The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-05-30
THE BOXERS FINISH.
ONE BOUT THAT SETTLED HIS PuoILr
ISTlc AMBITION.

Ne Didn't Know the Man He Ran Up
Against Until He Came Back to
Consciousness, After Having Seen .
Large Display of Stars.
"When was much younger" said the
portly government official, II was husky
young fellow, ohesty and sassy about my
pugilistic ability. got the boxing bee in
my bonnet and practiced hard with the
gloves every night. had been sparring
with fellows in my gymnasium for about
six months and picking up what thought
was q whole lot Of oleverness, when !
moved to boarding house OIL Pierropont
street, in Brooklyn. had room on the
top floor Of this boarding house. The top
floors rooms were all occupied by young
fellows like myself-law and medical stu
dents, newspaper chaps and that sort. 1t
was rather scapsgrace lot, and got 40
quainted with most of them Immediately.
had lot Of athletic gear along with me
clubs, dumbbells, weight pulling ma
chimes and stuff.-an from the jump
gave these floor mates of mine to under
stand that was some considerable pump
kins as an athlete. When showed 'em
my boxing gloves, I was particular to
dwell upon the fact that boxing was my
one particular graft, and think mod
estly threw the hint out that I'd never yet
met man of my weight that could put
the gloves on with me In the amateur
class. For couple OF nights running I
let them look at me in the act Of punching
q bag had suspended from the ceiling Of
my room, and they all agreed, I think,
that I'd be rather an unsafe proposition
to get added up with in scrap.
zone Of the occupants Of that top floor
was away when I struck the house, and
he didn't return until had been In the
house. for about a week. When he got
back, the other fellows introduced me to
him. I didn't catch his name at the time,
but he didn \ strike me as being q very
cheerful chap, and rather ignored him.
Woll, all got to talking on my favorite
subject, sparring, after awhile, and I in
vited any of the fellows present to put on
the gloves for little go with me.
AT won't hurt you, you know, said l.
'Ill just tap you lightly, and you can hit
me as hard as you want. It's raining,
and I don't want to go to the gym to-
night, and wish one Of you ducks 'ud
just slip 'em on with me-
II didn't quite understand what they
all meant when they exchanged glanoss
and pushed forward the man who had
been away since my advent in the house
and whom had just met.
$500 on and put 'em on with him, they
urged this man. He won't hurt you.
You We had the gloves OH once or twice,
anyhow, while none Of the rest Of us
knows anything about boxing. Go ahead
and give him little exercise
"All right, said this man rather re-
luctantly. He looked just like an ordinary
man with his coat on, and felt that he
would be dead easy as a subject upon
whom to practice and to show the other
fellows what knew about the fine points
of the game. When he returned from his
room, however, stripped TO his trousers
and his gauze undershirt, couldn't help
but look at the chap. For a man Of ordi-
nary size he had the hugest chest had ever
seen, and his arms and shoulders were
simply knotted and twisted with muscles.
He was as quiet spoken duck as ever
saw, though, and he didn't look to be
lively on his feet, SO we went at it,
"Well, say that was one man bout,
and the other fellow was the one man.
There was nothing to it but him. From
the very minute that we squared oil l
could see by the way he handled his dukes
that the boxing game was his'n and that
1 was like six lead nickels in comparison
with him. Ho just fooled with me at first
trapped mo here and there at will, add
ing insult to injury by quietly announc-
ing where he was going to jolt me next
aud never got in lick or dab on him.
I tried my dsrnedest when I saw was
totally outclassed to get in just one belt
at him somewhere or other, but 1t was no
CO. He had a lightning guard for every
essay made to crack him one, and after
about five minutes was putting like a
tree toad and still taking whaoks all over
my hide, while he was as cool as a cucum-
Der.
"You're pretty good I gasped when
we took momentary rest You've been
at this game often, haven't your
"sI'ye had 'em on few times, he re-
piled quietly. Lets have another short
CO.
"Then we went at it again. He fiddled
around for o minute, and then he caught
me one with his left fist right under the
chin. I went sailing up into the air-I
saw enough stars to have gone sailing
right up among 'em-and was out when
1 came down-good and out, as clean
case Of knocked out boxer as ever happen
ed in prize ring. 1t was fully ten min
utes before I came to, and when did the
other fellows were all tanning me and
rubbing my head with ammonia and Won
dering II was sure enough dead 'un.
was all right after got my head under
the cold water spigot, and then one of the
fellows took me into the center of the
gang and said to me:
"tMaybe you didn't quite catch the
name of the man you boxed with when
you were introduced to him, heyP
"No didn't said I. who is he
John L. Sullivan
"'Not exactly. Mr.. Ford, step up and
shake hands again. This, went on the
young fellow doing the introducing ad-
lressing Inc, is Malcolm W. Ford, the
champion all around athlete of America.
He has held that title for three years,
earning it each year in competition with
The best men in the whole country in ath-
etic games. He holds the record for the
broad jump, the standing high
Jump, the pole vault, hammer throwing,
shot putting, and he's among the best in
5he world as 100 yard Splinter. He's all
tight.
"Yes, said I. 4 think he is-even If
he is a party to this awful job on me, and
We shook hands. When the gang saw
vas game enough to take my roasting
good naturedly, they let up on ME. But
ny pugilistic ambition wilted absolutely
rom that night. Washington Star.