The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-03-07
AN OPEN LETTER To THE PRESS AMI
PUBLIC.
New York. Feb. %. 1888:

In the New Ork Dun Oh this date
there appears All article i'm which are
gathered the ''squeals" and complaints
of various persons who are supposed
to have invested more or less heavily
on Paddy Ryan in the late prize fight.
The hints and innuendoes of this
article are all pointed against me,
and are calculated TO lead To various
impressions in the public mind that
ere unjust to me. | say nothing of
the ingra.itude. for my experience
had prepared Inc for that. From the
beginning, in this affair Of the cham
pionship fight, | was conscious of
vicious rumors filling the air all
around me. 1t was first said that
did not intend to make a match. l
made it. Then that | would not put
up the last deposit. ! put it up.
Then | would prevent meeting and
would draw my money at the last
moment. | did not prevent the meet
ing. l did not draw my money at
the first or last or any other moment.
AT the last moment, ON the contrary,
kept my promises to the letter by
telegraphing $1,000 to New Orleans
in excess of the stakes for Ryan to
bet in the ring privately with Sulli-
van. In NO way did l verify the
croaklngs of the prophets of crooked
ness. L pursued straightforward,
honorable course, guided by my own
lights of good faith and manly honor.
Then when the fight was over, and
my money was fairly lost and won, it
seems by the article in the New York
Sun, l was narrowly watched, as if l
were an actor whose facial expression
was to speak musely eloquent emotions.
Had l raved and torn nv hair over
the loss of my $4,000, it is fair
to presume from the ungenerous
character of my critics, should have
been condemned as, in sporting par
lance, a "squealer." and mo good"
But / did not rave. did not tear
my hair. l took my loss philosophic-
ally. Thereupon it is limited in the
Sun article that l was suspiciously
emotionless. Either way my judges
were bound to make the case 60
against me. Twas in the position of
the old man in the fable who tried to
please everybody, and after dis
mounting aud carrying the mule in
stead of making the mule carry him,
found that he still did not give salts
faction. l am to be pardoned if. with
my experience before me / decide to
please myself under the guidance of
the rules of honor. And to further |
confirm my decision in this respect
may instance other points in the in
terviews published in the sporting
article of the Sun. 1t is made a
point of suspicion against me. too,
that when the man | had backed
and had lost money on, had been de-
feated, still stood bv him and fur |
nished him more money, and even
paid his board and expenses when he |
came to New York. Is this quality |
to condemn Would it have been |
satisfactory to my spiteful and un-
reasonable critics if / abandoned the /
defeated champion Truly. when We
come to points of honor, and allow
the world to guide us, We find our
selves between the horns ola diem
ma. And then it is said triumphant
ly, "When RYAN arrived. he had but
$50 in his pocket, and yet he lost
$500 in one night" The query on
which my critics attempt to hang sus-
picion is, Where did he get it ?" 1
answer, i furnished him with money.
and / stood by him faithfully, as l do
yet. with all the loyalty of the spirit
that ] esteem fair and manly, and no
hints or evil suspicious shall make
me abandon the rules that l consider
are becoming to man in such an
emergency.
In conclusion. If / was not over
powered and utterly crushed by my
money loses on the fight it was be-
cause, probably, the loss was not
considered by me so crushing as it
was judged by my critics, who prob
ably are not such philosophical
"losers as l am, though the sums
staked were less. If / manifested no
facial contortions in consequence of
my loss, it was because had no emo
tons to express. The result was plain
and undeniable. Where was the use
of complaining? l had staked and
lost. l was honest and open in my
dealing and l saw no necessity for en-
plOying the arts of an actor to
impress the students of my "facial
when the news of loss
came to me. And to sum up all in
few words, in answer to the unworthy