Another contest in which Cross participated thrilled me. It was St. Patrick’s Day, 1908, when Leach was scheduled to meet Frankie Madden at the Old Dry Dock Athletic Club at Tenth Street and Avenue D, one of the toughest sectors on the lower East Side of New York City. A huge stable and a very large lumber yard were located across the street. Madden was a product of the same district as his manager, Bowery gangster Jack Sirocco. That night, the house was packed with Irish and Italians, who overflowed into the aisles and jammed the exits. Hundreds were turned away—most of them Jewish supporters of Leach, who couldn’t buy an admission ticket that night or if they had one, couldn’t get into the club. Madden’s friends saw to that. I pushed my way into the club with the aid of Detective Martin Sheridan and my Police Reporter’s card. Madden came into the ring with a huge shamrock sewed on his tights. The crowd went wild with cheers for their favorite son. Cross was booed heartily when he was introduced by Charley Harvey. It was obvious that—except for his seconds and a few of us who had arrived early—Leach had no friends present that night. The fight got under way and for five rounds it was one of the most vicious, brutal battles I’d ever seen. In the fifth, Leach, coming out of a clinch, pressed the issue. He forced Madden towards the ropes and suddenly let go a right that came up almost from the floor. It struck Madden on the jaw and hurled him on top of the upper rope, where he was counted out. Now here’s the climax. Someone had telephoned the police that there was a riot at the club between the Jews and the Irish. Three patrol wagons loaded with bluecoats drew up to the club. But instead of finding a riot, Inspector Russell arrived to see Leach raised on the shoulders of two husky Sons of Erin. They were surrounded by a wild shouting group of Irish and Italian fans paying their respects to Cross for the manner in which he had gained his victory. It was a scene I’ll never forget! There was nothing for the cops to do except to order the club cleared. Incidentally, it was the first time that any Jewish newspaper had published the fight results. The morning after the fight, the _Jewish Forward_ carried Leach Cross’s picture on the front page. * * * * * Another fight I vividly recall was that between Cross and Young Sammy Smith of Philadelphia, whose true name was Isaac Rozetsky. It took place on February 3, 1911, at the Manhattan Casino. This was a low, rambling dance hall a stone’s throw from the Polo Grounds in New York—the same dusty arena where Benny Leonard later won the world lightweight title from Freddy Welsh. Young Sammy was a brother of the Sammy who had fought such top men as Terry McGovern, Young Corbett, and Joe Gans and had campaigned mostly in the Quaker City.