The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-27

Julian Severe in Their Discussion
of Gentleman James Corbett.
Bob Fitzsimmons and his manager,
Martin Julian, have every reason to re-
| member with pleasure their yester-
| days visit to Scranton, for along with
the rousing reception from two big
| crowds, one at Athletic Park in the
| afternoon and the other at Laurel Hill
park in the evening, there was the
Incidentally profit of a big wad
| of money to repay the pugilist
| from the Antipodes for his stay
in the Electric City. Introductory to
! the Toronto-Scranton base ball game
| Fitzsimmons gave a bag-punching and
| sparring exhibition for the edification
of nearly 1000 persons, and in the even
! ing he repeated the performance be-
fore a crowd of 5000, who saw also a
series of boxing bouts among local
! lights of the roped arena.
FitZsimmons reached here early in
| the afternoon, and was accompanied
| by his sparring partner. Dan Hickey
| and Julian. Not large crowd was
at the station to greet the famous Bob
as the time of his arrival had not been
announced. The party was whirled
away in an open carriage to the West
minister hotel, where after dinner Fitz-
| simmons granted an interview to a
Tribune reporter. Fitzsimmons was
suffering from a cold on his lungs, and
of a severity that would have sent an
| ordinary man to his bed. He COM
planned but little, however, and only
needed his illness when reminded Of
it by others.
CORBETT, A CUR"
The lanky champion-and Julian for
| that matter-were more severe in their
references to Corbett than were either
| the latter or Brady when speaking of
FitZsimmons when the ex-champion re-
| Gently visited this city Fitzsimmons
| was particularly bitter in his denuncia-
| ton, alleging that Corbett had repeat
| edly insulted him and was a coward.
| He was not knocked out at Carson
City" said FitZsimmons, with a sneer,
and wave of his long arms; "he was
near to it, though, but be quit like the
cur he is. He could have regained his
feet and received the medicine he knew
was waiting for him in the next blow,
but he preferred to be counted out and
lHtIl, dltcl lhS was cNCi, ~ ooh
| to my corner and clnch and deliver
repeated blows, which did not hurt me,
| however"
Fitzsimmons averred that he weighed
| but 154 pounds, though 1861 were given
in the newspaper reports, when he en-
tered the ring at Carson City. Corbett,
he said, weighed 1877 pounds. Fitzsm-
mons appeared to be much more re-
served and less anxious to talk than
his great rival, but he made an excep-
ton of any reference to Corbett or the
Carson City fight.
FTTZ WAS ILL.
Before leaving the hotel for Athletic
Park Fitzsimmons was examined by
DIR. Richard H. Gibbons, who had been
summoned by Julian, who was worried
about the fighters cough. On the
| physicians recommendation Fitzsim-
| mons went to the formers office, on
Wyoming avenue, where his throat and
nostrils were treated. He received
| considerable relief and visited DR.. Glib
bons' office later in the day for a more
thorough treatment.
| Considerable delay was experienced
at Athletic park in erecting the very
fancy nickeled apparatus from which
the champions punching bag was sus-
| pended. 1t was in readiness at 4
| o'clock, when the fighter made his ap-
pearance clad in green tights, which
were belted with the national colors. A
round of cheers greeted him, and he
| Immediately began his bag-punching
exhibition, which lasted little over
| ten minutes.
Then began a three-round boxing
| bout with Hickey. 1t was never tame
| but showed splendidly the stiffness
and defensive and offensive work which
have made Fitzsimmons the present
champion. It's severity may be judged
from the beautifully blackened eye
which Hickey carried with him from
the park. At the conclusion of each
round the blows that quieted Maher,
Sharkey and Corbett were illustrated.
ON THE SOLAR PLEXUS.
The left-hand lunge on the solar
plexus, which robbed Corbett of untold
thousands, and the light right cross on
| the jaw following the main punch were
| clearly recognized by Fitzsimmons' ao-
mirers and made a fitting close, so
| they thought, to the curtain-raiser to
the ssll game.
caught unawares in the evening and
the cars that went over the line to
Laurel Hill park were literally packed
with people. Never in the history of
that resort has there been a greater
crush at the main entrance in the
same length of time. When the enter
tainment began possibly 5000 persons
were seated on the seml-circle of seats
at the top of the hill and fringed the
low fence about the athletic field, in
the middle of which a 24-foot ring had
been erected.
Fitzsimmons was the first attraction
and received a reception similar in
noise and volume to that of the after
noon The boxing with Hickey and
bag-punching Of earlier in the day
were repeated and the former was
more businesslike than that witnessed
by the base ball audience. If Hickeys
clear eye wasn't colored and if Roberts
cough wasn't loosened it was not the
fault of either of the pair.
For the boxing bouts that followed
+. j. Durkin was referee and Eddie
Coleman timekeeper.
THE LESSER LIGHTS.
Toby Gardner and Willie O'Brien, Of
the South Side, featherweights, began
the work of the lesser lights. They
appeared in around go. Gardner was
much too clever for his red haired op-
ponent and had him going at will about
the ring. They gave a good, fast bat
tie, however, and whetted the appetites
OF the big crowd for what was to fol-
low.
| Bobby Dobbs (colored) NJ Minneano.