The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1897-01-18
CORBETT
Educated Sufficient to
Write a Lester.
MAN-ABOUT-TOWN
Refuses to Fight the ex- Champion Be-
cause Bob Don't Try It First.


several. Jim is great letter writer,
and they say he can write without
sticking his tongue out, too. Jim is
educated and also refined. He is so
cultured that he can get himself on
the outside of only enough whisky
to float locomotive every day. He
is tenn perate and does not look upon
the wine when it is read and moveth
itself Alright. And, also, he is a col
| ge graduate and wears his hair
pompadour. But he draws the line
at football and he ought to be COM
mended for that. 1 don't know
whether he has college yell or not,
but he seems to be dead anxious to
make somebody else yell.
He seems to be very keen to get
into scrap with q fellow by the
name of Fitzsimmons. He offers to
give him $4,000 to let him punch
him. 1t ought to be worth it. Bob
Fitzsimmons knows a good thing
when he secs it and he seems inclin-
ed to leave well enough alone. Bob
has no desire to have himself scat
tered around over the parario in such
manner that even his wife would
not recognize the fragments. He
thinks too much of his wife for that!
wish somebody would accommo.
date Mr.. Corbett. the cultured gent.
/ thought once of calling his $4,000
bluff, myself. / had about made all
my arrangements to meet him in the
honored saw-dust arena aid cover
myself with gladiatorial honors and
also with several other things so my
friends wouldn't recognize me. But
when thought over it the second
time, came to the conclusion that
first impressions were not always
best. L reflected on who would run
my business, and upon how sorry
my wife would feel that she allowed
me to start the kitchen fire every
morning and also to split most of
the wood, and then thought of the
people / owed and how sad they
would be, and the more l thought,
the sorrier l became until / almost
wep over my sad fate. L thought
of myself scattered around over the
arena like last years bi d nest and
my friends unable to recognize me
except by my watch charm and j
began to change my mind.
Iknow it is hard on Jim not to be
able to fight somebody. 1t is tough,
but he must recollect that we all
have our disappointments. Now, he
ought to know how that is himself,
because when he tried to get mash
ed on all the pretty girls he saw, his
wife wouldn't stand it and got di-
vorce. Very unreasonable, probably
but she was relentless.
So presume, after mature refiec-
tion ! will not meet James in the
ring this year. ! am feeling well
enough. Indeed, am feeling bully,
but if Bob won't meet him, won't
either. Besides, have no proper
clothes to wear in the fight. ! un-
derstand they wear skin-tight gloves
and 1 would want husking gloves
and also good heavy fur overcoat.
Jim probably wants to be dressed in
a pair of gloves and the champion
ship belt. That is too chilly for this
time of year. Ishall have to insist
on being excused. / am very sub
ject to colds. / know the disap-
pointment is keen, but it is the wav
of the world. ~
Another thing / should object to
Is the suddenness of prize-fighting,.
that Is to say, the extreme stimuli
taneousness with which fight is
carried on. Like as not while J.
would be toying with Jim's pompa-
dour and other jewelry, he would
land a pile driver on the point of my
chin which would SO surprise mes.
that wouldn't get back until after
the Omaha exposition.
He will have to excuse me. Keen
as he may feel the slight cannot
help it. have made other arrange
ments. 4'.s t
rize-flghting should be encour-
aged even more than it has, been,
Prize-fghters are all such fine gen
tlemen, so genteel, SO cultured, so
interested in uplifting the world
uplifting it with an underhanded
swipe on the point Of the chin as 1t
were. 1t has a civilizing and edify-
ing influence equal to the Spanish
bull fight and is far more elevating
since it requires two men instead of
a man and Il bull. The bull OCCASION
ally inserts horn beneath the fifth
rib of the tOreador to investigate
what he had for dinner. In prize
fighting each contestant is liable ut
times to throw up portions of his
victuals that he has no more use for
and also portions of his anatomy for
which he has no need. 1t Is an
elevating spectacle and e agreat many
people would like to see more of
them II they thought nobody would
find it out. A prize-flghter's face
after the battle looks like piece of
raw liver stung by humble bees, but
he doesn't care so long as he re-