Ebook: Morrissey vs. Poole: Politics, Prizefighting and the Murder of Bill the Butcher

On July 26, 1854, World Prizefighting Champion John Morrissey challenged part-time prize-fighter and New York Whig enforcer William "Bill the Butcher" Poole to a street fight. The fight at the Amos Street Pier proved a humilation for the champion. The bad blood between the Tammany Hall enforcers led by Morrissey and Know-Nothing enforcers led by Poole culiminated in Stanwix Hall on February 25, 1855. The outcome would lead to three trials and a twenty-year campaign to rebuild a reputation.