The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-12-24
SPORTING NOTES.
Some Chatty News Written by 4 Well
known Betting Man

Some chatty News Written by 4 Well
Known Betting Man.
But to come back to Parson Davies
contention. Every devotee of pugilism
knows that Sulllvan's ring days are ever.
The idea of calling a man champion who
is totally unit to defend tho title is on
a parity with tho claim that Billy Thomp-
son might IL he choose, set up that as
Charley Mitchell was the last man who
fought Corbett for the championship, IL
should now revert to him. think Billy
Is hardly equal 10 the making Of that
claim.
AS matter OF fact he was but small
money Garner until his Madison Square
Garden boxing shows were instituted.
Up to that time all his fights and exhibit
tions had not netted him 5000 His
Madison Square Garden shows were with
Tug Wilson, Charley Mitchell The Ma
orr. All Greenfield and Paddy Ryan. He
was to have boxed Mitchell twice, but
was ''incapacitated" on the last occasion.
Assuming for arguments sake that he
got $1,000 for each of these shows, 1t ag-
gregates only $4,000
sss
l SIC that John J.. Sullivan and his
manager, "Parson" Davies. have been
talking wildly in Chicago "The hig fell
low" says that he has made $2,OOOOOO In
his championship days, and Davies
claims that Corbett, having resigned the
championship, 1t reverts to Sullivan.
What nonsense! and what fools sullivan
and Davies think people are, that they
are trying to gull them with such state
n'ents Sullivan was big money Garner
ig ffVfnA lNT.A l..
fourth of s2,OOO,OOO
There are surface indications that Jim
Corbett already regrets his prec'pita rcy
IN resigning the championship. He might
have become the champion of America
without having been an actor, but 1t is
certain that he never would have been
tolerated, let alone accepted, as a the
atrical star, If he had not been a istic
artist | tried to impress this on him
the night he returned to New York after
the Texarkana flasco, but evid ntly did
not succeed, for In less than week he
cast aside, as child would oxen toy,
what a few years ago was in his eyes
the greatest honor to which he could as
pire. This is not an all-round, overly
prosperous theatrical season. Despite
anything Grover or his cuckoos may say
to the contrary, money is not any too
plentiful in the pockets of the working
men and shopke 7pers, who are the back
bone of ordinary theatrical patronage.
told Corbett that the title of "cham-
pion" was worth $4,000 a season to him
in the show business. He didn't think
60. then. 1t hsa taken a few weeks
70 convince him that the best stars on
he road are taking advantage of every
possible aid to boom business. l know
that Jim sees this now, because of his
declaration that II Fitz should defeat
Maher he will so hot foot after him, and
If Maher wins he will not bother him
unless he makes cracks at me-" Mark
my words, that unless Maher and Fitz
comes to terms very quickly I will not
be surprised If Corbett assumes the
championship again within three MOI tbs
How can he do II? Not according to the
rules, l grant you But If he assumes
the title and announces his Willingness to
defend it, who can gainsay his title to it,
He is the only one who has won 1t and
defended 1t in the ring.
It didn't take an extra stateroom to
fetch back all the money that suly made
on his European tour, and unless reports
lie he had to borrow money to convey
himself and party back from Aust ALA.
Take 1t all in all, / repeat, that If Sull-
vans total earnings, both as fighter and
as a theatrical star, are given In the
of a quarter of million
dollars full justice will be done them.
Had he exercised reasonable prudence he
would have been worth at least 100000
today He came before the public in 1881.
That was fourteen years ago. AT that
time his income wasn't $500 year. Had
he lived ever since at the rate of $4,000
a year (Which is about $500 week. and
saved his overplus, he would today have
been q better-to-do man than nine-tenths
of his warmest admirers. That, how
ever, is his business but when he begins
through his hat about fabulous
amounts that he never made he must eX-
pect to be corrected and set right before
the public.
AS a matter of fact there is no cham
plon of America at present. Corbett has
no authority to convey the title to Maher.
Peter. however, seems best entitled to-
the honor because of the fact that he is
ready ard willing to fight any one for 1t.
He has shown that before and since his
meeting with O'Donnell In Fitzsimmons'
absence he was ready and willing at Hot
Springs to step into the ring with Cor
bett and battle him for It, OF course,
lin was not going to give him trat|
chance, having his engagement with ftt2|
on his hands, but that does not detract
in tho least from Maher's Willingness to|
fight him. At the ringside the night
that Peter mallyrued o'Donnell after
Corbett had congratulated him and re-
signed the championship In his favor 1t
was stated that the reason that Maher
had not challenged Corbett by name,
when he offered to fight any man IN tne
world for the championship, was because
he had been requested by him or his
manager not to do so
Davies contention that Corbett, having
the championship, it reverts to
Sullivan, the man from whom he won II,
Ia ridiculous No one knows that better
than Davies. He got the idea from Tom
O,Rourke, and Il is only set up as an
Advertising dodge, Sullivan says tnat
and Fitzslmmons are primarily
for killing the boxing game
I think they can divide that bad emil
nence" with Sully himself. In taking TO
the stage and demanding that the cham
olon have special rights, Corbett has but
in Sullivan's footsteps, Wnat
'Titz has done has been to ape hoth as
nearly as he could. 1t was Sullivan
who FIRST set up theatrical engagements
as bar to accepting challenge $. Gle
l,d this In the big office of the Southern
hotel. in St Louis, when he declined to
meet Paddy Slavin, not only until his
hen American theatrical engagements
we're ended, but also until he had fGl-
alled his Australian theatrical contracts) !
corbett, as / said before, has merely
trodden In his theatrical footsteps,
MOoNSHINE.
Dewitt's Little Early Risers for bilious.