The evening times., 1896-02-18
Chihuahua's S Governor Visits the
Training Quarters Of filz.
FRIENDS DENY THE STORY
Managers and Principals Are Certain
the Fight VIII Come Off-PropOsi-
sition Alleged to Come From Mexi-
can Officials Specifying Where the
Fight Can Take Place.

an intiniation from a source near to the
state of Chihuahua authorities that there
need not be any apprehension concerning
interference with the affair Friday next,
provided the spot selected Is not within
forty miles of Juarez up OF down the Rio
Grande, or al ja cent to a Village or hamlet.
AT headquarters the usual policy Of re-
fu>ing either TO confirm or deny current
rumors is still being adhered To, but color
is given to the report from the fact that Gov.
| Ahuniada and two members of his staff
we're for two hours yestertiay v Il n, rnoon the
| guests OF F1tzsimnions at The iat,cr's train
ing quarters, partook or his hospitality ,and
watched with interest his punching ol ;iic
bag and other exercises.
GOVERNORS FRIENDS DENY A RUMOR.
The governor is man of considerable
| dignity, and those who know him best say
| that he would not have lowered il or even
compromised himself by putting himself on
such extremely social terms with man
who few days hence lie might be com
PEELED to deal with as a criminal, ""iess he
i was well ware that the plans were such Is
to make it certain that the fighting party
was not likely TO be subject o his after juris-
dction.
| The press dispatch from the City OF
! Mexico this morning to the effect that the
| federal authorities have given orders 10
and TO exert every effort TO prevent il is
pronounced n pure invention by those OF
| the governors circle at Juarcz. The fed
| eral authorities have not been given any
| orders outside OF the original suggestion
10 Gov. Ahumada as to his duties IN the
| matter, nor are they fuH her concerning
| themselves in the matter.
FEW RESPONSES TO TELEGRAMS.
TcleErans by the bushei We're sent out
yesterday afternoon 10 sports and other
| ring patrons all over this and neirhboring
| States as far east as st. Louis, notifyin
| them that the fixture for Friday is a
dead sure thing. The responses, however,
| have been few, and the prospects of the
return of even fraction of the crowd
| that was here on Thursday are meager.
Outside of the regiment OF correspond
ents, the number Of strangers still re-
| naming TO dance attendance on the mill
| docs not exceed, even If il reaches, a
hundred.
| Like the dele cate from Florida, the fight
ers are beginning 10 wonder where they are
| at" and By the same token there are
| thousands OF sport-!Oying people here in
| the frozen North who are hoping that the
| fighters will locate themselves some time
| between now and Coed Friday. At this
| distance il looks though the big fight
was off, despite the constant ard vigorous
| protestatioDs of Dan" Stuart to the CON-
! trary. To borrow an expression from the
| turf sharp, the la liter is evidently trying to
save his distance. No matter how long and
| how vigorously ne may reiterate his de-
| termination and his ability to bring the
men together, he fools no one. He is only
| looking around for an excuse by which be
| may evade paying Fitzsimmons his forfeit
money. Just how he can wrigglc out or this
| obligation is not clear. 1t was certainly
| through no fault of Fitz's that Mahers
| eyes were filled with ;ilkali dust. and no
| matter how ciiarilably we may be inclined
| toward the Irish boxer, he cannot overlook
| the fact that Peter should have vacated
his unhealthful training ground on the first
| appearance of his optical ailment. II is all
poppycock 10 declare that il developed
| over night.
FitZsimmons. IL he can't get anyone 10
| fight with him, is determined to see all the
| fighting lie can. He. together with Leeds,
| Barry. Walcott, Everhart and Dixon,
went over TO Juarez the other afternoon
and took in a bull fight. From all accounts
FitZ is not dead stuck ON the sport, and
prefers TO stick 10 prize fighting rather
| than turn toreadnr. During the bull fight
| four horses, worth about So each, were
gored to death; four bulls were tortured
| and slain. and the arena was covered with
blood. The fighter witnessed these scenes
of the horses was disefD boweled by bull
and was galIoping around the arena with
his cntrails hanging out FitZ, who sat near
the box OF Gov. Ahumada, arose, and
walking up to the x ycrnOr's Interpreter,
said: Ask him how he likes that sort OF
thing"
The governor replied that he saw nothing
bad about it.
"Well,' said FitZsimmons, Task him il
he thinks fighting with gloves is anywhere
near as brutal as this bloody thing he is
looking at.
The governor replied that he did not eN-
actly approve OF killing horses, but was
saying nothing regarding the prize ring.
Fitzsimmons put several questions, but the
governor lodged them all, and the fighter
went back TO his seat, denouncing bulls,
bull fighters and Ill who approved of them
James j Corbett. when shown the dis
patches from Ell Paso saying that Connolly
had posted forfeit for Maher's appear
ance in the ring next Friday, said:
THE fight won't come off, at least on
Mexican soil. I'll tell you why. When
j was stopping at Hot Springs last sum-
mer, training for my approaching contest
with Fitzsmmons, President Diaz Of Mex
leo stated i'm an interview that he would
not allow the fight to take place on Mexican.
soil under any consideration. Look at
the dignity he would lose. The better
classes of Americans are bitterly opposed
to prize fighting, and he could not consist
entity allow it, even Ii he SO desired, which
it is very evident he does not, and don't
YOU believe that DiaZ can't prevent the
fight II he wants to.
"If they pul! that fight off, 1t will be by
some means that can't see. As sure as
you are born If they pull that fight off,
every last one of them will go to jail. l
learned my little lesson at Hot Springs. 1 |
never thought from the first that the fight |
would come off. Why, II II had. would |
have been there fighting. instead OF Maher; |
but I'm not going to chase around the cOun- |
try testing the law any more"
When asked Fitzsimmons motives for in |
sisting on Mahers hackers posting forfeit |
for his appearance in the ring next Friday, |
Corbett said:
.What is 81 900 TO him? There is moth |
ing In Fitzsimmons claiming the forfeit |
now. Why doesn't he wait? Look at what |
he would win II he whipped Maher? How
ever. il the fight is pulled off successfully, |
l will fight the winner. II they don't |
fight. Fitzsimmons is the man will go for. |
l know we can't fight in America. MY |
contracts expire May /, and il in the mean
time am not matched. am going to Aus
tralia or England next May, and will try |
to get some of the prominent sporting clubs |
to offer purse for contest betwccnmyself