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 humiliating for the champion. The bad blood between Morrissey and 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.