The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-06-18
MUSCLE MAKING.
The Daily Devotions Of Pug
ilistic Champion.
How John L. Sullivan Proceeds to Work
Up Formidable FOrearm-SIugging
Ball for Training-His Daily
boston Herald


One feature of the daily devotions of the
worlds pugilistic champion is at present
religiously performed at THE Abbey" on
Harrison avenue, near Beach street, where
the officiating abbot is Patsy Sheppard.
In a square room of the second story, de-
void of the ordinary furnishings, an oval
shaped ball of leather, inflated by means
of a bladder which it incloses, hangs sus-
pended from mid -ceiling attached to
cord which passes through a ring above,
and running across the ceiling and down
the wall, is held in cleat, which enables
the ball to be elevated or lowered at pleas
ure. Two pairs of well-worn boxing
gloves on the mantel, single glove of the
same description, hanging from the door
knob, and used as a pin-cushion, and two
sporting pictures on the walls are all that
give the room the appearance of being
used for any purpose of business or pleas
ure, unless one looks into the large closet
on the right of the entrance and sees a
number of canvass mats which may posi-
bly, suggest to him the paraphernalia of a
gymnast or wrestler. ''Hello -! How
are you? Come up stairs. Pm going to
have little exercise said the champion
as he reached the stoop of "The Abbey"
and shook hands with the writer. After
the customary passing of the time of
day." the man of peace and John L. Sulli-
van mounted the stairs and entered the
apartment, from the ceiling of which hung
the motionless ball. Eyes, did intend to
go TO Scituate and finish training
said the champion, proceeding to
divest himself of his clothing:
''but after all 1 concluded that l
could do better here in Boston for a while
and not run so much danger of taking cold.
This is a pretty good place. l come here
once day, sometimes twice, and l find
that l can get as much work in half or
three-quarters of an hour as any one who
works would care for. Pm not very heavy
only few pounds over 200-and intend
to get down to 195 in the next ten days.
Latin, whom L am to meet next, is always
in condition, hear, and he is ready to box
at any hour" By this time Sullivan had
Invested himself of his clothing, and
strengthening himself out, he looked an
ideal model for the artist. Covering the
cap of his right knee with a silk protector,
and standing without stockings in his
shoes, he adjusted the leather oval to the
proper height, then shielding his knuckles
with glove kid, he struck the ball with his
right hand and it flew upward, striking the
ceiling with loud noise. Then it was no.
ticed that the ceiling had been covered with
half-inch matched boards in the form of a
circle, which measured seven to eight feet
in diameter. ''Draw your watch on me
while work." quoth the champion, and
his request was complied with. 'Whack"
went powerful fist against the oval, and
"crash ~ went the object of attack against
the circle of wood. Again and again it
mounted upward and rebounded like a
boomerang; yet, unlike the boomerang, was
met with another and another blow, first
with the dexter and then with the sinister
"bunch offives." The matched boards yield
ed as the ball struck them, and once or
twice Sullivan looked up as if to see
whether he had done any damage. The
ball moved in every direction, and the ut
most agility was required to meet it with a
blow as it swung to and fro. Whack bang!
whack! bang! it went without intermis-
sion for four minutes and the perspiration
was oozing from the pores of Sullivan's
neck and shoulders, while a healthy glow
covered his face and body to the hips.
Once only did he lose direction in striking,
but the next blow was heavy enough to
compensate for what was lost. Sometimes
the champion would hit more viciously
than others, as if striking at some aspirant
for honors who had offended him; and if
the blows struck had fallen on the man in
stead of on the leather oval, knocking
out" must inevitably have followed. ITS
a wonder he doesn't have curiosity enough
himself to get in the best fix just to see
how powerful he is" said one of two
friends in the room. Six minutes and ff-
teen seconds had expired, and the cham
pion had fought the bag much harder than
any one is called on to fight in glove con-
test. So fast and hard had he continued
the work that he supposed fourteen or
fifteen minutes had elapsed. Then he took
a chair, rested a minute and gave al extra
four minutes to the ball, after which he
ceased play, saying he would try it again
in the afternoon. He was then rubbed
down, took shower bath and ''swim,''
and proceeded to get into his clothes.