The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-08-06
wELrHR,s P%UGTLIsrIo PICHISGs
Interesting Notes About Modern "Giadih-
tors" and JheIr Encounters.

tors" md JheIr Encounters.
One popularity about Americans Is
they will not warm to those who by
fair means or foul shatter their IDOLS
and especially does this hold good with
men Of sporting proclivities. BOD fltz-
simmons IS conceded to he the most phe-
no-nenal pugilist in the middle-Welsht
class the world has ever known, but
since he has been so financially fortunate
and socially unfortunate MS 10 strip the
laurels from the brow Of our own Jack
Dempsey, the gallant erstwhile Nonpar-
ell his success has been n verltable
canker-worm I'm the hearts OF the great
majority OF admirers Of the manly ART
That FitZ won the fight on It's merits
every fnir-minded man must achnowi-
edge. and that II was 2 hattie absolutely
devoid Of trickery and treachery goes
without saying. Still IL seems we can
not reconcile ourselves TO be his friends.
He was foolisl. enough 10 shatter one
OF our idols, and that settled 1t. / VIII
not say Americans are altogether wrong IN
their attitude toward FitzsimmOns. A
man is not deserving Of the name who
is not patriotic. and certainly there is
some excuse for those who have it up
their sleeve" for Bob IN the facts that
he is merely a sojOurner on our shores,
and that all the fascinating Yanke spon-
dulicks which have been flowing 50 fleely
Of late into his Golfers are destined ere
long 10 help swell the not Ill too pie
thoric Australian exche1uer of Her Most
Gracious Majesty. on this point alone
do / coincide with those who are IN
clined TO be hard on the lanky black
smith from Kangarooland. Now, what
ever the reasons Qhere are few good
,.-~ oeufrr. yapl n1CripcnS may nave
FOR disliking F1tzsimmons, there is abso-
lutely none why they should turn n
cold shoulder To that other idol shat
eerer. James j. Corbett, still this IS the
very thing they are doing, and why?
Simply because he shattered their idol
OF idols in the person Of John l.. Sui
livan. He is constantly bounded and
prosecuted from one end Of the country
10 the other by a bevy Of S~ullivanite
cranks, who are as relentless In their
bitterness towarde the Californian as
they are unreasonable. Who ever heard
OF a boxing exhibition given by two men
who depended altogether on It's being
scientific and refined FOR It's success.
being brutal7 DO you think II would
behoCve CoTbett 10 put up" an exLi-
lltion Of brutality before such mixed
or cosmopolitan audiences as found their
way to his amusement pavilion IN the
Midway Plaisance at the Worlds FAIR
Certainly rot. and even II Jim were In
clln.d TO be brutal (Which, personally l
know be is DoD. surely he fas sufficient
comrCn sense left 10 see that any OK
hibitiCn OF The kind would interfere ma
terlally with the plans he tad laid for
the rapid accumulation OF dollars and
cents. II was not the press; 1t was not
the people at large. nor was IL public
opinion that caused jim To be handed
his walking papers ct Chicago. IL was
the rrderhard work Of a badly organ
lied gang II dead sore" fanatical Sui
livanltes, IN connection with some MEM
bers Of the Columbian Club at Roby.
Ind, who seem 20 have formed n combine
for the sole and highly edityiug purpose
OF ~injuriug the prospect. Of Il fellow
countryman Of their own-the Latter
class because they could not use him as
a tool. and the former because he shat
tered their idol. 4 fg for the man who
will not give credit to whom IL is due.
and shame On our people II they viii
persist in prosecuting a man who has
proven himself 10 he the superior In
many ways Of their w pampersd pet
and ridicuiously idolized John +. ! a
known both Een personally for many
years. and I know whereof l speak when
I say that Corbett is far from being
an ignorant mar. He is not a 'boozer.'
Ills domestic life IS a happy one reports
10 the contrary, nothwithstsnding), aud
more than all he is an American. OF
course, John l.. is too. but candidly now,
don't you think that as a representa-
tive American Corbett has a shade the
lest OF it2 ! have no desire 70 20 on
record as being considered antagonistic
towards John; far from f.; personally he
Is my best friend In pugilistic circles.
hut where II comes down To dead Lowell
business IN the matter l am obliged 70
admit that Corbett is ms choice as an
o~ut-and-out man. Some say he will have
TO whip Mitchell before he can aspire 10
hold tie place In our hearts held so long
by the Boston boy. Well. II that IL all
there is TO bsr his progress he is just as
good as there now but In the meantime
let us show him fair play. let us think
he is at least as good az the next man,
and let us remember (evcn II he has
shattered our idoD he is an American
from the top Of his sliapely ~pompadour
10 the soles OF his nimble feet.
The following cable was received a few
days ago by Richard X. Fox at New
York:
'DIck Burge. OF New Castle. has chal-
ienged Jack McAuliffe. tho American
champion. to fight at catch weights in
four weeks from signing articles. and
stake from 1900 TO 1900. McAulife
accepted the challenge. and Charley
Mitchell, on behalf Of the American
champion, has called upon Burge and
his hackers 10 put up their money. lie
will find the stakes for McAuline."
Fighting at catch weights. the English
man ought TO be an easy mark" for
Mac. who. by the way, has been leading
a. somewhat luxurious. indoient life of
late He told me not long since he
thought one or two more courses Of
training would AXE him out Of the light
weight limit. and as he weighs about
10 pounds. ! fail to see how he can
even now get down TO 1875 and be strong.
Jack Is "chock" full Of superstition, and
II puzzles me TO know why he has Sc
iected Mitchell to handle him. since