The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-17
JOHN L. suLLryAN.s GRIT.
The Big Fellow Ruptured Himself in
His Fight at Astoria.

New York Sun.
Probably no man in the United States is
better qualified to discuss John L. Sulli-
van and his affairs than Hugh Coyle, who
in 1884 was the representative of press
syndicate and travelling with the Sullivan
combination on its spring tour.
Charley Johnston called Mitchell and
Slayin down in good style" was his re-
mark this evening, land showed up the
bluff Of the Englishmen. Nobody knows
any better than Slavin himself that he is
nor ID it with man of Sullivan's nerve
and hitting powers, and he was only too
glad OF an opportunity to crawtish out of a
tight with the champion.
johnson Is clear grit, too, when it
comes 10 a question of putting up money
on Sullivan, for he has as high an opinion
and is as good judge of fighter as any
man on earth. Then, too. he knows that
Sullivan will never throw friend down,
for he had practical illustration of this
fact on one occasion when Sullivan was 10
be pitted against Jem Mace in glove con-
test. The match, however, fell through
. because Mace wanted Sullivan to make a
hippodrome. 1 have often regretted that
] did not consent to his proposition said
Sullivan one day, and then turn In and
dence' That's the kind of q man Sullivan
is continued Mr.. Cole. land no wonder
his friends stick up for him.
did you know that Sullivan ruptured
himself once in hitting the only man who
made a show of fighting him on tour2
No one outside of our company knew any
thing about il, and the matter has never
been made public until now. We were at
Astoria, Or, and, in response to the offer
OF $1,000 for any man who would stand
against Sullivan four rounds. a stalwart
Frenchman appeared. He was a boxing
master weighing upward of 800 pounds
and built in proportion. His flesh looked
% hard that i do not believe knife could
ent it. So certain was he of his ability TO
do Sullivan that he made Us deposit the
challenge money with the mayor of the
town, and at the same time he exacted
from the officials guarantee that If he
killed sullivan he would not be molested.
According 10 the Frenchman. he
wanted that money badly. for il would en-
able him TO establish himself in a saloon
over in La Belle France, and he knew this
70 be the chance of his life. Consequently
he made up his mind 20 hight from the out
Get, and he proved himself the gafnest OPP
ponent and plucklest fighter whom sulli-
van met in the fifty-one battles comprising
our tour in that year. But the Frenehman
did not win the fight or money. for suill-
van knocked him out in what proved 10 be
the best contest of our tour. In fact, the
Frenchman was the best man whom
Sullivan ever met In the course Of
the round in which he finished his
man. however, the Big Fellow sustained
! rupture, and il was necessary for
. us to hurry him back TO San Francisco for
surgical treatment. Luckily, we found
surgeon Just out from Boston, and great
friend Of Sullivan's, who undertook 20 re-
iieye him. When il was proposed to
etherize the Big Fellow he calmly called
! Tor 8 Perfecto cigar. and with it clenched
| between his teeth he surveyed the opera
ton he had 10 undergo. After being laid
up for a week he was fully restored 10 his
iormer condition. and the surgeon ex-
pressed himself in the highest terms con-
corning the fortitude displayed by suii-
van. stating. moreover. that the operation
was success through the clear grit of the
patient That's the kind of q man Siayin
tried to bluff, but II didn't go, through the