The Portland daily press., 1897-12-31
AN UNDER CUT BY JAMES.
Another Blow Struck in the Corbett-
Fitzsimm0ns Verbal Mill.

Cincinnati, Ohio, December 30.-Jamef
j. Corbett today gave to the Times-Stal
for publication his challenge to tight
Robert j. Fitzsimmons, as follows:
"Robert j. Fitzsimmons, Champion OF
the World:
Your published declaration, MIR. Fitz.
simmons, that you intend reentering the
ring, pleases me more than / can al
present express to you, for l know that
the public esteem me to be the only candi
date for the honors you thus place within
reach.
II am sorry, however, to note that, in
wording this declaration, you give me the
impression that since we last met you
have become llnwisely forgetful. For in.
stance, you say that before | can claim a
return match with you, must prove my
self to be worthy Of 1t. You certainly in
tended this as joke, for no one in the
world knows my ability better than your
self. You cannot SO soon have forgotten
your remark to me at Carson, just after
the battle. 'Jim,' you said in your
simple, earnest way, 'l'n never fight
aga&n. You've given me bloody good
licking
"You, the winner, uttered these words
with face and body so battered as to leave
no doubt of your sincerity, while I, the
loser, listened with never a bruise or
scratch from head to foot, which could
contradict you.
Ills this consistent with your now re-
questing me to prove myself to be a
worthy opponenta You will find the con-
fidenoe of the public of my competence to
combat you. You will find that the pub
lie will insist upon your recognizing my
claim that you must fight me again. But
surely you have been misrepreeented. |
| refuse to credit you with the lame
memory, broken judgment, poor taste
and entire untruthfulness which the
printed remarks alleged to have been
made by you would.imply. / prefer to
think that those who have entered the
ring with me were men, honest, brave
and incapable of the vulgar, lying and
cowardly language in which the news
paper version Of your remarks was
couched. However, we'll know that the
great journals try to be and usually are,
accurate to the letter in reporting utter
ances made by important men upon i'm
portant subjects, prefer to believe that
in this case grave error has been made
somehow, somewhere and for purpose
not worthy of one who wishes to be con
sidered above contempt.
"What the public expects from me Is to
| maintain the manly dignity of the ring,
and not be brawler nor shtfty evadel
| of the honest principles which govern
| honest men when adjusting their re-
| speotiye merits. This is all I have te
| say.
"But this is what propose to do:
1.-THE day we sign articles, I will give
you $1,000 In recognition of your courtesy
1.-THE moment you enter the ring, ready
to offer me battle, will give you second
| thousand dollars in token of my pleasure
| Upon the completion of the tenth
round, If you are still undefeated, / will
give you third Thousand dollars as {
souvenir Of my surprise.
| Upon defeating you, no matter ir
what round, / will give you two Thousand
| dollars more as a reminder that am no
an ungenerous foe.
| "On the ether hand, should you agar
defeat me, I promise, If still able Il
move, to place my hat upon my head
and than, removing it in your honor, tt
proclaim You, In frank and unmistake-
able terms, to be my superior, and STATE
that then quit forever all possible claim
to the championship of the world.
'iLet further remarks on this subject b,
made by one thousand clean honestl,
earned American dollars. given me b,
the public that believe in me. have thii
day forwarded these to Will J. Davis OF
Chicago, in testimony that mean ever,
word 1 have herein spoken.
| (Signed) "JAM MES J. CORBETT,
champion Of America.
Cincinnati, Ohio, December 80, 1872