15.—Gaynor piping, and Sam not fresh. Gaynor in with his left; tried his right, but was stopped. Heavy counter-hits. Both again paused by mutual consent, and put their hands down. Again to work. Good exchanges; Sam at the head, Gaynor at the body. Both cautious. Gaynor on the retreat. Sam got close to him, and hit out viciously, but Gaynor ducked his head, got away, and fell.
16.—Gaynor’s friends were still very confident, as he seemed strong, and Sam appeared fatigued. Counter-hitting with the left, but Sam hitting out first, got home the heaviest. He put in a tremendous left-hander on Tom’s left ogle. Again did both take breath, and drop their arms. Sam steady, and both well on their guard. Mutual stopping. Gaynor short at the body with his right. Counter-hits with the left, terrific from Sam. Two hours were now completed, and the men walked about for wind. Gaynor hit out of distance with his left, but Sam measured him with more precision, and dropped in one of his left-handed chops with full force. Gaynor, after a short pause, seized Sam’s right, while Sam seized his left, each holding the other down. Sam looked at his man for a moment, and then dashed his head into his face with great force. (This, as our readers are aware, is now foul.) Gaynor staggered back, while Sam rushed after him, and jobbed him severely on the nose with the left, and, repeating the dose in the same spot, hit him down as clean as a whistle, being the second knock-down blow in the fight.
17, and last.—Gaynor came up groggy, when Sam popped in his terrific left, and downed him. This was the finisher. The butt, followed by such polishing hits, reduced poor Gaynor to a state of insensibility, and on being raised on his second’s knee it was at once seen that it was all U. P. “Time” was called, and Sam was proclaimed the conqueror with triumphant shouts. The fight lasted two hours and five minutes. Sam was immediately taken to his carriage, much exhausted, but soon became himself again. Gaynor was in a complete state of stupor, and was carried away in a helpless condition.
Remarks.—This was decidedly one of the finest displays of courage and science combined which had been witnessed for many years, and was acknowledged to be so by the oldest patrons of the Ring who were present. The courage exhibited by both men was unquestionable, and considering the disadvantages under which Gaynor fought, he earned for himself a reputation that placed him in the first class of game men. There is no doubt that the butt in the last round but one proved his coup de grace, or he would have prolonged the contest for many more rounds—with what chance of success we cannot say. The reader should be informed that this manœuvre, though seldom practised, was not at this time against the rules of the Ring, and the position, Gaynor holding both Sam’s hands with an iron grip, was peculiar. The “chapter of accidents” might have produced alterations, and as it was Sam, during the fight, showed great weakness, which was not surprising, as it was afterwards ascertained that in the cross-buttock in the third round his right shoulder was so much injured as to deprive him of the use of his right hand, so far as hitting was concerned, for the remainder of the battle. During the fight, many expressed surprise that he should have kept that hand so idle, and that Gaynor was so repeatedly enabled to job him with his left. Sam could not, in truth, lift it above his head, and but for throwing his head back when the blows were coming in, his punishment would have been much more severe. Although Gaynor had clearly the gift of hitting with equal force, it is considered that but for this accident Sam’s labours would have been considerably curtailed. At one time it was thought to be anybody’s fight, and Sam’s friends were by no means jolly as to the result. His fine generalship, however, enabled him to overcome every difficulty, and the quickness with which he took advantage of Gaynor’s ill-judged seizure of his hand, in the last round but one, while it showed his self-possession, proved him to be a thorough master of the art as then practised. The account of the rounds will show that in point of science Gaynor was little behind Sam, but it must be confessed his powers of punishment were very inferior, while the force of his blows was greatly diminished by Sam’s generally hitting first in the counters. From first to last the combat was conducted with the utmost fairness and good humour; and while all sympathised in the fall of a brave man, they could not but admit that he had honourably sunk before the superior power of his younger and more expert opponent. Such was the impression made in Gaynor’s favour that £17 7s. was collected round the ring, and other sums afterwards contributed. This was the last appearance of either Sam or Gaynor in the P.R.
Sam’s last match in the Ring was with Reuben Martin, for £100, subsequently made into £180 a-side; it was fixed to come off in June, 1838, but an unfortunate occurrence occasioned a forfeit of £80 on the part of Sam. He had volunteered to second his friend Owen Swift in his battle with Phelps (Brighton Bill), and officiated in that capacity on the fatal 13th of March, 1838, at Royston. The details of this unlucky encounter will be found in our memoir of Owen Swift, in Vol. III.
The coroner’s jury having found a verdict of manslaughter against Owen Swift, as principal, and Samuel Evans, Richard Curtis, Frank Redmond, and Edward Brown, as seconds aiding and abetting the same, Sam, Curtis, and Swift at once gave “leg-bail” to the law and departed for the Continent, where they remained until the time for surrendering to take their trial at the Hertford Assizes. Frank Redmond,[[52]] whose business as a licensed victualler at the “George and Dragon,” in Greek Street, Soho, was suffering ruinously from his enforced absence, alone surrendered. He was defended by Mr. Dowling (who was also a barrister), and acquitted on the 10th July, at the summer assizes. Thereupon Curtis and Brown, who were awaiting the result, surrendered themselves and took their trial. They were not so fortunate as their predecessor in trouble, for the jury convicted them of manslaughter in the second degree, as “present, aiding, and abetting,” when the judge passed the lenient sentence of three months’ imprisonment.
Young Sam and Swift, alarmed at this result, did not return at once. Besides, they found their stay in the French capital, where some of Sam’s aristocratic patrons were also residing, both pleasant and profitable, of which further details will be found in our Life of Owen Swift. Some violent newspaper attacks upon the Ring, and denunciations of prize-fighters and their backers, in the now defunct Morning Herald (a renegade sporting paper) and other publications, made it advisable to await the blowing over of the storm.
Sam’s residence in France, however, found in its result the adage of “out of the frying-pan into the fire.”
Jack Adams was in Paris teaching the art of boxing. Adams, a ten stone man, was twice matched with Swift, and on the second occasion the French law, which deals so leniently with murderous duels and homicide in general, was scandalised and outraged by a duel with fists; so Young Sam and Swift were tried (in their absence), convicted, par contumace, and sentenced to thirteen months of imprisonment and a fine!
Soon after his return to England Sam was arrested and conveyed to Hertford Gaol, and on February 28th, 1839, at the spring assizes, Swift took his place beside his friend Sam, and the trial proceeded. From a failure of evidence a verdict of “Not Guilty” was recorded, and the friends quitted the dock amid the congratulations of the crowd.