Young Griffo's
Summer at the Seaside
Part II
GRIFFO-LAVIGNE---A DRAW
O ne of the Most Scientific Boxing Bouts Ever Seen
SKILL VERSUS STRENGTH
Cleverness of the Australian Offset by the Michigan Lad's Fierceness
-Police Gazette
October 12, 1895
Coney Island Athletic Club
Making Bond...
DIXON AGAIN MEETS GRIFFO
And Again the Bout Ends with Neither a Winner
New Manhatten Athletic Club
New York
October 28, 1895
GRIFFO IN FOUR ROUND NO DECISION CONTEST WITH JACK RANDALL
Philadelphia
November 7, 1895
"Young Griffo and Jack Randall met in a four round go at the Southwick Athletic Club, Philadelphia. Randall wasn't in it at any stage of the game, and Griffo made him look like a novice.
GRIFFO'S EASY WIN
The Young Australian Gets Much the Better of Jack Hurley
Southwick Athletic Club
Philadelphia
November 13, 1895
GRIFFO VS. GANS
FRONT STREET THEATRE
Baltimore
November 18, 1895
"A big crowd filled the Front Street theatre at Baltimore to see a fight between "Young" Griffo and Joe Gans. The men gave a sparring exhibition lasting ten rounds, at the end of which Griffo announced he had agreed not to put Gans out as a condition precedent to the bout. The crowd hooted and yelled 'fake".
-Milwaukee Evening Wisconsin. November 19, 1895
...or was it travelling money?
"Young Griffo and Jack McAuliffe, with whose name all admirers of "the fancy" are familiar, furnished a free one round entertainment to intense delight of a small number of spectators in a Tenderloin resort, one morning last week. Griffo and a few friends strolled into the place, as he himself expressed it , "to have a ball, you know," and found McAuliffe, accompanied by "Brooklyn" Jimmie Carroll and a few other cronies in possession. They were all a little worse for a bout with John Barleycorn-in fact to use a pugilistic expression, "both men were groggy". McAuliffe made some remarks detrimental to the Australian's ability as a pugilist, and the later retorted in an equally insulting manner. They did not waste much time in argument as Corbett and Fitzsimmons, but immediately came together and a for a few moments made things rather lively. Griffo swung his left on McAuliffe's ear, and Jack returned the compliment with a straight right in the stomach. The clinched and at the breakaway Griffo succeeded in landing a right hand upper cut which caught McAuliffe right on the chin. A feee fight ensued, but some one yelled, "Here come the cops!" and the pugilists accompanied by their friends went out into the night and faded from view. Griffo, when seen later, was in his usual jocular humor and did not hesitate to express his feelings. He said, "Yeh, know the bloomin bloke is sore at me after our fight in Coney, but a bloomin dub and couldn't lick me in a loitertime."
-Police Gazette. November 23, 1895
HAS GRIFFO JUMPED HIS BAIL?
Preferred Flight to Prison, and Reported to be On His Way to Australia
...Griffo left New York ostensibly to go to Philadelphia and Baltimore to participate in boxing exhibitions, but was recently heard from in Chicago, and it is thought that he is making his way toward the Pacific Coast and out of the country.
"The cause of Griffo's sadden journey toward the point whence Australian steamers sail is said to be a tip to while in Baltimore that the boy whom he assaulted had been brought back to Brooklyn from Canada by his father for the purpose of testifying against Griffo when the case is called. "
"This news came like a thunderbolt to the pugilist and his manager, as the boy had been sent to Canada some time ago so as not to be reached by the authorities when the case should come up for trial. "
-Police Gazette. December 7, 1895
Griffo was to return to New York and during the first part of 1896 fought bouts with Charley McKeever, Sam Tomkins, and two contests ending in draws with Jack Everhardt. Finally, in August the matter brought by William Gottleib came to trial.
"Young Griffo, otherwise Alfred Grifffith, pleaded guilty at New York to assaulting William Gottleib, a 12 year old boy. The indictment against Griffo was found last spring and he has most of the time since then been at large on bail. Judge Aspenwall sentenced the fighter to one year in the pententiary.
-Milwaukee Evening Wisconsin. August 14, 1896
Griffo served ten months of his twelve month sentence and was released on June 14, 1897 from Sing Sing. Friends who had visited the fighter reported him to be looking immensely well.
"Young Griffo celebrated his release from prison June 14 at Coney Island. As a result of celebration Griffo is in a cell. The tough little prize fighter, after loading up on Coney Island whiskey of "Grandmother-fighting" brand, entered Henderson's Music Hall and ran all the perfomers off the stage. He then challenged any man in the place to fight. His challenge was promptly accepted by Detective Eckold, who was attracted by the screams of the women. The detective did not understand the ethics of the prize ring. He used those tricks learned in dealing with thugs. When the atmosphere cleared up there was no fight left in the fighter and he went meekly to the West Eighth street station for the night.
-Police News. June 26, 1897
Sometimes it seems like summer will never end...