The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-30
SLUGGER JOHN.
In the Days When IA Town Went
Broke.
From the Washington Star.

II - ii matter OF minor Importance
when an individual goes broke; most OF
us have had frequent depressing expert
ences of that sort without attracting
much attention or sympathy, but when
the populace of a whole town goes fiat,
staving, whooping broke, down TO the final
sou-marke and silver, with the personal
belongings of nearly all hands thrown in
to make the collapse complete and the
job of winning out a craggy proposition,
it's a different matter" said an oregon
man to reporter Il once saw that
thing happen. The town that went broke
was Astoria, Ore. 1t was back in the
latter eighties. Astoria, you know, is the
leading salmon tching and salmon-can-
ming town of the world. It's population
is chiefly made up of Scandinavian fish
ermen, and for a town that is built on
piles over the Columbia river it is pretty
lively, prosperous burg.
'At the time I'm speaking of John l..
Sullivan was touring the Northwest,
knocking out a couple of giants every
night in a punch. His manager was Of
fering a reward of Loco TO any man who
stood up against the great and only John
for four rounds, and all the blacksmiths,
boilermakers, wood sawyers, teamsters OF
great stature and immense strength, etc,
in the Northwest seemed to want a hack
at the big pugilist Sullivan punctured
them all fast they came up against
him, but they kept on coming. The pug-
list from the East wasn't keeping himself
in even fairly good trim, either. Often
he went out to do his punching-out act
after having spent the better part Of the
afternoon dining on high baiis Siwash
run sWoggles etc but he never got so
much as a case of the puffs at the hands
of any of the men who went up against
him with the determination of pulling
down that $1,000. He covered Portland for
! three nights and then he went on the night
boat for Astoria TO fill a date
Now, the cock of the fighting walk in
Astoria at that time was a gigantic
6wede named Hans Andersen, a fisher
man. He was actually only a few inches
short of seven feet in hight, and ne was
| built proportionately, with huge, iron
muscles, tremendous shoulders, and an al
most Hercuean degree of strength. He
had pummeled everything that stood on
two legs in Astoria to a proper stand
still, and had become quite a bit of a
bully among the men of his own ma
tionality The SCandinavians of Astoria
thought that Hans Andersen was just
about the whole thing when 1t came to
fighting, and when word reached the town
that John L. Sullivan was coming along
with his $1,000 offer most of them saw
riches right in their grasp. They knew
that a crowd of Portland sports" would
come down to Astoria with Sullivan and
that the hot cards from Portland would
of course, bet on the Irishman. So they
put Andersen into training and stood by
for the big fight. Andersen told them
that he was sure to macerate Sullivan's
features into pulp but he didn't need to
tell them that. They felt confident of it,
sullivan got into Astoria on the morn
ing boat-he was pretty comfortable,
thanks, when he debarked-and the town
of Astoria knocked off work and business.
except TO the ref eshment end of it, to
look the big lrshman over and 10 medi-
tate upon the fall that was In store for
him at the hands of The mighty Swede
The Columbia bar was practically unfish-
ed for salmon that day. The Aston Ieo-
pie were too busy collecting their coin
to bet the same on their man. The betting
began in the gin mills by 10 o'clock in the
morning and the crowd of Portland's
warm members who came along with Sui
Ivan offered to l on the proposition that
the Swede wouldn't say four rounds with
Sullivan. Astoria Just ate that price up
The price, 10 Twas on tap ell day and
up to the very minute of the encounter
The fishermen and Gamers weren't con-
tent to bet their spare cash alone on the
outcome. They sold their nets-some Of
them their very boats-wherewith to get
the dough to take all they could Of that
to I. When the scrap was on Aston ood
to make either an immense winning or TO
smoke a p'pe,' as the racing men say
The Swede surely was a fine specimen
when he came on for his go with Sullivan
and the shouts with which the Scandina-
VANS greeted his appearance were terrific
Sullivan came on a couple of minutes lat
er. He had made peculiarly careful, per-
sonaly conducted investigation into the
merits Of the liquids indigenous to the soil
during the afternoon, and he wasn't par
ticularly steady on his underpinning. But
he had broad grin on his closely shaven
mug when he caught sight of the man.
moth Swede.
Time, said the referee, and Sullivan
walked-well, maybe reeled would be a bet
ter word-over to the center Of the ring.
where the big Swede already stood in a
threatening defiant attitude, and held out
his right milt. The TWO big fellows shook
boxing gloves, and then said Sullivan, grin
ming:
" Where dye say We wanted itT
" 'Hay% inquired the Swede. 'Ay tank
you no shall have easy yob cost same,
and
:" C wan,' said Sullivan, and then his ,eft
arm shot out like piston rod, the bust
ness end of the same caught the terrible
Swede smack on the point of the chin,
and the whole 290 pounds of Hans Ander.
sen Just vanished off the stage. The NIGH
ty carcass Of the Swede described an arc
in the air and landed out of view between
off his gloves. sad something out of the
corner of his mouth about being very truly
yours, John l.. sullivan to the dazed on
lockers and numbered off the stage. 1t was
all over.
lay tank Irish loafer sool'van skall be
all came davl' was the only remark the
big swede made when he came TO fifteen
minutes later. There came near being a
riot in the theater. A lot of the fishermen
wanted to welsh on their bets, and ID re-
qured the eToquence of number of their
leaders TO shame them out Of this. When
the boat with Sullivan and his party
aboard pulled out of Astoria for the return
trip to Portland the next morning II was.
fguraively speaking, loaded down TO the
gun'ls with the coin that had been re-
moved from the Astorlans, and the post
master Of Astoria told me afterward that
for three months following Sullyan's Wsit
10 the town the remittances of Astorla's
fishermen TO Scandinavia fell off about So
per cent. Hans Andersen had to tick his