The San Francisco call., July 04, 1910, Page 10, Image 10

About The San Francisco call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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10
WRITERS AND FIGHTERS WHO WILL DESCRIBE
THE BIG BATTLE FOR THE CALL
AUTHOR TO WRITE
STRONG, VIVID TALE
Fred R. Dech
dolU author and
popular contribu
tor to the maga
zines, will write
of the fight vivid
ly, robustly, see
ing and conveying
the idea of the
strength and de
termination in the
battle.
THOUSANDS BET
ON FIGHT RESULT
Prejudice Against Negro Helps
to Make Jeffries 10
to 6 Favorite i
"While a majority of the fight enthu
siasts waited until their arrival in
Reno before betting on the outcome
of the battle between Jeffries and
Johnson, many large wagers have been
made in this city within the last few
weeks. The safes of the leading ho
tels and many well known cafes, fre
quented by the members of the sport
ing fraternity, hold checks represent
ing thousands of dollars wagered by
the admirers of the white man or his
colored opponent.
MoEt of the big bets were made on
the result, although there has been i
some wagering on the number of ]
rounds. Even money has been laid that ]
Jeffries will not win in 20 rounds, and \u25a0
n to 2 that he will not win in seven
rounds.
At the outset 2 to 1 was quoted by
the Jeffries contingent and later 10
to 7 was the price. Many of the John
son champions held out and were re
warded by getting 10 to 6, which is
about the prevailing price.
Hector McKenzie, a warm personal
friend of Jeffries, was one of the first
to loom up when it came to backing
opinions with money. He wagered
about $4,000 on the "hope of th« white
race," most of that amount being
placed at 2 to 1. McKenzie met Sandy
McNaughton in one of the corridors of
the St. Franc!* hotel, and a discussion,
of the fight led to McN'aughton betting
1750 to |1,500 on Johnson. McKenzie
then laid him $1,000 to $500 and two
smaller wagers at the same price! Still
further to show his confidence in the
ability of Jeffries to win, McKenzie
bet McN&ughton $300 even that John
son would not go more than six rounds.
McXaughton also bet Julius Rosenberg
$500 against $1,000 that Johnson would
win. Manager James Woods of the St.
Francis is the stake holder of the Mc-
Kenzie-MoNaughton wagers.
»750 AGAINST $1,500
Willie O'Connor, while an admirer of
Jeffries, took advantage of the price
Quoted by McKenzie and bet $750
against $1,500. later laying off the bet
with Johnny Coleman, the former book
maker, at 7 to 10.
Matt Larkin. well known in sporting
cirrl#>s throughout the country, has
$4,500 on Johnson. He is one of the
most extensive backers of the colored
champion.
Early in the betting "William Eng-
Etrora. the book maker, placed $2,000 on
Johnson, but later decided to hedge
end announced that he had $10^00 to
bet that Jeffries would win. He found
a number of takers. Among them Is C.
Lj. Hoffman, the oil operator. He placed
$1,000 with Engstrom on Johnson. Rob
ert Fleming, associated with Joejftose.
backed his confidence In Johnson by
wagering $300 against $500 of the Eng
etrom bankroll.
\u25a0HOSE GUXST BETS
While Jn TCerr York Moso Gun^t, who
takes an active interest in sporting af
fairs, was impressed by th*> tips he re
ceived on Johnson as the likely winner
end he backed him to the extent of
$1,200. This is the heaviest b*t he ever
madf on the result of a fight. Accord
ing to Gunst. much confidence was ex
pressed by Jnhnson in letters to eastern
friends.
J. D. Heard, a wealthy resident of
Medford. Ore., was a guest at the Pal
ace hotel during the last week, and he
expressed a willingness to bet $5,000 or
any part of it that Jeffries would take
Johnson into camp. He succeeded In
Kitting a part of the money on.
William Harrison said yesterday that
he had a commission of $1,000 to place
on Jeffries at 10 to 7, but was unable to
find any Johnson money and the amount
was sent to Reno. On th<9 other hand,
there were men around town Saturday
night who wer«* unable to find Jeffries
money.
TALK, BUT XO 3IONEY
Six weeks ago, Charles Clark, the
young Montana millionaire, met Jack
Kipper and other friends of Jeffries
in a Lop Angeles cafe and offered to
bet $24,000 against $30,000 that Johnson
would vrin. There was much discussion
over the matter, but the bet was not
accompanied by the evidence of money
on either side.
Tom Sharkey said yesterday that he
has commissions of $52,000 intrusted to
him by New York people to place on
Jeffrlcß, if he thought well of his
chances after hie arrival on the coast.
Sharkey claimed one of the checks for
$25,000 was given to him by J. Van Tas
sell of the firm of Kearney & Van Tas
sell, horse dealers. Sharkey said he
would decided about placing the money
when he arrived In Reno this morning.
Tom Corbett, who is acting as pool
e«>ller for the tight, handled a number
of commissions before going to Reno,
but a much greater volume of money
has passed through his hands since his
arrival at the scene of the battle. Cor r
Lett expects a heavy play today.
Mrs. Jeff Placid and
Confident
RENO, July 3. — "I am not in the' least
tiervous as to the outcome,*' said Mrs.
Jeffries late tonight. "And I know that
Jim Is not nervous. He slept as peace
fully as a child last night- He has given
no indication today that he was' wor
ried. I think he will sleep well. 1 do
rot think anybody In the world could
defeat my big husband.VJßßSß|
"CANDID FRIEND" TO
BE TRULY CANDID
"The Candid
Friend".. Edward ,
F. Cahillof The
CalVs staff, may
be depended upon
to write of the
contest candidly,
with originality
and a broad out
look on the many
sided aipects of
the battle.
FIGHTER'S VERSION
FROM FITZSIMMONS
Robert Fitz
simmons, unde
feated middle
weight champion
and former heavy
weight champion
of the world, as
popular a fighting
man as ever
boxed, will give a
most expert Ac
count of the big
mill.
CARTOONIST PICKS
THE NEGRO TO WIN
Choice a Mere Fling With Chance, but
Youth and Skill Back' It Up F
[Special Dispatch to The Call]
REXO, July 3. — Asking a. man to pick a winner in the Jeffries-Johnson
battle is like requesting a condemned felon to choose between the
electric chair and the gallows. Most of the experts now in Reno
close up to the scene of action would rather take a chance on one /.of the
36 numbers on the roulette wheel than try to .select one of the measly little
two figures on the Johnson-Jeffries layout. There are so many arguments for
each side of the question that the glory of a correct choice will be smoth
ered by a flood of good fortune. . ,- *
I may as well cuto ut the stalling and take the fatal Brodic. If I am
right, I will give the good luck deity her proper share of the glory. If I
am wrong I guess I can stand the kid-^ -^-i — ; — -\u2666-
ding. I will have plenty of company
either way. I think Johnson has the
better chance of the two. After apply
ing: my limited knowledge of calculus
to all the arguments pro and con, the
good points on the Johnson side of the
scales seem to outweigh those on the
Jeffries. *
If Jeffries wins he must overcome
the youth, endurance and strength of
his opponent. These three facts will
be constantly staring the cave 'man in
the face throughout the battle. John
son is a known quantity, while Jeffrie?,
in his present condition, is practically
an unknown. The unknown has the
known to beat without any assistance
from outside physical forces.
3VATURJE BLACK'S AL.LY
Johnson, on the other hand, has a
strong ally. Nature has lined up her
forces on the black man's side. When
Jeffries goes into the ring he must
first beat nature and then Johnson.
Reason and precedent are against the
white champion in this first conquest.
True enough, Jeffries is in excellent
shape. He could not look better. But
what does this statement mean? Prac
tically nothing. He has been out of
the game too-long for any one to know
If he is still there.
Take a day laborer, for instance. He
can shovel dirt from 6 in the morning
till 6 at night without showing the
slightest Eigns of fatigue.. He uses
every muscle in his body every day of
the year and seems to thrive on the
bodily punishment. But let a medium
sized man walk up and punch one of
these tough laborers in the jaw, or in
the stomach, and what will happen?
He will go down in a heap. A day
laborer matches his bodily strength
against work. A fighter matches his
bodily strength against the bodily
strength of another fighter. Jeff has
done little fighting during his training.
He lias worked, and worked faithfully.
But this, does not necessarily mean
that he can survive a bodily beating.
ARGUMENTS FOR JEFF
Again, the Jeffries supporters will
say: "Who has Johnson ever beaten,
and how long has It taken him to beat
second raters like Jim Flynn, Tommy
Burns, Al Kaufman, Sam Nievy, Joe
Jeanette and other smaller men?"
These questions are near reasonable.
Everybody will acknowledge that John
son has never been, extended, He has
never tried to beat anybody in a hurry.
He has been sure of himself in all his
battles and has chosen to take his time.'
This may be in his favor* and- it "may
not. It makes no difference. The fact
still remains that Johnson outclassed
all these second class men a mile. He
fought everybody that was available.
The Johnson people can . come back
at the Jeffries sympathizers with the
question, "How about the great men
that Jeffries beat?"
The two greatest fighters that Jef
fries defeated were Fitzsimmons and
Corbett. They were both older than
Johnson is now when Jeffries met them.
Fit* was 37 and Corbett was 34. John
son is 33. Jeffries was younger than
Corbett and Fitz when he fought them.
He Is now two years older than John
son. - \u25a0
BLACK'S XJISSIPATIOX DOUBTED
I can not believe the stories of John
son's alleged dissipation during ; his
training. I have watched him wof k
for nearly a month and believe him to
be in excellent shape. His well devel-*
oped negro blood has been responsible
in a measure for the impression of his
carelessness.. The glow of health
shines out. through every pore of his
dark skin. ; • \
It is hard to say. how long, the fight
will-last. I am inclined to , favor the
long route, unless the -unforeseen hap
pens. Ido not forget that Johnson [has
THE "SAN. FRANCISCO GALL, uMONDAY, JULY: 4, 1910.
ROBERT EDGREN IS
SPORT AUTHORITY
Robert Ed
gfen,. premier
sporting expert of
Ih c e a s t and
sporting editor of
the New York
World, is such
an authority on
pugilism that his
report of the con
test must be read.
JOE MURPHY KNOWS
TH FIGHTIN G GAME
R. L. GOLDBERG
an abnormal- to beat. Besides, . the
black man does not usually ,wiri iri a
hurry. . He is the greatest defensive
fighter now jn the. ring. And he never
forgets to utilize every particle of his
cleverness in his fighting. This would
necessarily. Indicate a long, careful bat
tle if Johnson wins.
JOHNSON'S JEIJiOW STRBAKJ
One other point, \u25a0 Has Johnson a yel
low streak and is he the dog that some
peopleMnsist upon saying he is?
True enough he has loafed a good
deal during his checkered, fighting ca
:.reer. but when has he ever quit cold?
He has" never been hit hard enough to
! demonstrate that his anatomy har
bored a dash of .orange color, j He has
never bled lemonade. Those j who. ad
vance the yellow streak theory used
negative arguments. , They say, John
son would lay down if he were hit
hard enough, but he has never, been
hit in the rightplace yet. This is like
telling a man who has no sister that, his
sister would like gumdrops If he had a
sister. \
Again they, say Johnson must be a
\u25a0 dog because he's colored. Did George
Dixon or Joe Gans ever dog It? Why.
can't they be /taken-, as examples ,of|
fighting men as well -as other, black
fighters of a lower: order. No man
should be branded with the failings_of :
hi» race until he has exhibited these;
failings himself. There is no trait that
is absolutely universal in any one race.
MERE OPINION ADVANCED' v
These arguments, although • logical,
may prove to be wrong. I have .writ*
ten them because I believe In theni, and
no more can be expected.'/ I am not
asking anybody to bet any money on
my word. You can do as you : choose
about that. The sporting editor has
asked me to tell you what was on my
! mind, and this I have tried to do with
my meager supply of rhetorical genius.
I feel that I" will not have to put on a
beard If Jeff wins. Slate reading is
not my business.
It was learned from good authority
that Governor Glllettof California will
make a definite statement after the
fight. It is expected that there iwlll be
a startling revelation when he gives
his reason for stopping the fight.
The odds still remain at the distorted
price of 10 to 6^. On, account of the
fact that many,' of : the 'wise ; ones are
getting down on Jeff at this price, 'the
skeptics think they must have . an ace
in the hole. Apparently,': everything
looks square and above board. V : ;
Ten Thousand Visitors
Throng Reno
RENO, July 3.— IE is estimated, that
10,000 visitors are crowded into this
desert city tonight. From east and
west the specials disgorged their loLds
of sporting men, many of whom have
traveled from the .far corners of Jthe
earth. All day : . big automobiles, powr
deredvwith: the white dust of /the
desert or, the brown >* of / .the _. high
Sierra grades, ,haye v chugged inlfrorri
the coast! cities, ; from , the California
valleys, f roiri; ranch and . mining \ camp,
even from' Seattle, .l,oo9 ; miles away. '
'H. G. Bedwell ' was scheaulpd'tO' ship his en
tire 6t«bl«' from Lalonia to i Empire , City." j-ester-'
dajV The meeting at the yYonkprs track. opens
tomorrow ; «nd Indications «re I that ; it .', will Ibe I a
Mrs success. V Owlnjr ;to ; the taking orer "of Jthe
dates originally allotted : to Brighton 'Beach there
wllf.b*'2B days of racing, under the, auspices ; of
the Empire City association.^ A numlwr of west
ern staples will, be on hand for. the' meeting..' Pol -
lowing Yonkers. the scene. shifts to Saratoga,-; and
what will happen In the racing situation when
the -I sport ends there j U somewhat in doubt. ' ,'*
CAPABLE MEN TO
TELL FIGHT STORY
Here are the then
who will report the
'Tight oi thtl |<pf|
fury/ the Jeffries^
Johnson contest, at
Reno today for the
Call. Literary men,
active newspaper
writers , prominent
fighting men, each
one especially capa
ble of contributing
interestingly to the
story of the exciting
battle
F amiliarity
with fighting men
and pugilism
m alt c s - Joseph
Murphy, assist
ant sporting editor
of~The Call, un
usually well qual
ified to write a
thrilling story of
the fight at Reno
forThcVall^^^
SLATTERY TO WRITE
PICTURESQUE TALE
The Call's sporting editor,
' William J. Slattery, knows the
fighting game and the fighters as
no other sporting writer does. His
picturesque account of the Reno
contest will be the real thing,*
TOMMY BURNS IS
STRONG FOR JEFF
Says the Calif ornian's Great
Strength With Overtppple ;'
Johnson's Cleverness
By TOMMY BURNS
Continued from Page fl, Column 2
knows that 1 Jeff's, chief stock in trade
is his ripping left: . •
. That "golden smile'- will he-knocked
off Jack's physog in a jiffy after his
lips are slashedMnto ribbons and whw
he is trying toi prevent his face from
being disfigured ;he, will suddenly find
that hehas leftian.opening around his
midsection and that a crushing blow
haslald him- low.- ; . v , - \u0084
, I'm not .endeavoring to belittle John
son a particle. He is a good fighter, or
rather a clever, boxer; but against a
fellow, of Jeffries' strength' he'lC not
makemuch of a showing.
HAS NEVER BEEN FLOORED
Fitzeimmons arid all' of the other
knocker-outs failed to topple the gia nt
over on his haunches, j Never has , he.
been, floored, cletjalone knocked. out. so
how can Johnson^. who is by'no means
a knocker-out,' expect to send him to
the floor for the count of 10 seconds?.
Tomorrow afternoon in the open air
•arena just outside of .the city limits I'll
see Jeff bring home the bacon and in
cidentally win me the $1,000 that Is" in
the stake holder's hands.
, I never was so confident of a man
winning as I am that Jeff will hang it
on the Galvestonian. This is from the
heart and | not from any unfriendly
opinion. I haven't allowed my personal
feelings to. interfere in the least.
Sixty Fans Gome From
Humboldt
;; The last of the fight fans to arrive
by .water came, in yesterday at noon
on the steamers i President from Seat
tle an,i Kllburn from Eureka, in ample
time to arrange for an evening's train
to Reno. The' President carried 400
passengers, of whom v 50 1 were headed
for the fight. The little Kllburn, with
100 onliir list, carried 60 men aimed
for the ringside. " :
The -, run from" the time the Presi
dent cast off at Seattle to the time she
made fast to the Broadway .wharf was
reported by Captain "Cousins *at 49
hours and 45 minutes". ' Fight was the
general talk of -all the passengers.
Some of those* on their way to Reno
came from, Nome, v -V
To give i the Eureka sports extra
time In -San Francisco, tha» Kilburn
burned • a little, more, oil than 'usual
and' came in in* 17 i hours. Among the
fight; fans .from f Eureka were * John ;M.
Simpson.' agent "for the North Pacific
steamship- company there, arid .Charles
Robert 6 .; \ \u25a0 '\u25a0;\u25a0/\u25a0 -\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0:.\u25a0- -c-.f--v.H \u25a0\u25a0 , ':"• \u25a0\u25a0;:\u25a0\u25a0
Betting Becomes Brisk
As Fight Nears
:RENO,;Xev.,; July 3.—^Jeffries- money
made itself ; felt latf, tonight ami the
odds. dropped! to 10; to 6; in
j roomsTh ere % were \u25a0 continuous ; cal Is \u25a0 , of
"10 jtof 6 on> Jeffries; who;';wantsoJhri
son?".: and; "even;" ; money : .t'n at .\u25a0Jeffries
wins- in ,20 rourids;(who .wants foJhri-v
son?*'; The. crowd around' Corbett's place
was '.\u25a0: tremendous and -there ..was '.more
life jto 'bettinfflthan^ at.janyytinie
GAME 'BATTLER' TO
GIVE IMPRESSIONS
Battling Nel
son, the. gamest
and best fighting ;
machine jwer de
veloped,'can write
of a fight as well
as make one. His
impressions of the-
Reno match will
be published in ,
The Call.:
GOLDBERG WRITES
AS WELL AS DRAWS
Re übe n ,L.
Goldberg draws
pictures with his
funny bone and
can write as fresh- \
ly as he draws.
He is now in
Reno,- and will
write and draw oj
the great fight to* '.
day for The Call.
JOHNSON PLAYFUL
ON EVE OF BATTLE
Champion Will Have Billy Delaney and
Ketchel In His Corner
ASHLEIGH B. SIMPSON
[Special Dispatch to The Call}
RJiiVtJ, July \u25a0).— cut a tew hours and the nrst tap ot.tne gong win start
the greatest prize fight that the world has ever seen. But a few hours
_^ and the thousands of men who have come to Reno during the last
three"'or. four days will be crowded closely in the great arena. The last bit
of preparation for the battle was finished toda3'. There is nothing but a
great suspense, one that grips Reno until it almost seems as if the town
would; run riot. There is excitement'in the groups on street corners, in the
countless chugging automobiles, in the cries of the newsboys and in the
pushing, struggling mob before the fight headquarters at the Golden hotel.
Tlie city seethes and hums like a smoking shell before the bursting. The
bursting: will come when. the two glad-**" "\u25a0
iators face each other and the canvas
covered' ring is cleared for action.
' Champion - Jack Johnson concluded
his-] preparation .'for the • battle this
morning 'with " a brisk -eight' miles on
the I- road. He arose unusually early,
took but slight nourishment: and at
about 10 o'clock started out with his
trainers amid the cheers of a large
number of friends. When he returned
the motion picture men were waiting
for him again and after, an hour spent
with his rubbers he appeared smiling
and ready to accommodate "them.
In the meantime the cameramen
busied themselves in . taking various i
views of the throngs about the resort.!
When the "big smoke came the instru- .
meats were shifted, to Rick's barn, and
obligingly the champion;posed. He fed
the! chickens, chased % the geese and per-!
formed in many ways without the least j
objection. . ... '
ANNOUNCES. SECONDS . ..
-After his" rubdown, the champion
spent some time conferring with Billy
Delaney, and when the two" came down
stairs he announced that the men in his
corner tomorrow would be: Professor
Burns,- Billy Delaney, Doc Furey, Sig
Hart and Al Kaufman. Stanley Ketchel
is to act as his time keeper.
The champion then had his lunch in
hue of; the private parlors and while
he ate he talked and jokeAwith a dele
gation- of fight enthusiasts from Chi
cago. The big smoke was never in
better humor and insisted on holding
court^ proceedings again after he had
finished with the photographers. He
held the proceedings on the side porch of
the resort, and to the joy of the crowd
that was looking on' he 'picked upon
Flanagan,., his manager. In "Judge"
Johnson's hands was tha formidable
-implement of justice f which .has been
soundly laid over every member of
the camp. Flanagan looked at the huge
pine stick and asked with a quaver in
his voice, .-'\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0. \u25a0 • .
"What am I charged with, judge?".
"With tampering with the court," re
plied the champion.
•'Til pay 'the fine," hastily remarked
Flanagan as he dug down in his
pockets. ;
", "Nope, I command that punishment
be inflicted." quoth "Judge" Johnson,
and amid, the shouts of laughter; from
those watching the (Proceedings, the
big, smoke's manager' was laid across
a high stool by the .trusty pair, Loftus
and^Furey. When the victim -was ar
ranged to Johnson's liking, he took firm
hold on the stout staff and proceeded
to make Flanagan. howl. V When the
uproar had' subsided: the smoke laid
aside the' torture stick and adjourned
the court.
FRISKS AND PI-AYS AS USUAL
He retired to his room. and was vis
ited by ; several friends." Later he made
a trip into- town. All during the. day
the" big> smoke acted, with even 1 more
than, his-vusual liveliness. ; He ": frisked
ahdVplayed and slapped {everyone on
theiback, "-jand k his good nature didn't
seem rabbit forced. . ; - ; \u25a0 \u25a0 :
, Whenever' the. champion* moved about
the '\u25a0> road ;'; house he ; was followed |by fa
procession of the curious, , and when he
sought : his .rooms it ; was ; necessary to
place a. guard' on the stairway. A gang
ofv photographers.; amateur, and other
wise, "hung ; around, waiting; for, : him
'.until "they nearly "gave up " in * despair,
but the - champion t.was 1 ' not- worried >in
the> least.^ He simply stayed; in .his
room. until* he jwonl everything in sight
frbmf a ; pumber ;6f : close; v frierids:in| a
gameiof i-'craps," which] he*dearly ioyes.'
Latel in ithe afternoon : when 'the, crowd
rwhich i'ihad - been hanging;^ around i ; ail
day; was 'beginning tp * leaved more • peo J
pie .whirled out' to,the,resort from Reno
with s' the- 'hope .-of ;; catching: "one. last
glirapse !^)f ; the"champion,but they ' : we're
BURNS TO KEEP HIS
EYE ON JOHNSON
The man who
relinquished the
championship to
Jack]- Johnson,
Tommy Burns,
the heavy weight
boxer, can be de
pended upon to
write critically of
the defense John
son will put up
for his laurels.
SIMPSON TO KEEP
'TAB' ON FIGHTERS
1 Ashleigh B.
\ I Simpson, who has
] contributed enier
l taming stories of
l| the doings at the
;> training camps of'
the fighters, will
\ give The Call
\ readers an inter
j esting account of
f. the even^ today
in the ring.
doomed to disappointment, for th<
smoke remained in his room. Many ol
the eager and anxious ones pressing
about the base of the stairway askec
to. have the champion stand in the hall
that they might behold him. but th<
requests were" refused.
One of Johnson's trainers, to -whom
perhaps, more credit -is due than th<
rest, Is Professor Burns. The professoi
has handled the reins of the condition
ing department, and through the" long
and weary season of training has put
forth his utmost efforts to get th«
dusky fighter in * the proper, shape tc
meet the great white man. Burns said
today:
"I/feel satisfied that Jack Is In th<
best of condition. He could not be im
proved upon. . I worked with him
steadily and earnestly from the stari
and think I am qualified to say that
he Is in superb shape. Of course, it has
meant an immense amount of work tc
get him there, but if it were easy tc
attain. then it wouldn't be quite so good.
I think that Johnson will win. but it-he
does lose there is certainly one thing
he can not be reproached with, and
that is his condition."
m
JOHNSON'S ONE AMBITIOX
It is the sentiment of those who have
spent -the long days in working with
the 'champion that he will enter the
ring with that- absolute confidence/ he
has shown all along; that he will have
a hard fight and that he will win dhtfe
and for all. It is known to the camp
members that the. big smoke has long
cherished this great battle in his mind,
and that the first seeds of it were
planted when he defeated the big white
man's brother, \u25a0, Jack. Jeffries, several
years ago. All along ' Johnson has ex
pressed himself as anxious to tackle
the. big pugilist.^-It always has been
one of his greatest dreams to meet
Jeffries. for the championship title, and
when he. steps into the ring it Will,
according to his own statement, be the
happiest moment of his life. He knows
that it is the struggle supreme.. He
has prepared" himself for that and looks
upon this great battle as the climax of
his career, i "
In the beginning of his fighting rec
ord Johnson was not looked upon with
any too much respect. In Australia
he was cordially disliked for the mari
ner in which he handled himself, and
it was generally thought that he was
a. braggart, a bully and many other
things worse. '
SHOWN A GENTLEMAN
Therfi : is no' question but that some
of these things have become exag
gerated in the telling, but certain it is
that the huge negro" has developed re
markably as he has crept up toward the
top. of the' profession of ' pugilism. If
he did have characteristics that went
against him, he certainly has lost them.
If .he ever was of a mean disposition
he certainly has changed, for all during
his last and hardest season of training
that he /has ever seen, he has shown
himself to be, a gentleman absolute. It
Is the expression of every man that
has, seen the champion that, save for
his color, he -"would be. the greatest
favorite in : sporting circles, in the
world.-.
\u0084~ It is admitted by a great many who
are acquainted with the big smoke that
even: though; they would rather see the
fight wonj by ;the white man as a mat
ter of principle."; they would have" to
admit that siicces3, if won by the negro,
would certainly be won honestly and
deserved. as well.
v "Among: prominent ; members ,of the
betting circles there was "- a great deal
of :talk Uoday ; and >ir was the opinion
of {the majority that. If the colored man
were only -w-hite,the'odds would be con
Continued - on. Page 11, Column 2
JAMES COFFROTH
IS STUDENT OF RING
James W.
Coffrotk, promo
ter of most big
fights and student
of the ring, can
write most enter
tammgly- of a
scrap. He will
write of the Jef
fries - Johnson
contest for The
Call.
KETCHEL OUSTED
FROM JEFF CAMP
Michigan Lion's Presence Re*
seated and Farmer Burns
Orders Stanley Out
[Special Dupatch to The Call]
RENO. Nev.. July 3.— Stanley Ketchel*
the middle weight champion, was eject
ed from Jeff's camp today *y the big"
fellow, and the move on the part of the
alfalfa king was not approved by those
who witnessed the ejection.
Jeff was probably spurred on to oust
Ketchel by suggestions of a number of
leeches who have been around him
since he went into training. Ketchel
was about the cottage with a camera
in his arms taking pictures of the sur
roundings when he was espied by some
of Jeff's friends, who got the bis fel
low's ear and then poured some talk
into it. Jeff called his man. Farmer
Burns, to oust Ketchel and his friends.
The Farmer acted according to the in
structions of his chief and endaw-vored
to oust Ketchel *by force.
Burns tried to bully Ketchel. but tho
latter wa s cool and remonstrated with
the. Farmer to be careful.
"See here," said Ketchel.' "if Mr. Jef
fries wants me to leave th«se grounds
I will do so, but I will warn you not to
put your hands on me."
The Farmer cooled down a bit and
Ketchel walked from the inclosure.
Burns then ordered two of Ketchol's
friends who were with him out of the
place. B. F. Dickinson, a stockman from
Missouri, who came all the way here to
see the battle, and Walter Levy, a San
Francisco traveling man, were the two
ejected.
"I know that I would not treat Mr.
Jeffries that way if he ever visited my
training resort while I -was preparing
for a battle," said Ketchel after the af
fair was over. "I have never done any
thing to Jeff. I picked Johnson to win.
and that is my honest Judgment, and I
can not see how a man can be so nar
row minded as to allow it to make him
sore. It seems to fne that this can be
the only reason for Jeff acting like he
did today. If I had known that my pres
ence annoyed him I would have kept
away from his place." *
Day Bids Fair to Be
One Scorcher
This last 'day before the fight will
be remembered in Reno for many a
long year. At break of day the sky
was gray and all during the morning
black storm clouds were adrift in the
hills, but as the day wore on the wind
cleared the sky and th<» foothills were
motled with the gold of th« sunlight
and the blue-black of the clouJ
shadows.
"Will it rain? Will it be colj to
morrow?" asked the strangers. And
the natives answered that in all prob
ability th<? arena would be so hot that
the melting pitch would glue the spec
tators to their seat?.
Despite the threatening weafhtr. the
roads to the fighters' camps ware dot
ted with vehicles of every description.
Buses carried scores of the humbl
out to the Johnson headquarters,
struggling for right of way with auto
mobiles filled with gay groups of
sporting men and others bearing the
stamp of wealth in their clothes.
120 Real Rogues Are
Counted in Reno
RENO, July 3. — There are 120 mem
bers of, the rogues' gallery In town now
and more coming in every hour, accord
ing to the police.^- It Is not antlclp-V-d
that these men will attempt much' at
the arena besides pocket picking, but
the police think they plan to make a
"cleanup* in the city of Reno while the
citizens are at the ringside. To thwart
this .the streets will be patrolled and
the banks will be guarded by special
watchmen armed with revolvers and
No Telegraph Poles to
Furnish Seats
RENO, July 3. — There is not a house
or a telegraph pole around the arena on
which a free seat may be found to view
the fight. The upper tiers stretch away
into the open sagebrush plains. On
every side the great hills wall in thi*
little spoe on th« may. Nature's aren£
is around It. faultless In beauty, wire
and free in Its bleak sweep. It is a fit
place for^thls battle of giants— this
Btruggle. for first place, as a fighting
man. ,
MEN STUDENTS ENJOY
KIMONO SLUMBER PARTY
Nine Collegians Suspended for
Entering Girls* House
BLOOMINGTON. InV. July 3.— Nine A
young, men were 'suspended from In
diana university today because they
broke Into a sorority house while the
girls were away on vacations, donned
the women students'^ kimonos and «n
joyed a slumberparty. The yoang man
confessed their part in the affair