Frau sucht Faustkämpfer! Hezekiah Moscow and me – big in Germany

Last month I was contacted, much to my shock and excitement, by the very well-regarded and well-read German news magazine Der Spiegel. 

History Editor Frank Thadeusz was keen to hear more about how I first came across Hezekiah Moscow in the early months of 2019, and how this research led to, well, where we are today: two series of a TV show starring a character inspired by him, and a book on its way.* 

Frank was really interested in Mr Moscow’s story, and also expressed surprise that my research and the true histories hadn’t featured more heavily in A Thousand Blows’ press and marketing campaign. They could have done an accompanying documentary, he said. They could have, they could have.

I’m delighted with the final feature published on Der Spiegel’s (paywalled, sorry) website on February 24th under a headline which translates as “Woman seeks fistfighter. And finds brilliant material for a TV series”. It does sound better in German! I’m not sure if the article appeared in the print copy.

For the feature, I was joined by talented photographer Ossi Piispanen outside 36 Elder Street, off Bishopsgate in East London. It was in this building in 1891 that Hezekiah and his pregnant wife Mary Ann were renting a room – you can find them here on the 1891 census. We then went to the Exmouth Arms in Clerkenwell to take some more photos.

The Exmouth Arms was the site of a very sad event in 1890. This fairly snug pub was home to Jack Wall’s boxing club, and at the start of January he had appointed young Black British boxer Tom Tully as manager for public boxing competitions. Tully was joined by Hezekiah Moscow as MC one night at the end of January. 

Two teenage boys, Arthur and Edward, both printers labourers who lodged together – Arthur Knight was an orphan – and both members of Wall’s club, entered the ring for a three-round spar. This was to be a friendly, light, gloved fight. Just three rounds with a pal.

But only a few seconds into the first round, Knight dropped his fists to his sides, his head fell back, eyes rolled up, and he collapsed to the ground. Moscow and others gathered him up and took him upstairs to the pub’s bedrooms. He was dead before a doctor could arrive.

Arthur Knight had been in and out of hospital experiencing fits. He was epileptic and should never have been anywhere near a boxing club. But it was 1890. And Arthur and Edward were 17-year-old lads.

Today’s Exmouth Arms is a fantastic pub, with very flattering light for portraits of a nervous sitter on the first floor, and a great food menu. Unbeknownst to me until I noticed the 1915 painted on the building’s side, the 1880s building was rebuilt in 1915 and so the original location of the boxing ring itself I’m not sure of. It was described as ‘attached’ to the main bar in 1890, so likely a back room on the ground floor.

My enormous thank you to Frank, Ossi and Der Spiegel for helping share a little bit of Hezekiah’s story with Germany, and to the Exmouth Arms bartender for humouring me.  

*I have less than three months left until the delivery deadline for my book manuscript. There’s not much to report other than general exhaustion, and a change in title from THE DEVIL’S DANCE FLOOR to THE DEVILS’ DANCE FLOOR! Makes all the difference.