he opened a gymnasium under the Young Men’s Christian Association, and there boxed with all the noted sparrers of California, whom he defeated. He met Professor Bauer at the Olympia Ciub, and there the usual controversy arose among the athletes and sporting men over the raspective merits of the strong men, which resulted in a Koman wrestling match for 200dol. a-side, which came off at Pacific-hall, November 14, 1874, and which was declared a draw. Bauer being so severely strained that Miller consented to declare it off. On December Bof the same year these two men had another match for 500dol. a-side at Platt’s Hall, in which Miller won the first and third falls, and Bauer the second and fourth. The fifth bout, lasting fifty-four minutes, was decided by the referee in Bauer’s favor, notwithstanding that serious objections were made by parties understanding the rules of Koman wrestling, it being proved that Miller had only been thrown with one shoulder on the ground, which was no fall under the rules. In January 1875, he bested William Davis, a celebrated boxer, in a sparring match at Platt’s Hall; after which he made a match with a famous Belgian wrestler by the name of Leopold Vandervecken, for l,ooodol. a side, which Miller won with straight falls, his opponent gaining none. Vandervecken had previously wrestled with Bauer, in which the latter won two straight falls out of three Vauderveckeu getting one. On April 18, 1875, he made his debut as a pedestrian, walking a forty-mile match for 200dol. a side against Homer Pouuoek, in which the latter gave wt on the 35th mUc. Miller’s friends offer.

ing to bet that he (Miller) would do the last three miles under thirty minutes. The audience wishing to see what he could do, he walked the 40th mile under a dozen watches in 9.15, the walking being on a bare floor with twenty-four laps to the mile. On April 30, 1875, he again wrestled Bauer, this time at the Palace Amphitheatre, for l,ooodol. aside, in which each man won two falls out of the live, the final trial being omitted at the almost unanimous request of the partisans of the men, seconded by the audience. On the 14th of last July, Miller and Bauer met for the last time at Pipier’s Opera House, Virginia City, Nevada, when, no articles being agreed upon, they wrestled for honor, to decide the great question between them, when, after a truly terrific struggle, lasting forty-five minutes, the men parted, neither having succeeded in giving the other a fall. Being unable to find any more champions to conquer in the Golden State, Miller came to Chicago, where he bested all those opposed to him in sparring.