Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-29
SLUGGER SULLIVAN.


How he is Training for his Fight with
Jake Kilrain.
pKscRPr1oy or HIS DAILY RoUrrNE-How ALL
THE MUSCLES or THE BODY ARR BROUGHT INTO
PLAY N THE KxxRcpx THAT He TAxxs-HIs
PERFECT PHYSICAL CONDITION.
John L. Sullivan is at Belfast, N. Y, under
the particular care of VIM. Muldoon, the
wrestler, who is assisted in handling the big
fellow by Cleary, also q wellknown athlete.
The New York Sun gives the following account
OF the method OF training pursued:
kising In the morning at whatever hour he
seems perfectly rested, usually about z or 8
O'Clock, Sullivan plays with the nickel-plated
dumb-bells for q while, and then dresses him.
self In heavy underclothes and pair of trousers
and goes down to breakfast. There is plenty
OF good, plain food, and he eats now pretty
nearly what he wants and all he wants Of It
Breakfast over, there is q rest of an hour or so
while the meal is digesting, and at 10 O'Clock
the work begins. The barn is a large building,
and almost all OF it is given up to training quar-
ters. In the upper story the front is divided
into two large dressing rooms. The walls are
hung thickly with all sorts Of clothing suitable
for pugilist to wear. Ranged in line along
one side of the floor are the shoes Sullivan has
been wearing during the past seven weeks. At
the end of the row are the big new shoes, with
two half-inch spikes in each sole and one in
each heel, which are to be used in the fight
Inc spikes are not pointed, but are ugly look
ing affairs, just the same.
Back Of the dressing rooms is the wrestling
room, with big padded square in the center Of
the floor. He was utterly ignorant of wrestling
when ne began to train, but was as confident of
his power In that line as in his ability to SPAR
1t took weeks OF weary hammering upon that
padded square at the hands of the agile and
brawny Muldoon to convince Sullivan that he
couldn't wrestle. The wrestling part of the
training has now been dropped as unnecessary.
sullivan is still far from skilful wrestler. but
he knows about all Of the science that can be
learned in few weeks, and all that is required
In ngnting under the London prize ring rules.
SULLIVAN sMAsHEs A BAG.
Down stairs is a large open place where most
of the active training is now done. From a
hook in the center Of the ceiling hangs the bag
that Sullivan daily Furnishes for an hour. or
rather. have hung the bags, for il has taken a
lot OF them to last through the weeks of heavy
hitting they have had to stand The ordinary
punching bag is of rubber, about the size of a
football, but of thinner material; and inflated
in the same way. This is put inside of loose
bag OF ordinary leather, somewhat larger than
the rubber one. The bag is filled only with
air, and is not blown out full. but is soft and
wrinkied. 1t is hardly possible to conceive
that such bag, swinging freely from a string
four or five feet long, could be injured by
blow from any mans fist, no matter how hard.
Sullivan has used them up rapidly, however.
But a few days ago, when Sullivan let out
particularly vicious blow which took the bag
fairly in what would have been the forehead
had 1t been a mans head, there came a report
like pistol shot The bag collapsed, and upon
examination 1t was found that ragged hole
nearly three inches long had been torn by the
blow a baoyy 1aat bar nf ha
outer bag, and that, instead of its merely being
split, two pieces had been burst entirely out Of
the inner rubber bag. A blow that could so
lnlure bag like that, with nothing but air in
crush mans skull like an eggshell if it struck
fairly, or If landed on the jaw would break
mans neck. After that Muldoon got q new
bag, made especially for Sullivan.
Standing before this rawhide bag Sullivan
does daily solid hour of harder work than he
ever did IN his life before. The power of his
blows is something not to be comprehended
until seen. If his hands were hard enough he
could batter in a brick wall with no weapon
but his fists. But to a scientific eve the power
OF the blows administered in this battle of the
bag Is less interesting and significant than the
skill and precision with which they are deliv-
cred. The mans judgment is marvellous in Its
quickness and Its accuracy. He knows in an
instant just how and where he wants to strike,
and the blow follows the thought so quickly
the arm. Straight blows, swinging blows,
upper cuts and down cuts follow each other
like clockwork, the tortured bag after each one
flying off toward the ceiling to be caught on
the rebound with a new sort of blow in a new
place and sent mp again. The heavy grunts Of
the pugilist and the crack and thud of the blows
on tue bag punctuate the performance.
After the ordinary bag has been sufficiently
punished there comes bout with another one,
much larger, and stuffed with hair. Exercise
Id III, Kill
then, to wind up the mornings work, q seance
with the little skipping-rope.
After the skipping-rope there is little rest
and then dinner. More rest follows dinner, an
hour and half for q beef dinner, two hours
for a mutton dinner. That brings it to the
middle of the afternoon-tims to start on the
walk Three hours OF hard tramping over the
mountains is followed by another hour Of rub
bling down and bathing. The baths are in a
shower OF water coming from Q tank overhead
through large box filled with rock salt. The
brine is stronger than sea water. Sullivan's
face receives a special bath of some substance
intended to tougher the skin, and his hands
are also treated with picking mixture.
Supper, an evening of rest, and an early
going to bed finish the day of the pugilist.
The dailywalk is an event in the neighborhood,
and all the rustcs turn out to see the process
sion start. Beside the men there are the dogs,
which consist of "Crixous" a huge English
mastiff; ''Slobs." mastif pup; "Bendig," a
savage bulldog ana DANDY, a pretty little
fox terrier. Sullivan lumbors along like a
human elephant, and as they are ali roughly
dressed they look like party of tramps. Sui
livan likes to loaf when he gets little tired,
and Muldoon exercises his ingenuity to keep
him up to rapid work. Whenever there is any
body TO look ON Muldoon will propose a race,
and the whole combination will go tearing
away over the rough roads. Muldoon keeping
just in front and squirting Sullivans ambition
to make him try to pass him, while the dogs
barking and growing, string along in the dust
behind. When all else fails to keep the cham
pion running, Muldoon will drop little behind
and will sing out breathlessly. Hold up little
John, I'm getting played.". That always sends
Sullivan off like shock of electricity, for if
there is one thing that he delights to do it is to
beat MuldoOn in any athletic contest. He'd
run his legs off if he thought he was leaving
Muldoon behind.
MODERN GIANTS AT TIE BATH.
The walk is always for three hours and gen.
orally covers, nowadays, from IL to Is miles.
The return is far less impressive than the set
ting out. Precipitation has soaked the clothing
of all the men and is streaming from their faces;
the dogs, with protruding tongues and steaming
hanks seem even more exhausted than the
men. Sullivan and his trainers 60 at once to
the barn, where all strip and, after little pre-
liminary rubbing down, dash beneath the
shower OF briny water, playing in it like school