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DEATH OF TOM SPRING.
r Helft Life in London, July 24.J
Tt was only on Sunday last tli.it wo recorded
the latest mid siiccess'nl effort of the pugilistic
Community, assist! d hy tho Renerons contributions
of tho staunch admirers of old English boxing,
to defray the expenses-ntteiidnnt nu tho erection
of a monument in JVôolwîch Churchyard, to
porp1 tirite tho fair farny^nnrt good qualities of
ono of the most eolenrnicd fistic champions of
England, namely, Tom Cribb. It was a painful
but consolatory duty. Alas! this Sunday wo
hnvo a tnik to perform, painful without mitiga-
tion. Thomas Wi-itcr Spring, tho immediate
successor of Cribb, ns Champion of Knglnnd.
is no moro-Rfqniracai in pac« ! Which of
our readers will not repeat fervently and pious-
ly the piayor Î He died on Wednesday mort ing
last, tho 20th instant, nt a quarter to six o'clock,
in tho prcHcnco of his only surviving son mid
child (called afior hlm«elfi, and in that of .Vr
Harper, and of Mr Phelps, a gentleman of
Herefordshire, and tho companion nlmost from
childhood of tho departed hero. lt is almost
superfluous to say that his death was calm and
clearly painless-his soul taking its flight tn
penco with all it left, and winning its way, wo
pray, to rrst in tho " bosom of his father and his
God "
Spring had been niling for a year and n half,
but not very seriously for more than ten months.
Tho remote cause of his death was palpitation of
tho heart, the proximate causo common dropsy.
Tho palpitation of tho heart was succeeded hy
swelling and ulceration of the leg, tho dropsy
of tho body supervened, for which he was six
times tapped, tho last timo being on the Satur-
day before his demise. As absorption never took
placo his case was a hopeless ono. Ho suffer-
ed great pain from ulceration of tho logs, and
intolerable annoyance from tho mass of fluid
that Accumulated in the region of tho abdomen
and thorax, and weltrhod down his once hercnlonn
lona, ile endured nil with tho patience of n
bravo man, nnd tho resignation of one howing
to the will of hi» Maker. . Spring underwent
many honvy domestic afflictions, amongst others,
tho loss of his two eldest sons -splendid lads,
ju.<t entering into manhood, and thero is but lit-
tle doubt, for his henrt was nflectionato and sen
si'ivo. that theso calamities tended to call into
fatal activity tho seeds of the diseases that led to
his lamented and untimely death.
1 homns Winter-for tho cognomen Spring
was assumed when ho first entered tho Prize
Ring, ns nn antithesis to his fnmily name, and as
expressive of tho buds of honour that wcro to
usher in his career-was born nt Fownhopo, a
village nbont six or seven miles from Hereford,
on tho 22nd of February, 1795.
His father was the largest butcher of tho
district, nnd his ancestors had been butchers
thero for upwards of a century. Spring follow-
ed the avocation for a while, buta chance-med-
ley encounter altered his cnrlv destination. In
his 18th year, being at a wake or fuir, nnd dnno
Ing wlih a young woman, the bully nnd terror of
tho neighbourhood, a big and mature miller
(Hollands, wo think by naino). insulted young
Winter's partner, whereupon, from tho right
hand of tho you'll, ho received a severe blow on
tho mouth. Satisfaction was demanded, and it
was glvon outsido tho tent in willah tho parties
had been dancing, livery spectator was surpris-
ed at what ho considered tho audacity of tho
stripling to stand up against tho invincible one
of tho neighbourhood ; but nil were still moro
surprised* when thoy saw tho lathy ind lick tho
burly man in a rattling hnndgnllop of n few
minutes. The youth, no doubt, was astonished
himself. At nny rate, from that day his m I lid
wandered from tho butcher's steol to that other
sort of steel that makes of man tho champion
nf tho Ring, tho commander of a v victorious
host, or the admiral of nn invincible fleet.
The gnllnnt .Tom soon bogan his dashing
career. His first opponont was Henley, whom
ho defeated nt Mordoford. in Herefordshire in
ll rounds. He now carno to London,and meet-,
lng with patrons, one nf the earliest and most'
constant of whom WAS a gentleman named
Sant. ho entered tho ropes with Stringer, nn
athletic Yorkshireman, nt Moulsoy, In Sepiera
i ber, 1817. He disposed of Stringer in 20
rounds, occupying SO minutes. Ho was now
flitted against the ronownod Nod Pnintor. whom
io vanquished, at Mickleham Downs, in April
1818. In August following ho met Painter
again, with a diltoront result, sustaining, on this
occasion, his only defeat. Carter, in May. 1810 ;
lien Uurn, in December, 1810 : Rob Burn, in
May, 1820 : Joshua Hudson, in tho following
month: Oliver, in February, 1821 j Neate, in
May, 1829,- for defeating whom bo received tho
freedom of tho City of Hereford j Lnngnn, In
January, 1821, nnd ngnln in June of: the same
year, form n briof crttntôguo cf the mon,he'van-
quished, From this period Spring retired
from tho Ring, carrying with him an unstained,
and untarnished ohnrncter, nnd having earned
the confidence of hit patrons, «nd tho esteem
of numerous, friend«.
Spring became a publican after gaining a few
victories. Tho first house he-kept wa« tho
Weymouth Arms, Weymouth-street. Cnvcndish
snuares tho second Uooth Hall, in the oltv of
Hereford ¡ tho third, tho Cnstlo Tavern, Hol-
born, which ho took of Tom Belcher in Julv,
1828. Thus ho mnnaged that tavern for a little
moro thnn twenty-three years. If its walls had
tongues what recital might we have of circum-
stances strange and stirring, that took place
beneath that roof to which success was so often
pledged' In overflowing glasses ! Spring was a
most courteous landlord, making no distinction
except between tho well-behaved and tho ill
behaved. Ho permitted no one to bo insulted
tn his house, and tho simple stranger was ns
safo in it as in his own cottage amongst his
family. Ile promoted peace and harmony with-
in, though, of course, he encouraged contests
manly ones-without. The constant frequenters
of his parlour lored him ns they would a brother :
and so many of thom ought, for if they hungered
or wero athirst, he soon showed them thut ho
had '. a hand open ns melting charity." Wo
believe him to hare.suffered largo losses from
his uncalculating generosity. Spring's fiaure
was an extremely fine one. and his face and fore-
head most remarkable His brow bad something
of the Greok Jupiter in it, expressing command,
energy, determination, and cool courage, its
sevority waä relieved by the lower part of his
countenance, tho features of which denoted
mildness and playfulness. His actual height
was 5ft Uiin; but ho was endowed with n
singular facility-ho could stretch his neck so
as to make his admeasurement moro than six
feet. Spring was a man of fine mind, and had
ho received the requisite education, he might
have headed the bench, tho liar, or tho pulpit,
as ho did practitioners of a different school. He
was a great favourito with tho right-minded,
nnd high and low held him in affectionate
regard.
Many were the gifts and rewards bestow ed in
public eclat on our deceased friend, tho most
celebrated of which were : -
Tho " Manchester Cup.'' presented to him in
1821 : nnd tho '. Hereford Cup," in 1823.
In 1845, some lending men in tho sporting
world resolved to present a " testimonial " to
Spring, and tho call was responded to by up-
wards of £500 being subscribed. A noble
tanknrd, of vast dimensions and weight, together
with n purse, was accordingly presented to
him, afier nn excellent dinner nt his house
Tho shiold on the tankard is thus engraved :
"Presented, hy public subscription, to
Thomas Winter Spring, ex-Champion of Eng-
land, in testimony of the sincero respect in
which ho is held for his pure and honourable con-
duct during his long and unblemished career in
pnhlic nnd private life." A memorial which
poor Tom pried much, and which ho was
I fond of drink.ng ont of. was a silver goblet
j given to him as a family token by his primitive
i patron, Mr Sant, who has preceded him in the
j road to tho (travo
Ho lins left a will, appointing nn old and vnl
¡ ned friend, Mr Hancock, nnd a gentleman named
: Green, ns his executors : but of his wordly posi
! finn in rcpect of properly, wo have no means
of judging.
Already have wo had numerous suggestinns
for the erection of a suitable monument over
his final resting place. These, with other topics,
however, must remnin for futuro consideration.
Wo have no doubt that all which is becoming
; tho loss of such a man will bo honourably and
fully accomplished.
Tnn FC.VKRAL.-The remains of tho deceased
were conveyed on Monday, 25th Aucust, 'o their
last resting-place, a vault in tho Norwood Ceme-
tery, whero rost tho bones of two of his sons, a
brother, and a sister. Ills only surviving son.
Thomas, followed his father to tho crave as
chief mourner. ? Tho procession, which started
from tho Castlo Tavern, was extremely numo
rous, and included tho principal members of the
: P. it.
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