Everette Alec Schere

From The Great Outdoor Fight

Everette Alec Schere (b. ???, d. 1878), 1872 Fight Champion, has the dubious distinction of being the first fighter to defeat an opponent by drowning, and the only fighter to drown an opponent in a liquid other than water.

A barnyard brawler turned bareknuckle boxer, Schere was known to be a boisterous, boastful, charismatic fighter who was fond of showboating. More than anything else, however, he was fond of drinking. Schere's reputation allowed him to amass a sizeable army by the end of the first day. When the time for the turkey feast came, Schere gave his turkey feast to his men on the condition that he be allowed to keep a large quantity of brandy for himself.

One of Schere's army, whose name is lost to history, noticed that Schere was severely intoxicated and feeling sick to his stomach, and saw an opportunity to defeat his leader and claim the army for himself. He knocked Schere back against a wall with a punch to the liver. Enraged, Schere grabbed the fighter by his neck, but his face quickly contorted in nausea. At the last minute, Schere regained his composure, stared straight into the lesser fighter's eyes with what one bystander described as "the most hateful look I'll ever see," and projectile vomited a stream of regurgitated brandy straight into the gaping mouth of his victim, who was gasping for air from within Schere's stranglehold. The fighter immediately inhaled the vomit and died choking. Schere grabbed another bottle and walked off, muttering "Clean it up" to his men.

Schere's army wiped out all opposing forces, and when Schere was left with a field containing only his own men, he screamed "Free for all!" and begun the Fight's bloody conclusion by cracking the skull of the man next to him. With the only remaining fighters all having witnessed the death by drowning, Schere easily won a free-for-all composed entirely of men who were utterly terrified of him.

Schere was already complaining of health problems associated with alcoholism during the fight, and he was found dead on the floor of his inn room several years later, having recently visited the bar. Although urban legend states that he ironically died of drowning in his own vomit, contemporary reports suggest that the cause of death was most likely acute pancreatitis.