MY STORY
BY sy W-'f
JAMESJ
JEFFRIE
ICopyrijrht, 1S10, by McCluro Newspaper
Syndicate. Copyright tn Canada and
Great Britain. All rlfihtB reserved. J
CHAFTEU V.
BAUD WORK GOOD FOR FIOHTERS, ESPE
CIALLY IRONWORKINQ.
I DIDN'T go right along fighting
after knocking out Griffin In my
first professional battle. I went
back to hard work. It did me
good. The very best men I've known
tn tnA nln irava oil mAn tt- ll r H O I
worked hard at some time or other and
who kept it np to some extent even
when In training. The routine of a
PLASTERINQ OUGHT TO BE GOOD FOB
THX PUNCHING MUSCLES.
training camp, running on the road
and punching a bag and boxing, Isn't
enough tn produce the best effects.
As great a man as James J. Corbett
was when I first knew him, I'm satis
fied that he would have been stronger
and would have had more endurance
If he had done heavy work now and
then. He was an exception to the
rule, for be lived a fairly easy life all
the time when not training to fight.
only boxing for pleasure and playing
handball.
Bob Fltzslmmons was a horseshoer
and didn't begin fighting until he was
a full grown man. During his years
In the ring he liked nothing better than
to slip away somewhere every day or
two and turn out a lot of horseshoes.
Ruhlln was an ironworker like myself,
and strength helped him out more than
skill In the ring. Sharkey was a great
fighter because working as a sailor for
several years made him strong as a
bull. Hard work and exposure to the
weather toughened him and made him
a dangerous man. Sharkey was at his
best when he began to fight. He never
learned much about boxing and was
better off when be didn't try to do
anything but rush In and slug. For
his size he was a wonder, and In our
two fights I couldn't help admiring his
gameness and toughness. He never
got that in training camps.
Other fighters that I never met In
the ring because they were of a lighter
class have told me that they never
fought so well as when they were
bard at work. Tommy West, for In
stance, was a great middleweight
when I was among the new cham
pions. 'West gave Tommy Ryan the
hardest fight of bis life and, although
beaten, battered Ryan up so badly
that ha didn't get back into fighting
shape for more than a year. West
was a plasterer. During all of his
early fights he worked at his trade.
I've always thought that a plasterer's
overhead work, smearing on ceilings.
ought to be great for the shoulders
and the muscles that drive a stiff
punch.
West told me once that when he was
working hard at his trade he never
felt tired in a fight and that he could
always bit his hardest In the last
round as well as the first When he
began getting big purses and lived In
a training camp all the time, running
and boxing Instead of handling
trowel, he could feel the difference In
a short time. Often he went back to
plastering, dolpg overhead work. Just
for the good It would do his fighting.
Working on a farm is very good be
cause It la all out in the sun and wind.
and there's nothing else like sunshine
and fresh air for an athlete of any
kind. Farming Interests me as a
training proposition, for I had a lot of
It myself as a boy, and later on as
champion of the world, with no more
men at the time fit to give me a fight
I bought a big alfalfa farm and spent
two of the healthiest years of my life
doing a farmer's work with my own
hands. It beat all the bag punching
and rope skipping and boxing in the
world.
But, although all of these varieties
of hard work are good, and any other
kind for that matter. I'll have to say
that nothing really beats the Iron
worker's trade. The iron yon handle
teems to get Into your blood and your
bones and your mu3c!e.
After winning my lirst battle I was
urged by Billy Gallagher to go on the
road and fight everybody. But I was
ust a seventeeu-year-old boy and
Uidn't feel like leaving the old place
et. I'm glad I didn't, for the two
cars of hard work that followed help
ed give me a good level head, and if
knybody needs one It's the young fel
low who makes good in the ring.
I hardly knew whether I Intended
lo take up fighting or not. I thought I
might if I had a good chance, but I
usu't in a hurry. I boxed with Gal
lagher now and then. I had a pretty
good opinion of my own cleverness;
but, looking back today, I must admit
that I got off easy sometimes when
the newspaper writers called me a
clumsy giant" and a "young ele
phant" 1 fought to win, and 1 al-
ays did win. and with a knockout at
that. What more-can anybody want?
I was nineteen years old when Bil
ly's urglngs and the talk of my friends
began to sink in. At lust I grew tired
boxing for fun and decided to
change my trade and take a chance.
was pretty well outfitted for fight
ing. At nineteen I stood six feet two
or very close to It, weighed 228 pounds
tripped and measured Just thirty-
three inches around the waist.
Billy Gallagher was quitting too. He
had been doing a little fighting now
and then and had been offered a match
with Danny Needham, middleweight
tn those days. Billy was going to San
Francisco to trainband wanted me to
work with him. .
After his fight he was to look around
and match me against some heavy
weight It's lucky I didn't think much of the
money end just about that time. Billy
Gallagher and I went to San Francis
co. Billy trained, and I worked like
horse with him, boxing and rubbing
him down and making myself general
ly useful, not because 1 regarded the
chat.ee of getting coin out of it, but
because be was my friend and I
wanted to help him win. He fought
Needham on the date set to a draw.
He got his end of the purse, and then
he skipped without leaving me a cent.
That was my first acquaintance with
the rough side of the game. They
say there's no gratitude tn a fighter.
That was my opinion when I knew
that I bad been left In the lurch by
my one friend. However, I figured It
out that he probably needed the mon
ey more than I did. I waB flat broke.
but I wasn't a soft handed dude. I
could fight somebody.
I did.
The gentleman's name was Dan
Long, and be hailed from Denver.
The purse for that fight was a thou
sand dollars In good round, bard, use
ful United States twenty dollar gold
pieces. It looked like a mint to me
after knocking out a few dollars a day
handling Iron. That thousand dollars
settled things. It made me decide
that there wasn't any trade for me
but slinging fists.
I have to laugh every time I think
about that fight with Long. He was
a good big fellow and strong enough
and knew a little, so he had mora of a
reputation than I had.
Well, we got Into the ring on the
night of the fight and as soon as the
bell rang we walked into each other.
I guess Long thought he'd lay me out
But I bad seen that purse, and a can
non ball wouldn't have stopped me.
The first round might have been
about an even thing. In the second I
straightened my left arm out and
punched Long right on the nose so
hard that he dropped. The referee
counted over him until he reached
ten, and that was enough. I got the
coin.
Looking back over my first two
fights, I can't say that my style has
ever changed very much. I have
fought a lot of champions and have
worked with a lot of good men like
Corbett and Fltzslmmons In training
camps, and yet that trick of crouch
ing a little and uslug my left hand for
the knockout blow has stuck to me. I
get them all In the body.
I have never struck a man with my
full strength, because I've never cared
BILLY SKIPPED OUT, LEAVING ME WITH
OUT A CERT. .
to risk the result I knock my men
out carefully. Even In the excitement
of winning the championship from
Fltzslmmons I put over the last punch
just bard enough to do the work. It
only needed a tnp. and If I had bit full
force I might have killed him. In our
second fight Fltzslmmons cut me to
pieces. He was the shiftiest fighter
In the world. He was trying to close
my eyes and did have me nearly blind
ed. But for all that I judged my last
punch and put It in with just force
enough to win. ,
One reason why I've never struck a
blow with my full force Is that I've
never felt myself being beaten down.'
If I ever do, then I'll draw on the last
reserve, and whatever I hit Is going to
crack.
CHAPTER VI.
IK WHICH I HAVE THE CHANCE OF MY
LIFE AS COKBETT'S SPARRING PARTNER.
r
T was easy money for uie. that
thousand dollars. Imagine get
ting a roll of twenty dollar gold
pieces like that for simply boxing
a round or two and then hitting the
other fellow on the nose. Why. that
would make a man's wages for six or
eight months In the boiler shop, and at
good pay too. I slipped some of it into
the bank, but kept a few double eagles
In my pockets Just for the fun of hear
ing them rattle and clink. Some good
clothes and a new Stetson with a
brim as flat as your dinner table and
a few ties hit my fancy. I was begin
ning to feel like a real sport.
To add to the Joy of the occasion I
was offered a match with another
1
KNOW JUST THE MAN TOU WANT,
SAID WHITE TO COR11ETT.
heavyweight, a husky fellow named
Vau Buskirk. formerly a member of
the Olympli: club and amateur cham
pion, but now a professional and well
thought of. One or two people told me
that Van Buskirk would eat me, but I
didn't think so. He was a big fellow
with shoulders thuf would have touch
ed each side of a doorway. These
shoulders sloped up to his ears, leav
ing him without any neck worth men
tioning. He bad big blue ejes and
pulled his eyebrows up until his fore
head wrinkled. He stuck out his low
er lp and looked as savage as he could
when he talked about fighting, and his
bead was so flat behind that his thick
neck bulged out beyond It, If you
rolled a marbl? over Van's head from
front to back It would drop into his
collar. He bad long arms like a goril
la's and fists like hams. They thought
he was a terror, and he thought so too.
We made the match.
I was very anxious to fight Van Bus
kirk and go after the next fellow, who
ever he might be. BHt here my luck
shifted. I don't know whether It was
the change of climate or some foolish
stunt or other, but anyway I suddenly
went down with pneumonia. . After a
hard siege of it I found myself out on
the street, thin as a rat and feeling so
weak that I could hardly walk.
A montn at uoine tor a visit ana a
hunting trip, and theft, feeling so
strong and well that 1 couldn't stay
Idle any louger. I went north again,
looking for trouble.
The first mutch I was offered was
with Jack Stelzner. Jack was a fair
ly good heavyweight In his time and a
fine fellow. . He was a big. strong
youngster who left firing a locomo
tive back east In Missouri and took up
fighting. He might have bad better
luck In the ring if he hadn't attached
himself to Bob Fltzslmmons for sev
eral years as sparring partner. Fltz
slmmons was a rough man to work
with. "He battered Stelzner up so
much that It took many a good fight
out of him. Stelzner was in Carson
with Fltzslmmons. He was hard at
work, and the match fell through.
Just about this time a little thing
happened that changed my whole
fighting career. If I hadn't . become
acquainted with Harry Corbett In San
Francisco I might have gone along for
years fighting second raters.
Harry Corbett was one of Jim Cor
botf s brothers. There were several
boys In the Corbett family, all Inter
ested In sport In one way or another.
Joe about that time was pitching for
the Baltimore Orioles. Jim of course
was world's champion and was about
to fight Fltzslmmons a championship
battle up In the Sagebrush State. Har
ry was no athlete, but a good sport.
He owned a cafe on Ellis street In
San Francisco and In the rear of the
large room had n pool room.'. Harry
was known as an absolutely honest
sport 1 never saw the day when I
would have hesitated over banding
him every dollar I bad and simply tell
ing htm I'd come back for It wben It
was needed.
Naturally being the most prominent
sporting man In Frisco or In the west
and being brother to Champion Jim
Corbett Harry Corbett looked as big
as the president of the United States
to me. So when one day he asked me
If I'd like to Join Jim at Carson and
work with him the Idea hit me about
right Harry sent for Billy Delaney
who was with Jim and bad bundled
nlm In the great fight with Sullivan at
Sew Orleans. Delaney came from
Oakland, and Harry Introduced us,
Delaney looked me all over and then
In bis dry way asked me If I thought
I could stand hard work.
"Because," he said, "Jim is a nerv
ous sort of fellow and likes to drive
hard. He doesn't want any late sleep
ers In bis camp."
"Well," I said, "I don't know about
Corbett but no Ironworker could ever
set too hot a pace for me."
"And he's a hard man to work with,"
Delaney went on, trying to throw a
scare into me. "You'll be lucky if be
doesn't Scat you upa little."
He'll be lucky if 1 don't put my
mark on him." said I.
Harry Corbett laughed, and Delaney
wasted no more time, but asked how
soon I could pack my trunk. That
was . easy. I didn't bother with a
trunk. I wasn't any Tod Sloane. to
come to Frisco with fourteen trunks
and a dozen hat boxes. A good, big
suit case and a furnished room satis
fied my wants. The suit case was
already packed. As it was cold over
In Nevada and I didn't want any more
pneumonia. I got a good overcoat. In
a few days Billy Delaney and I left
for Carson.
From Carson we drove out to Shaw's
Springs, where Corbett was already
working. It ' lacked only about a
month of the big fight on March 17.
I'll never forget my feelings as 1 step
ped from the rig In front of the1 little
mountain hotel and thought that at
last one ambition was to be fulfilled.
I wasn't fighting a champion yet. but
within a few hours I'd know what It
felt like to be punched by a real cham
pion, and if I wasn't mistaken I would
know what it felt like to punch one.
Charlie White was a great friend of
Corbett's in New York. He was one
of the best known sporting men In the
oast. He knew how to train fighters
and was an experienced referee. They
tell me that he brought out a lot of
first class men In his time.
Gus Ruhlin was a big young fellow
in Akron. He worked in a rolling
mill or something like that, and when
he wasn't working he played football.
After becoming a local champion
Gus went to New York to go after
something bigger. There everybody
told him to see Charlie White.
After awhile along came the Cor-
bett-Fltzsimmons match. Fitz went to
Carson to train, and Corbett. who had
been doing a lot of light work, fixed it
up to start for Nevada. He was to
have Charlie White as an adviser as
well as Billy Brady, his manager, and
Billy Delaney, who had trained him
for the great fight with Sullivan In
New Orleans.
"Charlie," said Corbett, "1 don't
want any clever sparrers to work with
for this fight Fitzsimmons is a
rough, awkward fighter, and I want
some fast big man who can go at me
In his style." ,
"I know just the man you want,"
said Charlie, and he told Corbett all
about the football player in Akron.
'He'll do," said Jim. "I play Cleve
land and two or three towns on the
HARRY CORBETT INTRODUCED ME TO
BILLY DELANEY.
way west. Wire him to meet me at
the theater In Cleveland on Monday
night so that I can look him over."
'Better wire him yourself. Your
name on the telegram may cinch it."
Charlie advised.
So Corbett sent Ruhlln a wire, and.
sure enough, when he got to Cleve
land there was big Gus waiting for
him. Corbett talked with him a little
and had him go through a few mo
tions. Then he told Gus to go back to
Akron and pack his grip and wait un
til he got the word to start for Car
son. Poor Gus did It. He quit his
JobT' packed everything he had in the
world and sat down to wait. He might
be waiting yet if he was a wooden In
dian. Corbett forgot to wire.
And the reason why Corbett forgot
to wire was that just after seeing
Ruhlln he bad a message from Billy
Delaney. "I've got just the man you
want." telegraphed Billy.
That man was Jim Jeffries, as you
may have guessed.
Corbett sat down and thought It
over. Finally he concluded that. Billy
Delaney being his old handler and
Billy Delaney's man being a Califor
nian like himself, he'd better stick to
Billy. :
A Promise.
,' "Pa?"
"What is It, my. child?"
"When sis marries that lord will 1
have to call her 'your ladyship?' " .
"It will not be necessary for you tc
do so, but it will be very nice if you
care to." .
"All right. Mebby I won't always
do it, but I'll promise not to call hei
'punkin' face' any more, anyhow."
Philadelphia Record.,
, ' ... Italics.'
Italics are letters formed after the
Roman model, but sloping toward the
right, usad to emphasize words or
sentences. They were first used about
1500 A. D. by Manutius, a Venetian
printer, who dedicated them to the
Italian states: hence the name.
A Short Christmas.
"Christmas day is only three noun
long in the Finnish town of Tornea,"
said a traveler. "I spent last Christ
mas there. At sunrise I got up to see
my presents and to read my Christmas
mail, und night had fallen before I gol
through breakfast."
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25c EMBROIDERY SALE 15c
35 pieces of 18-inch Flouncing and Corset Cover Embroideries
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