The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1898-01-07
CORBETT MAGNANlMOUS.
Liberal Terms Upon Which He Offers to
Fight Mr.. Fitz.

Fight Mr.. Fitz.
CINCINNATI Jan. 3.-James j.
Corbett has given to the Times-Star
for publication his, challenge to fight
Robert Fitzsimmons as follows:
Your published declaration, Mr..
Fitzsimmons, that you intend re-en-
tering, pleases me more that | can at
present express to you, for know
that the public esteems me to be the
only candidate for the honors you thus
place within reach.
| am sorry, however, to note that in
wording this declaration you give ms
the impression that since We last met
you have become unwisely forgetful.
For instance, you say that before | can
claim a return match with you | mus
prove myself to be worthy of it. You
certainly intended this as a joke, for
no one in the world knows my ability
better than yourself You cannot so
soon have forgotten your remark to
ne at Carson, just after the battle
''Jim," you said, in your simple, ear
nest way, "I'll never fight again.
You've given me bloody good lick
ing" You, the winner, uttered these
words, with face and body so battered
as to leave no doubt Of your SINGER
ity, while I, the loser, listened with
never bruise or scratch from head
to foot which could contradict you.
Is this consistent with your now re-
questing~ me to prove myself to be
worthy opponent? You will find the
confidence Of the public in my ability
to entertain you still mistaken. You
will find that the public will insist
upon your recognizing my claim that
you must meet me again. But surely
you have been misrepresented. / re-
fuse to credit you with the lame mem
Ory, broken Judgment, poor taste and
entire untruthfUiness which the print
ed 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 vOur remarks was
couched. However well I know that
the great journals try to be, and usu-
ally are. accurate to the letter in re-
porting utterances made by imnCr-
tant men upon important subjects, [
prefer to believe that in this case ::
grave error has been made somehow,
somewhere and for a 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 to be a brawler. nor q
shifty evader Of the honest principles
which govern honest men when ad-
justing their respective merits
This is all I have TO say. But this
is what I propose to do: The day we
sign articles I will give you $1,000 in
recognition CT your courtesy. The mo-
ment you enter the ring ready to orfer
me battle l will give you a second
$1,000 in token of my pleasure UDOn
the completion of the tenth round, if
you are still undefeated, 7 will give
you third $1,000 as a souvenir of my
surprise. Upon defeating you. no mat
ter in what round, | will give you
$4,000 more as a reminder that l am
not an ungenerous foe.
On the other hand, should YOU again
defeat me | promise, if still able to
move, to place my hat upon my head
and then. removing it in your honor,
to proclaim you in frank and unmis-
taxable terms to lie my superior and
state that l then and there quit for
ever all possible claim to the cham
pionship of the world.
Let further remarks on this subject
be made by 1000 clean. honestly
earned American dollars, given ne by
the public tat believes in ne. / have
this day forwarded these to Will 7
Davis, of Chicago, in testimony that 7
mean every word | have herein
spoken. JAMES J. CORBETT.
Champion of Amrica