The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-08-30
LETTER FROM WILLARD BEAN
"FIGHTING ELDER" TELLS OF
PROVO FIASCo.
Says He Never Agreed to Put Up a
Job, Although Asked to Do So By
"Sure Thing" Men.

letter was received by the sporting
department of The Herald yesterday
from Willard Bean relative to the We
day-Bean fiasco at Provo last week.
After telling about how the match was
made the fighting elder" writes:
Invariably when 1 have engaged in
any athletic contest, the woods have
been full of sure thing" sharks. Provo
has her share. 1 had already received
letters from certain parties wanting
to handle the contest. In the past 1
have listened to their beautiful schemes
pictured out in such glowing colors.
that barrels of gold was in sight, nit,
This time they planned for me to
lay down in the first round and claim a
chance blow, etc.
Il, now saw a chance TO drum up
business for my friends, so that Bean
money wouldn't go begging. / told
them that their plan was good one.
and to work it for ali it was worth,
taking particular pains 20 not agree TO
lay down, thinking IL not very wrong
To let such men bump their oNn heads.
The result was Weday stock went up
and mine took a fall.
Some of my Provo friends became
suspicious. 1 told Mr.. Wilson and
others that it was on account of a
parties. But 1 now began to realize
what 1 had done. 1 had encouraged
men to bet on one of their own schemes
which / had no intention whatever of
carrying out. 1t caused me not a little
worry and i now began to sympathize
with these -bunko sharks
Il allowed Mr.. Wilson to select my
seconds, one of whom. my chief second
or coacher. is also sure thing man
of note. He selected my time keeper.
who is also a sure thing man of pote.
He then appointed my coacher and his
partner in the gambling business to
meet with me and decide on a referee,
also the tactics 1 should use in spar
ring this man. We decided that it
would be best to play principally for
the body. They suggested the names
OF some professional gamblers for ref
cree.
Il was acquainted with one of them
and as he has heretofore been fair in
his decisions, accepted him. But We
days manager objected to him. 1 fin
ally suggested Jack Steiner. 1 took
occasion to speak to Mr.. Stelzner pri-
vately and told him that there were
rumors of crooked work and to not to
be too technical on fouls, etc.
And during the contest my sure
thing friends saw that had TO inten-
tions of going out, and as Weday
couldn't knock me out, they got leary
My coacher said play for the wind, and
his gambling partner, who was sup
posed to be backing me, flashed money
to bet that I'd lose on a foul. And
when they saw that their man was
weak and distressed. somebody was
heard to say, he's going to give US
the double cross and had it stopped.
They now say that 1 was going to
job them and the referee saved them.
Consistency, thou art a jewel He is
the only official that had anything to
do with, and had to select him. con-
trary to the wishes and in the absence
of my bunko friends.
Reports from Provo say that l have
lost friends. If it has reference to sure
thing friends L consider that my loss
is my gain, for the less a man has to
do with men of their ilk, the better he
is off. Provo is noted for working I'D
sure thing horse races, foot races, etc. !
But this is the first time that they have
got their talons on me, and then their !
scheme failed
Bean does not attempt to explain |
how it happened that he fouled Weday 1
so repeatedly as attested by witnesses |
Of the encounter. In a postscript he !
asks that the Provo papers copy his i