The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-24
ADVOCATE OF PUG|L|SM
Sizes Up the Qualities of John L.
Sullivan.
OPINION OF BILLY WOODS
Impression of the Champions Ac-
complishments-Me the Pub
lie From the Footlights In
stead Of the Bar.

atnleJlC Sports, writes the IOllOWHS
very interesting summary Of the quail
tiles of John L. Sullivan as he estim-
ates them:
The promised visit of John l.. Sui
Ivan to this city reminds the writer
of the time the man was in his palmy
days, and although I was but youth
then, can recall them as though they
were but yesterday, for l was just
commencing the practice of athletics
in 1881, and I notice the advancement
and what has caused such rapid strides.
At that time a modern athletic club
was not known anywhere, and the pro-
fessional athlete of those days was
induced to practice such games as
were proposed in the rear of some sa
loon, although there were gymnasiums,
but on the German order, and little
used except by Juveniles who wanted
to learn to turn. The spirit for ath-
letics was kept up by this man who
run the barroom and he usually made
his place the headquarters for men
who travelled on their Drawn. The re-
sort was generally recognized as
champions rest. Such places were
few the prominent ones being in
AIHeIlcd marry Till oHey
Patsy Sheppards, Jim Keenan's, Ar
thur Chambers. Billy Madden's, Tom
Aliens and Harry Maynard's, Tommy
Gilmore Of Chicago not having opened
at the time Larry Foley had started
one in Australia and England was full
of shingles with the words, school OF
Arms" especially in Birmingham. John
Wood, the photographer of New York
took the photos of all these men who
were travelling on their Drawn and the
Police Gazette published them as the
champions of this and that according
to what their game was and how much
Endorsement the above leaders of ath-
letics gave the men. The English re-
sort, therefore, being SO common the
Englishmen did not get the advertis
ing that the competition between the
Police Gazette of New York and the
Police News of Boston gave the Amer
icans for the papers being of the SEN
sational order were carried in every
fo'castle that left New York or Boston
to all parts of the world, and the En-
glishmen naturally drifted to these
American places and to Australia.
When he hit New York and made
showing these two papers had him adj
vertised throughout the world, and fin
ally the associated press picked him
| up. Then America became a Mecca
| for athletes of all descriptions. Con-
| tests were well advertised and fire.
| quent. These resorts being prize fight
| ers headquarters they naturally had
| the attendance of the lesser lights in
| the athletic world, and when a fighter
| made a trip from one of these places
to the other thousands of people would
! visit the saloon to find out all about
him before he arrived and then when
he got to town they would pack the
street SO that they could get a view
of him and shake hands as they filed
| by the bar and bought a drink. Saloon
keepers from outside towns were there
! to get him to take trip to their town,
and so on. A hall was usually hired
and some kind of a show gotten up.
Then the fighter took to his rounds,
! and after the spirit had died out he
drifted to some champions rest in an
other section of the country.
Finally, John l.. Sullivan made his
| tour One mans house was as good
as another to him. So long as he saw
| the sign, PUSH" he entered and kept
going. No man owned him. The cham
pions rest failed to be the sole sporting
resort. Local competitors sprang up.
Instead of only one place being in town
where there was a ring with fighters
pictures hung up all around, there
were a dozen places. Everybory got
to be a fighter that frequented the
place The seclusive young man COM
menced to get his chums to fix up
quarters for private practice; then
| they commenced to club together and
organize. Finally wealthy parties be-
came interested, secured legal counsel
and they commenced to organize and
equip thorough institutions. They
hired these travelling men of Drawn to
instruct them. Finally the members
became adept In the meantime other
institutions had become established and
the clubs entered an alliance. Compe-
titions were held and the proprietors
of these so-called champions rests
were starved out The athlete learned
in a month what he couldn't in a year
at the rest and by association with men
of money and practical business ideas
The professional took to the boards t.
meet the public from the footlights
instead at the bar. The youth was
| qualifications. Athletic clubs received
heavy attendance. The public had ar
ideal fighter. Capitalists saw a profit
able investment. Legal counsel was
obtained and money was invested ir
extensive institutions. This made the
capable athlete such an attraction thai
ladies as well as gentlemen would ap
preciate his performance, and he soor
became and established a legitimate
profession of games that two decades
ago were governed by strength anC
theft, intimidation and jobbery. The
writer does not refer to pugiism en-
tirely. Even the football and base
ball games were not conducted witt
the system that they are now.
The wheel club was not established
then, and the advantages the bicycle
gave the member of the athletic clul
to train in the open air caught hi
fancy. He became an able rider, com
menced to take more interest in hi
wheel and met on his trips other wheel
men, They organized themselves int
bicycle clubs in order to gain the in
fuence to have laws enacted to thei
interests and protection. They thel
rescind to the gymnasium and bath
and instead of calling it an athleti
club, they call it a wheel club. TIL
boxer or fighter being the man tina
interested and inspired the public s.
that they built these institutions. ant
that all through the career of John L
Sullivan. 1 cannot help holding tn
mans past, with all his faults, up t
your gaze as an archetype in tn