The San Francisco call., 1896-06-12
Sharkey's Muscular Development
and Wind Improve With
Practice.
CIVIC FEDERATION AWAKE.
1t Will Meet To-Day to Take Steps
to Stop the Fight if 1t Is
Unlawful.


ting down to earnest and harder work
for his approaching four round spar
ring contest with Tom Sharkey. Though
Corbett has no money to lose In the
match, he realizes that he must sus-
tain his reputation as the champion
pugilist and that being uppermost in
mind, there is no doubt that he will try to
put Sharkey to sleep in the first round il
he can, and at all events by the fourth, if
the saltwater boy makes the defense that
the cham pion does not really seem to an
ticipate. But probably in his secret mind.
as Corbett continues to hear more of Shar-
keys wonderful muscular development
and his long wind, he suspects that he
may have more of a job than his friends
anticipate. Sharkey's wind is becoming
daily more like the supply of bag pipe,
will last long time and require good
many thumps to exhaust it.
Corbett put in about three hours of
steady work in the Olympic Club gym
nasium yesterday. He began about II 80
O clock and quit before 2. He INDUCED in
handball working leisurely at the wrist
and chest-developm machines, punch
ing the bag and sparring with George
Green.
In the handball game with the champion
were Green, James McElroy and another
man. They played about forty-five min
utes. Corbett went after the ball with his
old-time dash and agility. 1t is his favor
ite gymnasium game, and he takes more
interest in it than checker enthusiast
does at checkers. The game requires
quick eye, u sure hand and quick move
ment, and all of these the champion has
and to spare. The game put color In his
cheeks and brought out the perspiration
on MS shoulders.
Wherever Corbett went in the gymna-
SUM there he was followed by the forty
members of the club and other persons.
He treated them all courteously. Though
the single focus of all eyes, the champion
did not seem to notice it, and kept at his
work with the diligence and unostentation
of man who is saving wood alone in his
own back yard.
conqueror of Sullivan appeared more to
the liking of the spectators. The bags
were slow and Corbett remarked disparag-
ingIy about it, but he kept them flying as
lively as a nest of hornets nevertheless
When the bags are slow they are not in
fated with wind as tightly as they ought
to be.
In this exercise the champion gave a
fine exhibition of left-hand drives, upper
cuts and right-hand swings.
Corbett has an almost incomparably de-
ceptive feint with his left which he fol-
lows up quick as fash with right-hand
swing or uppercut II is in all probability
that this is the blow that the sailor lad
will run up against, much to his sorrow, if
he is put to sleep.
. When Corbett was told Yesterday that
Sharkey said he intended to stay with him,
he said: "WeQ, if he says so l guess he
will"
Sharkey took the usual exercise at the
Acme Athletic Club in Oakland Yesterday
afternoon, preceded by long walk in the
forenoon. He says be feels more like
There was no sparring because one of the
hands OF his trainer, Danny Needham, is
still sore.
In the Eneid, Virgil tells the story of
the Greek legend of LAGOON and his two
sons whom the gods compelled to fight
the serpents because LAGOON married with
more haste than consideration of the law,
and because he was suspected of putting
the IroJans onto the secret of the wooden
horse before Troy. In the Vatican at
Rome is a marble statue of LAGOON and
his sons struggling with the serpents, in
which the muscles of the mythical strong
man are most prominent.
The muscles of Tom Sharkey recall the
tabled muscles of the hero OF this fabled
"
chest, trunk, shoulders and legs, con-
spicuous as whipcords and knots. If
Sharkey can stand punishment in proper
ton to his muscular development, the |
contest on the Oath inst will have two
sides to it instead of one.
Judgment around town in sporting cir
cles is divided in regard to the result of |
the Corbett- Sharkey contest. While |
Sharkey is in active training in Oakland |
OarSnue ho fnrnd On fhie aldo Of tho |
bay who think that he will fall down be- |
fore the champion before the end of the |
third round. Indeed, there are some who |
say that the sailor lad will not last more |
than two rounds.
But the largest part of the wealth that |
is being up is even money that Sharkey |
will be on his feet at the end of the fourth |
and last round. AS the temper and de-
termination of the pugilistic glaoiators
becomes more apparent, there is no dis
guising the fact that Sharkey is going to |
fight when he gets into the ring. Being
star OF lesser magnitude in the pugilistic
he will not stand up and be
pounded like a chopping-block. The
sailor lad has fortitude, nerve, courage !
and a physique that has never been
touched by dissipation in any form. On
the contrary, he has been used to regular
hours and filling his lungs full of the pure,
fresh air of the ocean wave all his life, and
this alone puts him in prime condition
He has never touched whisky in his life
IN regard to beer, Sharkey says 'that is
another story" But he has taken only
him bletuls of that, where the average up
.o-date youth has put "schooners' out of
sight.
The Civic Federation, which has taken
/ stand against the fizht, will hold meet
ng this afternoon at O'Clock in the Mills
building to consider the question of its
LEGALITY and to consider what steps to
AXE to stop it if it is decided that the
contest is violation OF law.