Of the earlier portion of the career of Bendigo, previous to his first victory over the gigantic Ben Caunt, in July, 1835, much apocryphal stuff has been fabricated by an obscure biographer.
In 1832, William Thompson, then in his twenty-first year, beat Bill Faulker, a Nottingham notoriety. In April, 1833, he defeated Charley Martin, and in the following month polished off Lin Jackson, another local celebrity.
Tom Cox (of Nottingham), who had beaten Sam Merriman, was defeated easily in June, 1833; and in August of the same year (1833) Charles Skelton and Tom Burton[4] are said to have fallen beneath Bendigo’s conquering fist. Moreover (surely his biographer is poking fun at us) he is credited with beating Bill Mason in Sept. 1833, and Bill Winterflood in October! Now as we know no Bill Winterflood except Bill Moulds, the Bath champion, and he never met Bendigo at all, are we not justified in rejecting such “history”?
The last in this list is a defeat of one Bingham, who is set down as “Champion,” in January, 1834, which brings us near enough to Bendigo’s first appearance in the blue posted rails of the P. R. with Caunt on July 21st, 1835. On that day, we read—
“A fight took place in the Nottingham district between two youngsters who were both fated to develop into Champions of England. The meeting-place was near Appleby House, on the Ashbourne Road, about thirty miles from Nottingham.” Both men were natives of Nottinghamshire; the elder one, William Thompson, hailing from the county town; while the younger, Benjamin Caunt, was a native of the village of Hucknall, where his parents had been tenants of the poet, Lord Byron—a fact of which the athlete was always intensely proud. Caunt on this occasion made his first appearance in any ring, and having been born on the 22nd of March, 1815, had only just completed his twenty-first year, and had therefore a very considerable disadvantage in point of age. On the other hand, he was a youngster of herculean proportions and giant strength; stood 6ft. 2in. in height, and his fighting weight was 14st. 7lb. Thus, in point of size, it was a horse to a hen; but Caunt had no science at all, while Bendigo had a very considerable share of it. The big ’un was seconded by Butler (Caunt’s uncle) and Bamford, and Bendigo by Turner and Merryman. Throughout twenty-two rounds Caunt stood up with indomitable pluck and perseverance to receive a long way the lion’s share of the punishment, while his shifty opponent always avoided the return by getting down. Caunt at last, in a rage at these tactics, which he could not counteract or endure, rushed across the ring, called on him to stand up, before the call of “Time” by the umpires, and then struck Bendigo before he rose from his second’s knee. The referee and umpires having decided that this blow was foul, the stakes, £25 a side, were awarded to Bendigo. “It was the expressed opinion of the spectators that, had Caunt kept his temper and husbanded his strength, the issue would have gone the other way, as he proved himself game to the backbone, while his opponent was made up of dodges from heel to headpiece.”
This fight had the effect of calling the attention of backers to both men. Of Bendigo’s cleverness there could be no question, while Caunt’s enormous strength and unflinching pluck were equally indisputable; and it is a curious illustration of the circular theory of events that these two men, whose pugilistic career may fairly be said to have commenced in this fight—when they were, of course, at the bottom of the ladder—should meet again when they were half-way up, and a third time when they stood on the topmost round.
This victory over the gigantic wrestler of Hucknall Torkard could not fail to bring his conqueror prominently before the eyes of the boxing world. John Leechman, alias Brassey, of Bradford (of whom hereafter), Charley Langan, Looney, of Liverpool, Bob Hampson, also of Liverpool—indeed, all the big ’uns of the “North Countrie” were anxious to have a shy at the audacious 11st. 10lb. man who had beaten Ben the Giant.
In November, 1835, Brassey, of Bradford, announced by letter in Bell’s Life, that he was prepared to meet Bendigo half-way between Nottingham and the Yorkshire town for £50 a side. But the erratic Bendigo was wandering about the country, exhibiting with Peter Taylor, Sam Pixton, Levi Eckersley, & Co., electrifying the yokels by his tricks of agility and strength, and his irrepressible chaff and natural humour—gifts which made him, formidable as he really was, a sort of practical clown to the boxing ring. Hence nothing came of the challenges and appointments, although Bendigo, by a letter in a Midland sporting paper, in February, 1836, declared himself ready to make a match for £25 a side with Tom Britton or Jem Corbett—Bendigo to be under 12st. on the day. He also threw down the gauntlet to “any 12st. man in the four counties of Nottingham, Leicester, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire; money ready at his sporting house in Sheffield”—a rather amusing challenge, as it excluded Brassey, of Bradford, and three well-known Lancashire heavy weights. Tom Britton replied to this challenge that he would not fight under £100, being engaged in business; but informed Bendigo that he could find two 12st. candidates for his favours for £25 or £50, if he would attend at the “Grapes,” Peter Street, Liverpool.
John Leechman (Brassey) now came out with a definite cartel, that he was open to fight any 12st. man within 100 miles of Bradford for £25 or £50, and that his money was ready at the “Stag’s Head,” Preston Street, Sheffield. This brought Bendigo to the scratch, and the match was made for £25 a side, to come off on Tuesday, May 24th, 1836. The deposits were duly made, and on the appointed day, May 24th, 1836, the men met nine miles from Sheffield, on the Doncaster road. No reliable report of this fight, which was for £25 a side, is extant: nothing beyond a paragraph in the following week’s papers, declaring it to be won by Bendigo, “after a severe contest of 52 rounds, in which the superiority of science was on the side of the lesser man, Bendigo weighing 11st. 12lb., Brassey nearly 13st.”
Brassey and his friends were not satisfied with this defeat, and immediately proposed a fresh match for £50; and Jem Bailey (not of Bristol, but an Irishman, afterwards twice beaten by Brassey) also challenged Bendigo. Bendigo accepted Bailey’s offer, but Paddy’s friends hung back and forfeited the deposit.