May 3, 1870 The Prize Fight

In the June 1991 Interlaken Historical Society newsletter, Gary Hunt had an article on the stone quarries in this area. One piece of research led him to Wayne Morrison’s article on the 1869 Prize Fight. (Adapted from Early History of Covert Seneca County, compiled by Wayne E. Morrison, Sr., 1983, page 42)

THE PRIZE FIGHT

Two quarry workers (Patrick Donnley and Patrick McGraw) had for some time boasted of their prowess, boasting of being able to whip the other in a fist fight. In the early summer of 1869, a fight was arranged between the two, to be held in Farmer Village.

However, another fight two years before, in Farmer, had resulted in a death, and the local constable would not allow the fight to be held. He had the two shake hands and call it quits.

Egged on by “rowdies” who wanted to see a good fight and wager money, a fight was arranged for Saturday, June 12th at the Kingtown quarry.

A fair, stand-up fight was promised by both pugilists, but when Donnley started to lose, he kicked his opponent in the stomach, grabbed him from behind, dealt him a blow on the back of the neck rupturing a blood vessel. McGraw fell down and died within two minutes.

Donnley escaped on horseback with no one in the crowd trying to stop him. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and two deputies began the manhunt on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday night, in the Town of Ovid, Donnley slipped and fell into a 90-foot ravine, severely cutting his knee. After being treated by a doctor, he was arrested.

While Donnley was being transported to the Ovid village lockup, his entourage passed the funeral procession of McGraw, going to the cemetery.

Donnley plead guilty to manslaughter in the third degree and was sentenced to four years in Auburn prison on May 3, 1870.

To get more background for this blog, I went looking to see if any additional information could be gleaned from the local newspapers. What was gained from them is how different the authors’ viewpoints were.

The Ovid Bee article is much shorter and adds to the story. “That evening, in his effort to hide or escape an arrest, Donley fell off a precipice into the ravine near the ‘Osborn Saw Mill’ in this town, striking a ledge of rocks…cutting one knee so severely that amputation may yet become necessary.”

The last lines of the Ovid article only add to the sadness of this story, “The funeral of McGraw took place in this village on Monday and was largely attended. He was to have been married next Sunday.”

What the Morrison and Ovid articles don’t include are the details noted in the Ithacan article. This article highlights the participation of a third person, “a gambler and desperado,” who instigated the fight, and when “McGraw did not wait, but commenced the fight during the hand-shaking, and dealt his blows so powerfully that Donnelly, after being knocked down three or four times, retreated, saying that he had had enough. But “Art” Wood, his second, took a revolver from his pocket and told him he must whip McGraw, at the same time informing the bystanders that he would shoot anyone who interfered.”

At the end of the article is a post script. “We learn that the Coroner’s Jury found that McGraw came to his death by the hands of Patrick Donnelly and ‘Art’ Wood. The latter, it is said, kicked McGraw several times when he was down.”

Two other items were found and an interesting question as well. In May 1870, there were reports on Donnelly’s sentencing, “At the Circuit Court held in Waterloo last week, Patrick Donnelly who killed McGraw in the prize fight at Covert last summer, pleaded guilty of manslaughter in the third degree, and was sentenced to four years in the State Prison at Auburn, to which institution he has been escorted by Sheriff John T. Stout of Ovid.” Several years later another item noted that “…Patrick Donnelly, of Covert, on examination last Saturday, by a proper commission, was adjudged insane, and sent to Willard asylum.”

In wanting to finish the story, I went looking for Patrick McGraw, thinking he was likely buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Ovid. Instead a final question arose, where is McGraw buried? I found a headstone for Patrick McGrath who died on June 12, 1869 age 23, a veteran of the Civil War. Buried beside him is James McGraw, and others of the McGrath family. Two young men both named Patrick, both 23, both dying on June 12, 1869 or has the name been changed for some reason?

Patrick McGrath headstone
Holy Cross Cemetery, Ovid, NY
Author's collection

Dewitt’s Diary Sunday, May 3, 1964

Temperature 36, clear.

I got up early and took Tim out for a run down to the East woods. He found a coon track by Lantos’ barn and run it down the creek and then North to the woods (Lantos) and treed it. I shot it out, it was a big one. Tim is already a trained coon dog. He will be two years old in June.

Fished for a while. Le caught one fish, 4 pounds.

Painted trellis behind the house.