"To Whom it May Concern:
For the last eight years I have wanted to help humanity, especially the youngsters who do not know nature's laws. That is, the proper carriage of the body, the right way to eat, etc. … To all my dear friends, I wish you the best of luck. Sorry I could not endure any more of this world's madness.
The best to you all."
In an apparent last attempt to drop his professional moniker, the note was pointedly signed as, "Norman Selby"
He left the world as he came into it — as Norman Selby, but in between he lived his life as boxer Charles "Kid" McCoy. In the boxing ring, he was clever, devious, a notorious cheater and his flamboyance could rival the best in professional wrestling. His problem, however, was out of the ring — with women. Between his eight and ninth wife, he murdered his girlfriend.
Selby was born Oct. 13, 1872, in the Rush County community of Moscow, Ind., to Francis and Emily Selby. His early life was spent hopping freight trains with friends to Cincinnati and getting into rail yard scraps so often that it toughened him as a fighter.
At the age of 18, Norman Selby became a professional fighter and changed his name to Charles McCoy, which he allegedly acquired from a burlesque number featuring exploits of safecrackers, Kid McCoy and Spike Hennessey.
In the first three years of his boxing career, McCoy was undefeated in 20 fights and most of those were by knockout. He developed a corkscrew punch similar to a left hook with a twist at the end. His cat-and-mouse style of boxing that led to the eventual dismantling of his opponents gave him the reputation of being a vicious fighter.
McCoy would feign illness prior to a boxing bout and then beat his opponent leaving some to question "Is this the real McCoy?" Other accounts have the expression originating when in a saloon tussle with a drunk. "Beat it, I says, I'm Kid McCoy." And the drunk answers "Yeah? Well, I'm George Washington." McCoy then pops him in the jaw and he hits the floor. Once the drunk comes to, he says "Jeez, it was the real McCoy!"
McCoy, who was boyish in appearance, stood at 5 feet 11 inches and weighed 160 pounds. McCoy would often appear weak and ill in the ring, sometimes using makeup to fool his opponents. McCoy would also claim to not train, however he would hide away at Cedar Bluffs, his farm outside Saratoga, N.Y., and train like a madman.
McCoy never defended his titles, choosing to advance to other divisions despite his size. McCoy defeated Tommy Ryan in March 1896 to win the world welterweight title. This victory was under rather shady circumstances however. McCoy told Ryan he was dying of consumption and needed the money for doctor bills. Ryan didn't train and was willing to lay down. McCoy, however, was in top shape and took Ryan in the fifth round. In December 1897, McCoy won the world middleweight title with a 15th round knockout of Dan Creedon and despite his slight build, chose to enter the heavyweight division. He defeated the likes of Peter Maher and Gus Ruhlin and took on "Gentleman Jim" Corbett, but was defeated in what was considered one of the most staged fights in boxing history.
Against a deaf boxer, he pointed to the man's corner, indicating that the bell had ended the round. It hadn't. When the man turned away, McCoy knocked him cold.
The last fight of McCoy's career was against British Petty Officer Matthew Curran in London in 1914. At the 12th round of the 20 round bout, McCoy was failing badly. A timekeeper sitting by the ring placed a whiskey and soda at his side, McCoy hit the mat, downed the drink and finished the fight, defeating Curran. McCoy lost just 6 of his 166 career fights.
As successful as McCoy was in the ring, his life outside the ring was fraught with disappointment. He married his first wife, Lottie Piehler, in 1895. That union did not last, nor did any of his marriages as most had thoughts of reforming him, "and that was their mistake" he would say. He married nine times - three times to the same woman.
McCoy had a number of business ventures, a saloon, auto dealership, jewelry store and various other enterprises, but those would soon begin to lose money or fall victim to scandal.
Following his boxing career, McCoy entered the service of his country. Some accounts say he served with the National Guard along the Mexican border and as a recruiter, while other accounts have him in the Army as a boxing instructor. With eight divorces behind him — and an empty bank account because of them — McCoy moved to Hollywood and landed a few bit parts in silent movies courtesy of his friend D.W. Griffith. He also found a friend in actor Charlie Chaplin.
But as his fame dimmed, his temper rose and he found himself in many a bar room brawl. So there he was in the early 1920s — a broke, alcoholic, former boxer and actor. But what he did have was a romance with the wealthy wife of an antique dealer. And that was surely not going to end well.
Theresa Mors was an attractive 30-year-old woman who was smitten with McCoy and was filing for divorce from her husband, Albert. McCoy and Mors moved into a Los Angeles apartment under and assumed name. Following one of the many confrontations by the divorcing couple, McCoy said he was headed to New York for a break. McCoy and Mors had their own fight. The next day Mors was found by a janitor in the apartment. She had been shot once in the left temple. A .32-caliber pistol lay nearby and allegedly a photograph of Kid McCoy was on her chest.
The following day McCoy went on a wild crime spree holding 12 people hostage at the antique shop owned by Theresa Mors. McCoy left the store, shot the first three people he met before being apprehended by police in a park.
During the trial, McCoy claimed Mors shot herself, which was rebutted by the prosecution. His acting career must have served him well during his defense as news accounts report McCoy's vivid details of that night. The charges were reduced from murder to manslaughter and McCoy was sentenced to San Quentin. McCoy was a model prisoner and had one of the cleanest records in the prison history. Because of his celebrity status he was visited often by his old Hollywood pals, Lionel Barrymore and Al Jolson. There was even a campaign to "Free McCoy" supported politicians and actors alike.
McCoy served eight years of a 24-year sentence. Working on a chain gang near San Simeon, he saved an injured pilot from the wreckage of a plane that crashed nearby. That led to a better job as a tour guide at San Quentin.
Paroled in 1932, Selby made a living as an athletic director for the Ford Motor Co., as an occasional gardener for Henry Ford and as a lecturer on the evils of strong drink and wild women.
(Dawn Mitchell / Cecilia Rasmussen)
