St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-06
SAYS 1T ISN'T FAIR.
Mitchell Takes Shot at the Pecu-
liar Challenge.


ST. LOUIS. March 5.-Charley Nit
chell, the pugilist, was seen in East st.
Louis late this afternoon and shown a
full copy Of the John l.. Sullivan chal-
lenge. In reply he drew from his peck
ct letter of which the following is a
copy.
To the Athletes of America: Though not a
stranger in America, have during the past
twelve months been designated as "a for
eigner." Any man speaking the English
language. be he Scotch, Irish, German,
French or Spaniard. is an Engishman, or
the same as one, to me. j ask, is it fair or
at least fifty pounds in weight should make
such an absurd challenge as that issued by
him today from St Paul? Who ON earth
with one atom of common sense would ac-
cede to this proposition?
Is there any runner, jumper, wrestler,
seuller, billiard player or expert in any game
who would accede to such terms as this chal
lenge dictates? But it is not John L. Sulli-
van the actor. 1t is his governor, Duncan B.
Harrison, that talks. To state it mildly, it is
the height of presumption that a man who
poses as patriotic American God save the
mark) should make such proposition just
look what the great John l.. requires. His
modesty is unbOunded.
All he wants to name for fight is con-
tanned in his challe nge to your humble serv-
ant Charles Mitchell, who has fought him
draw both with gloves and bare knuckles,
and received a forfeit from this great carica-
ture of tighter on two occasions. once in
France. in 1887, and once in the Madison
Square garden in 1885.
Athletes see what he wants. He ties me to
put up $4,000 as side bet. He binds the
club to find purse of $4,000 This is the
man so eager to prove to the American pub
lie his patriotism and his valor He also I'M
blushingly asks for q certain club for his
own reasons, for his own referee, for the
time when the tight shall occur, for the size
of the ring, for the rules that please him
most and very particular item-the stake
older
This letter I address to the athletes of
America, and ask them as men if there is one
thing in all his challenge that will impress
them with the idea that he is not the buffer
instead of me. Never in the course OF my
career as an athlete have ever disappointed
the public or made a statement l have not
tried to fulfill. This is my reply to the chal-
lenge. If / am not allowed to say word 1
will not fight. If Sullivan acts like man of
some honor and decency will meet him. l
hope the little vein Of sarcasm l have used
will be taken in the true spirit in which it is
given. ! am, respectfully.
CHARLES MITCHELL.
In an interview Mitchell said: II
will say that there is no man living who
knows better than John l.. Sullivan
himself that l will be delighted the day
when CIl6 IudlCIl UGIWtou us Is fdLlH6Qs
As to the $4,000 bet on the outside, he
must be crazy, or thinks l am. The
purse would be quite enough for me !;
but l will wager myself $4,000 even
money on the result. He proposes to
name the week and terms. He has not
got the fixing of the stake. The club
before whom the fight is made fixes
that. There is only one way cham
pion prize fight can be fought, and that is
according to London prize ring rules.
He says he does not care about the
championship. Neither do |. But if
he wants to fight me for purse or less
than $500 side bet, will fight him
for IS side, prize ring rules. l will
fight him Queensberry rules at the New
Orleans club, and put upsa side bet six
weeks previous to the day of contest,
or Oil the day of signing the articles.
You will notice that Sullivan wishes to
have everything to suit himself; the
time, the place, the purse and the
side bet. Now / will make all those
concessions and even fight in The six
| teen-foot ring if he will pay me for the
privileges. | should have something
| to say. but / will let him say it all if he
! will give me hard cash for what L allow
| him.
''If John L. Sullivan really wants a