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Show 'Mighty Matt Olympic Champ, Reaches End of His Career NEW YORK. Jan. 29 UP "Mighty Matt," the cop who came out of Tlpperary at the turn of the century to become one of the greatest Olympic athletes of all time, died today. On the records he was Police Inspector Matthew J. McGrath. 64. weight between 225 and 250, winner win-ner of 21 national championships In weight-throwing. To the little Chinese orphan boy he adopted several years ago he was an Olympic Olym-pic god. To vicious criminals he was "the law." To sports followers follow-ers he was "Mighty Matt." who could throw th ball and hammer Ilk most of us would tosa a football. foot-ball. At 21, he marched on New York City in all his green glory. Let him tell it: "I hadn't been here a week when I wandered Into Central park and, being a greenhorn. I didn't know that I was In a park. I thought I was In the country, o I took off my ahoe and began to toss some rock around. "After a while I went for a swim In the lake. A mounted policeman po-liceman rode up, wagging his head, and he aald, 'Man, It' clear I've got to arrest ye. Ye've broken every park ordinance there Is, and that's too much." Matt wasn't arrested. Instead, he put on a uniform and went to work. In 1913, he won a citation for subduing a killer who had taken refuge on a river barge. McGrath Mc-Grath hid behind a pile of bricks on the pier and flung a deadly rain of them at the armed man until the criminal threw his gun Into the river and surrendered. Another tlm he got a medal for diving into the Harlem river on a winter night to rescue a would-be suicide. For a quarter of a century he led the world in hurling the hammer and heaving the 56-pound weight He competed in four Olympics, 1908-12-16-28; won both events In 1912, and hla American record for the 56-pound event, made In Canada Can-ada In 1911. of 40 feet 6 3-8 inches, remain unbeaten. |