St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-26
How the Days and Nights Of
the Boston Fighter
Are Spent.
He Gets Up After Noon, Drinks
Champagne Before
Breakfast,
Smokes Twenty-Five Cent
Cigars, Throws Fifty-Dol-
lar Bills Away,
Rides in a Coach, Grows Fat,
and Receives Mash Letters
By the Dozen.

along in the zenith of his prosperity,
says the Chicago Tribune. Never be-
fore has he made so much money and
made it so easily as he is now doing.
He is the star of a theatrical company
which is in receipt of an average in
come of quite $1,000 per week after de-
Quoting the share of the house. During
his recent engagement at Nlbl0's the
alter, New York city. the gross receipts
were a triie over $1,000 per week. OF
this the house took 25 per cent, 81, 750 in
round numbers, leaving the Sullivan
combination $3.50. Twenty-Five per
cent is the proportion received by all
the theaters at which Sullivan appears
on his present tour.
Sullivan gets the lions share, an I'M
divided half of the gross receipts after
the house receives its share-that is,
half of rs per cen of the total gross
receipts, OF 37H per cent of all the
money taken in at the box office. Sui
Ivan is thus in receipt of an actual in
come of 50. 800 per week.
He lives very e%xtravagant Iy and liter
ally throws his money away. On his
present tour his personal expenditures
average about $1,000 per week. e
seems to have no more idea of the value
of a dollar than a kitten.
Last spring Sullivan was in a Brook
Ign saloon on Fulton street when a Sis
ter of Mercy entered to ask for money
in aid of the poor. The half-dozen
other men in the rOOm gave her dimes
and half-dimes. Sullivan, however,
drew flom his pocket a ~greenback and
hox,1aI - 4 ~ fI,n e., -
The spread the bill out between
The denomination of the bill was $50.
John, what did you give her $50 for?"
asked IL of his friends, as the woman
still stood staring.
"What?:" said Sullivan, $50! 1
thought it was S." Then, turning to
the Woman Never mind. Keen it.
FIN glad to give it to you"
The nj murmured her thanks,
and one of the men told her it was John
l.. Sullivan who had given her the bill.
Even she had very evidently heard of
Sullivan. She thanked him more eff
fuSively this time and beat a hasty re-
treat. Joe Coburn, ex-champion pugil-
lst, who was then dying of conSump-
ton, was rendered a benefit Nov. % in
New York city. John l.. Sullivan sent
him $500.
Wherever Sullivan goes he is the CEN
ter Of attraction. 1t is certainly a cu1-
iOus anomaly of this Super-civi.iZed
nineteenth century that an ordinary,
Overgrown, ~gOod-natured bully, of only
average intelligence, which is an accu-
rate summing up of Sullivan's charac-
ter, can attain the prominence he has.
Sometimes sensational writers have at
tempted to idealiZe him and depict him
as a hero. Extreme generosity is his
chief good quality, and he is undoubt-
eddy kind-hearted. AT the same time
he is a bully and q tyrant occasionally.
In reality, beyond his generosity, there
is nothing at all heroic about him.
The secret of his prominence is the
fact that, even in this age, when brains
are superior to muscle, there is still
enough of the old animal instinct left
in humanity to admire the physically
perfect, and Sullivan is popularity sup
posed to be the physical superior of any
man in the world. This is the reason
people flock in crowds to see him "act."
They don't care a picayune for his act
ing. They want TO see a cu~rioSity-the
man able to lick" any other in the
world. They may ridicule his acting"
but they entertain a sort of admiration
of his physical prOweSS.
Sulllvan's life is passing very pleas
antly to him now, as will be seen from
the following description of one of his
average days:
Scene, a first-class hotel in any of the
prominent cities of the United States;
time, IL m.
Heavy rapping at the door of one of
the choice bedrooms; heavy snoring
within the bedroom.
Rapping repeated.
what is it?" in deep, t%hunderous
voice.
"Mr. Sullivan" in weak, tremulous
accents, lit is IL O'clock"
"All right" grunts his SullIvanship,
as he turns over and peacefully dozes
off again. The hall boy descends the
stairs, proud in the consciousness of
having held actual communication with
the great Sullivan, and is an object of
envy among his companions during the
rest of the day.
At 2:3O Jack Barnett, Sullivan's sec
rotary and Fidus Achates, rap at the
door and insists on Sullivan's opening
it. John acquiesceS after many Surfy
gruntS and a few remarks of a lurid
nature. He rises and poses in front of
the mirror, admiring his own huge bulk.
He gives a satisfied smile at mis- own
immense reflection. He lights a reina
cigar. (He won't smoke a cigar nova
days that does not cost as much as 25
cents.) He goes into an adjoining room
and haulS Harrison out of bed. Then
he suggests III at a small bUttle is in
order. After he has absorbed his share
of the small bottle he repairs TO the
bathroom. His room must always have
a bath attached. lie soaks in warm
water for twenty minutes.
After a rub down with bay rum he
gives the order for ~''breakfast." Steak,
chicken, with celery and other vegeta-
bieS, washed down with Bass ale, con-
stitute the meal. Then he reads the
ton to the sporting news. Next, if the
day is pleasant, a coach is ordered. and.
accompanied by Barnett, Harrison, and
perhaps another privileged friend, he is
driven through the most picturesque
part of the town where he may be stop
ping. The drive may last until dinner
time. He always dimes in a private
room, there being no other table in it
occupied except the one around which
he sits with Harrison and Barnett and
other boon friends. The dinner lasts
until it is time to go to the theater.
The coach is again ordered. Arrived
at the theater he is Immediately as
signed to the ''star" dressing room,
which he occupies with Harrison. He
begins to dress for his part by 'smaking
up" his face. This he does unaided. In
the first act he dresses in Fauntleroys
and ''looks pretty" as he calls it. He
makes some slight changes in his clothes
in the second act, but does not alter his
face makeup. In the third act, in the
blacksmith's scene. he darkens his face
and SHUTS it over with black.
Between the acts he receives his
friends. who come and go by the stage
door. He smokes cigars ard drinks one
or two bottles of Bass during the inter-
walls he is off the stage. He also sings a
little If he is in good humor. He favors
the popular comic songs. annie