14 and last.—The fine fighting of Shelton rather gave him the lead; and as Josh was going down in a distressed state, so as to make it doubtful whether he might come again to the scratch, Shelton put in a tremendous blow under Josh’s ear, that rendered him insensible to the call of time. It was very doubtful if Shelton could have fought two more rounds. On the latter being placed on his second’s knee, he fell on the ground. It was over in rather less than fifteen minutes.
Remarks.—Such a manly battle had not been seen for several years. Hudson never fought half so well before. Had Hudson proved the conqueror, it was the intention of his friends to have backed him against the Gas Man for £500 a-side.
A second match with the John Bull Fighter ended in a forfeit, Hudson receiving £30.
It was declared by Shelton that he should never again appear in the P. R., and it would have been well for his pugilistic fame had he adhered to his resolution. Misfortunes, however, in business, had involved him, and at a meeting at the Ship, in Turnstile, a “big countryman” was mentioned, who could be backed for a cool hundred against anything in London. Shelton immediately declared his readiness to try the metal of the stranger, and hence his match with Brown, of Bridgnorth, wherein he was defeated, though not disgraced, as will be seen when we come to the memoir of that boxer.
Shelton had, during the whole of his career, been observed to be occasionally something more than eccentric; indeed, in 1812, he was indicted for assaulting a police-officer, who attempted to prevent him from committing suicide. On this occasion his defence was, that “Any man had a perfect right to hang himself!” His gambling propensities were also uncontrollable, and to this his misery may be traced. His propensity to self-destruction received a final and melancholy illustration, in the fact of his destroying himself, on the 21st of June, 1830, at the Ship, in Montague Court, Bishopsgate Street, by taking a dose of prussic acid. He was in his 43rd year.
CHAPTER VI.
JACK RANDALL, “THE NONPAREIL.”—1809–1821.
Perhaps the prize ring in its palmiest day never exhibited a more accomplished boxer than Randall. Though claimed (after his signal successes), by the Hibernian portion of the ring press, it appears that his birthplace was the now-desolated “Holy Land,” and that the 25th of the month of November, 1794, ushered Jack into the semi-darkness of the then foggy region of smoke, dirt, drabs, and drunkenness, hight “St. Giles’s.” Jack, who was always called by Pierce Egan and Co., the “prime Irish lad,” himself laughed, when primed with gin—he would not touch whisky—at his imputed Irish descent.
The Archery Ground, in the Long Fields, near where now stands Russell Square, was the scene of action whereon the youthful Randall exhibited his prowess. According to the authority of “Boxiana,” young “Snuff,” well known in boxing circles, was conquered three times by Randall in the above place; and at the age of fourteen, he fought a man of the name of Leonard in this ground, who was a stone heavier than himself, for three-quarters of an hour. Leonard was, at length, so terribly punished, that he was obliged to be led off the field. Size or weight, it seems, rarely operated as any drawback to the readiness of Randall; possessing courage of the first order, his pluck rose superior to the obstacles he had to encounter. Jack was unavoidably involved, in Marylebone Lane, with a man of the name of Henshaw; the latter was not only taller, but had the advantage of three stone in weight. Twenty-five minutes of hard fighting had occurred when the friends of both parties interfered and made a drawn battle of it. Notwithstanding the great difference between the combatants, from the superior style of fighting displayed by Randall, it was thought he must ultimately have proved the conqueror.