Rough & Tumble in Old New York

**Dirty Rooster** · Posted On: 2/20/2009 6:11pm

Thanks for posting that Jack, great stuff.

Slam + Eye-gouge & good kicking!

**howlo999** · Posted On: 2/22/2009 1:43pm

That was a great read, thanks for posting....

**Tonuzaba** · Posted On: 2/24/2009 3:30pm

Very nice article, thanks for all the links within the text, too!

I can't remember anything except D.D.Lewis from the Gangs of NY movie, too. Gotta get the book though...

**cuatro76** · Posted On: 2/24/2009 4:37pm

Great read. I love this forum.

**theotherserge** · Posted On: 2/25/2009 12:57am

A fatal pugilistic contest took place on Wednesday sevennight, at Rollestone, near Burton upon Trent, in the county of Stafford. On the preceding evening, Charles Beale, a farmer from Strenton, and Stringer Tonks, a basket-maker, of Repton, having quarrelled, agreed to meet the next day at Rollestone, to decide their dispute. The constable of the parish was present as stakeholder! The combatants fought with a determination and courage seldom witnessed, until the 31st round, when Tonks struck Beale a dreadful blow under the ear, and death terminated the fight.

I would've never thought that a basket-weaver would be a death-dealing bareknuckling SOB! Damn hard-asses back then.

In my family history, the Scottish-drunkard side, a great-great-grandpa was a county bareknuckle champion. Too small an article to be worth re-printing, but I think he did win $4.30 for an hour-long fight or some crazy **** like that.

**Dirty Rooster** · Posted On: 2/26/2009 6:05am

Originally Posted by theotherserge

I would've never thought that a basket-weaver would be a death-dealing bareknuckling SOB!.

Basket-weavers develop huge strength and endurance in their grip : maybe he grabbed the other fella's nadgers.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 2/27/2009 1:35am

Originally Posted by Dirty Rooster

Basket-weavers develop huge strength and endurance in their grip : maybe he grabbed the other fella's nadgers.

When I was a teenager (like 14 or 15) my friend's dad got in a fight with a guy who was beating his wife in their apartment complex. He was a professional masseur, and he took him down with a back heel, mounted the guy, and started prodding and gouging pressure points while the guy wiggled in pain. It helped that he was a huge guy with some of the strongest hands ever and he worked on people for a living.

**odysseus_dallas** · Posted On: 2/27/2009 3:13am

Originally Posted by CodosDePiedra

When I was a teenager (like 14 or 15) my friend's dad got in a fight with a guy who was beating his wife in their apartment complex. He was a professional masseur, and he took him down with a back heel, mounted the guy, and started prodding and gouging pressure points while the guy wiggled in pain. It helped that he was a huge guy with some of the strongest hands ever and he worked on people for a living.

Remind me to buy your friend's dad a beer.

There's numerous accounts of people just a century ago being such badasses. Today, most people are just wusses ready to be taken advantage of. Shame.

**Tonuzaba** · Posted On: 2/27/2009 10:19am

Originally Posted by theotherserge

I would've never thought that a basket-weaver would be a death-dealing bareknuckling SOB! Damn hard-asses back then.

In my family history, the Scottish-drunkard side, a great-great-grandpa was a county bareknuckle champion. Too small an article to be worth re-printing, but I think he did win $4.30 for an hour-long fight or some crazy **** like that.

I vote for re-printing.