Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1895-07-18
AN HOUR WITH JOHN L
HE GRAclouSLY SUBMITS TO AN IN.
TERvlEW IN BOSTON.
The Ex-Champion Prizefghter Talks
About His Likes and Disiikes-People
Who Bore Him-A Funny Incident-His
Autographs.

Autographs.
eve all have our likes and dislikes,"
was the remark of John l.. Sullivan, the
big Fellow now bigger than ever,
though far less active than In the days
when ne was the special hero Of the ring
and was the idol of the pugilistic world
Sullivan sat drinking German min
eral water with the writer In Gays hotel
one hot afternoon recently when the sub
ject turned in the direction indicated.
"What are some of yoursY" was the nat
ural query which followed. II suppose
being interviewed is one of your dislikes,
chr"
"No, / don't mind that If I've got any
thing to say and am asked intelligent
questions, and probably that's true of 9TH
er men | get tired Of being asked tho
same things over and over again, such as,
How much do you weight Are you GO
ing 10 fight AGAIN. and Do you expect to
VIM Tho last one appears particularly
nonscnsical TO me, for | never entered
into match or fought without expecting
To win. 1t is not the newspaper interview
or | dislike, for generally they are bright
fellows, who know what they want and
generally get il. It's the social interviewer
who wants to impress his acquaintance by
saying, John l.. said TO me, and Il said
to Sullivan etc, making statements
which never came from my lips and which
do me harm. Those fellows need TO be
sat down upon, and I've sat down on a
few in my own peculiar way" And Sui
livan's grim lips twitched little, as IL
from inward merriment produced by recol-
lection of some incident where a bore OF
this description had been suppressed Ia
Sullivan.
~ like 10 read the daily papers about
ms well us anything, and put in hours
going through them carefully. / seldom
get home before midnight or l o'clock in
the morning. After stripping off | put
the pillows down at the foot of the bed, in
order 10 get the light, and then lie and
read until 2 and sometimes O'Clock.
Sporting news comes first, of course, then
politics and then sensational reports of
murder and robbery trials and things of
that kind. I've always been interested in
politics, and I'm well posted in national,
state and city. A lot Of my best friends
are politicians, and at one time / came
very near being one myself. IL / hadn't
drunk and been reckless, l might have
been high up in the political world today.
| may yet. As for reports of crime, they
have the same fascination for me that
they have for other people in different
walks of life and with higher education.
You will find that out by watching people
reading the papers in the cars 1t is the
unusual which attracts attention always.
If ! wasn't out of the ordinary AS regards
men. | wouldn't attract particular notice
81 used TO be great fellow for books
and especially liked to read about General
Grant and Napoleon. They were great
men Of their times, and the history Of
their deeds fills me with admiration and re-
spect. | should have liked to be great
general, but all my fighting was done in
times of peace. Who can tell but that
might have been leader of men in battle
and have won distinction in that direc-
ton instead of with my fists? Certainly /
have the fighting instincts, but was born
generation too late for the civil war"
"What else do you likeY'
I'm particularly fond of raw Bermuda
onions, eaten before breakfast, was the
somewhat startling reply 1t was from
grave to gay and might have indicated
John L. S depth of humor, although no
one could have told from any expression
upon his massive countenance.
Eyes, | think that raw Bermudas are a
perfect morning medicine the year around.
Doctors have told me that they are good
things to eat, and 1 agree with them per.
fectly. And, by the way, talking about
what like and don't like, I'll say that ]
like to eat about as well as anything when
l haven't been drinking the night before.
Rum knocks fellows stomach out, and
he doesn't want to eat. Consequently he
doesn't eat, SO the rum eats him. The
saying that when the rum is in the wit Is
out was one of the truest ever made
When man gets drunk, he will do things
which he would never dream of doing
when sober know that from severe ex-
perience. That's one thing / don't like
also-rum-and yet drink it, but, thank
God not for nearly two months now. I
hope never will again. Every drinking
man has said the same thing many time
and yet he went back TO it, or rather 1t
got into him against his better Judgment
Rum is often stronger than will power
Against temptation and rum the will
weakens, and so "a man makes fool of
himself Fools have no will power Rum
sneaks upon you, and before you know II
1t Is master of mind and body But II
you can eat you are all right. The food
absorbs the liquor and carries you along
But the rum gets the better of the food
after awhile. 1t eats your stomach out.
and then you are gone. I'm not giving a
temperance lecture. Every man who
drinks knows what I say is true. Socia-
bility and so called friends make men
drink. I've had too many of these friends.
Still, don't blame them. They don't
think, and neither do 1 when I'm drink.
ing. When / get the rum out, then
think, and think that I'm a fool.
But said that L liked to eat. mans
hearty appetite is rich reward for sobrie-
ty. get up in the morning, take cold
bath and send for half dozen eggs beaten
up SO that l can drink them. put them
down and then eat u Bermuda. After that
I'm ready for breakfast. This morning
got away with ga pounds of steak. cou-
pie of potatoes and bread, and tell you
that IL went great. l can eat with the an
petite Of hungry horse when I'm not
drinking"
above all other things, what don't
you like TO dof''
"To train, and the answer came quick
ly. 81 think that that is the hardest task
which can be laid before man, especially
of my disposition. fellow has To DENY
himself about all the pleasures and com
forts of life when training and no one