Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-06-02
t.---..---.. :.
THE BOXERS FINISH,
ONE BOUT THAT SETTLED HIS PUGlL.
ISTiC AMBITION.

lSTlC AMBITION.
He Didn't IsnOvv the Man He Ran Up
Against Until He Came Back to
CONSEQUENCES, After Having Seen a
Large Display of Stars.
"When I was much Younger said the
portly government official, II was a husky
young follow, chcsty and sassy about my
pugilistic ability. I got the boxing bee in
my bonnet and practiced hard with the
gloves every night. 1 had been sparring
with fellows i'll my gymnasium for about
six months and picking up what I thought
was q whole lot of ~cleverness, when l
moved to a boarding house on Pierrcpont
street, in Brooklyn. l had q room on tho
top floor of this boarding house. The top
floors rooms were all occupied by young
fellows like nlyself-law and medical stu
dents, newspaper chaps and that sort. 1t
was rather n scapegraco lot, and l got &C.
quaintcd with most of them Immediately.
I had u lot of athletic gear along with mo
clubs, dumbbells, weight pulling ma
chimes and stuff-and from the jump I
gave these floor mates of mine to under
stand that I was some considerable pump
kins us an athlete. When I showed 'em
my boxing gloves, I was particular to
dwell upon tho fact that boxing was my
one particular graft, and I think l mod
estly threw the hint out that I'd never yet
met a man of my weight that could put
the gloves on with me in the amateur
class. For a couple Of nights running 1
let them look at mo in the act Of punching
q bag I had suspended from the ceiling Of
my room, and they all agreed, I think,
that I'd be rather IN unsafe proposition
to get added up with in q scrap.
"Onc of the occupants of that top floor
was away when I struck tho house, and
he didn't return until I had been in the
house for about q week. When he got
back, the other fellows introduced me to
him. I didn't catch his name at the time,
but he didn't strike mo Us being q very
cheerful chap, and I rather ignored him.
Well, 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 a little go with me.
"'I won't hurt you, you know said I.
IN 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 l wish one of you ducks 'ud
just slip EN- on with me-
II didn't quito understand what they
all meant when they exchanged glanccs
and pushed forward the man who had
been away since my advent in the house
and whom I had just met.
eco ON and put 'em on with him, they
urged this man. He won't hurt you.
You've had the gloves on once or twice,
anyhow, while none of the rest of us
knows anything about boxing. Go ahead
and give him u little exercise
"'-All right said this man rather re-
luctantly. He looked just like an ordinary
man with his coat on, and I felt that he
would be dead easy as o subject upon
whom to practice and to show the other
fellows what I knew about the fine points
of the game. When he returned from his
room, however, stripped to his trousers
and his gauZc undershirt, I couldn't help
but look at the chap. For a man of ordi-
nary size he had the hugest chest 1 had ever
seen, and his arms and shoulders were
simply knotted and twisted with muscles.
He was us quiet spoken a duck as ever I
saw, though, and he didn't look to be
lively on his feet, SO we went at it.
swell, say that was q one man bout,
and the other fellow was tho one man.
There was nothing to it but him. From
the very minute that we squared off l
could see by the way he handled his dukes
that the boxing game was his'n and that
I was like six load nickels in comparison
with him. He just fooled with me at first
trapped me here and there at will, add
ing insult to injury by quietly announc-
ing where he was going to jolt me next
aud I never got in a lick or a dab on him.
I tried my dcrnedest when l saw I was
totally outclassed to get in just n belt
ut him somewhere or other, but it was nc
60. He had a lightning guard for every
essay I made to crack him one, and after
about five minutes I was putting like q
tree toad and still taking whacks oil over
my hide, while he was as cool as a cucum.
Der.
"'You're pretty good,' I gasped when
we took a momentary rest. you've been
at this game often, haven't your
1--WE had 'em on o few times he re-
piled quietly. Lets have another short
co.
"Thcn we went at it again. He flddled
me one with his left fist right under the
chin. I went sailing up into the air.
saw enough stars to lave gone sailing
AA6"o ny oAAAoA6 CAA"oAAN 1 "oo Ouo "ACA
I came down-good and out, as clean 6
case of knocked out boxer as ever happen
ed in q prize ring. 1t was fully ten min
utes before I came to, and when I did the
other fellows were all tanning me an6
rubbing my head with ammonia and won
dering If I was q sure enough dead 'un. ]
was all right after I got my head unde,
the cold water spigot, and then one of the
fellows took mo into the center of the
gang and said to me:
"'Maybe you didn't quite catch the
name of the man you boxed with wher
you were introduced to him, hey2'
"'No, I 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
dressing me, is Malcolm W. Ford, thu
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
letic games. He holds the record for the
running broad jump, the standing higl
jump, the pole vault, hammer throwing
shot putting, and he's among the best II
the world az a ion ward anrintar- Ha'a al