The San Francisco call., 1899-07-07
CHAMPION JEFFRIES
REACHES The COAST
Fitzsimmons Youthful Conqueror Receives
Warm Welcome at the Ferry.
The New Fistic Idol Says He Thinks Sharkey
Will Fight, and Tells Why He Is
Anxious to Meet the Sailor

Jeff's here. The champ has came and
the local colony of ''rubberneCks is
happy.
The conqueror of Fitzsimmons arrived
in the city yesterday afternoon at z:6o
o'clock, reaching the Palace Hotel JusI
in time to open a telegram from Brauy
agent at New York informing him that
he would have TO sail. on the 9th inst for
London, Eng where, among other en-
gagements. he is to don the m1tts Tor
ten rounds with the irrepresstble Charne
Mitchell.
The homecoming of the new champion
was the occasion for an ovation which
was not Iessened by the fact that the
Southern Pacific managed to lay out the
pugiIist's party five hours longer than the
scheduled time. AS early as o CLOCK IN
the morning a large crowd with caout-
cbouc in their cervex had collected at
the ferry depot to get ghmpSe oA
fries. Credulous as are all rubpernechS,
they placed absolute confidence even IN
a Southern Pacific promise and believed
that company would hurry along the
champ on card time. Friends of the
fighter. only a little better informed, pc
gan dropping down toward the Terry ue-
pot from 10 o'clock on, led on py ran
road bulletin that JenS train Would Ihdhe
up a couple of the lost hours. A praSS
band engaged by Manager Sam Thal TO
lend ecIat to the advent of his attrac-
ton Joined the fast gathering throng ana
until noon the friends, "rubberneckS anu
musicians scanned the faces OF oH-coIhlhS
passengers without discovering the inca
ments of their idol. A Southern Paclnc
bulletin about this time, containing the
information that the train would not ar
rive till 3:15 o'clock, dispersed the crowd
70 lunch which was interrupted n1Ieen
minutes later by another announcement
that the boat bearing Jim would be IN
a lis O clock.
1t didn't get in till 2:30, but the crowd
waited and grew until there was iiot d
soul less than 5000 strung out with the
hand in front of the ferry depot. A large
number of local sports had managed 10
make their way inside, bent on getting
handshakes from Jeffries before the
crowd surrounded him. Five hackS ior
the pugilist and his party had also been
driven IN and awaited the coming OF the
boat
II was spied at last making its way
toward the pier, ana despite the mlsSuld-
ed efforts OF an ancient mariner on tHe
gate a number of the impatient 1rleld9 OF
me nghter rushed toward the apron 10
get the first glimpse of him. lie kept out
vi sight unuI the apron was droppeu.
Then ne stepped forward, MS Dig uS Suic
looming up under a Jaunty straw nat. In
a trice he was surrounded, ms hahds
grabbed and shaken me tne air oeing eg6n5ed du5i 1I
with hearty Hello" Bills or Toms or
Dicks or Harrys, is the names happened
AS the champion stepped out from un-
der the shed he looked the ideal fighter,
tall brOad-ShOuldered, brOnZed, active.
He is different man from the 1 piS youIIS era
fellow that left here several months ago.
lie has taken on polish and has lost Self
consciousness; he talks without enort ana
does not shy at conversation as ne was
formerly wont In a natty suit of soft
black cloth he was a very smooth article
and seemed to fit the taunty little cane
he carried He is a number OF pounds
lighter than he was when he LETT weigh
ing nfteen more, however, than he dld
when he entered the ring with FItz.
Still smiling and greeting friends on the
outskirts of the crowd the champion took
back seat in the first carriage, into
which followed Sam ThaH. Ross O Neal,
who made the trip from New York with
Jeff. and AL Smith and Chariie Eccles,
friends of the pugilist, who had gone up
Tom Lindsay, Harry Corbettf Alf Elllng-
house Alec Greggains, Ned Homan. Col
one Brady and other well-known men
about town filled the other hacks
Out of the same gates at the eastern
end of the ferry, through which Durrant
took his last hack ride into San Fran
cisco, Jeffries burst on the view of the
waiting crowd as the band struck up "A
Hot Time" Yell after yell went up and
his face behind a paper, for which he had
given a freclefaced newsDOy a handful
of small change. modestly tipped his
The procession, headed by the band
footing away for dear, life, turned into
Market street. followed by all the thou
sands, cheering the man who had brought
the belt back to San Francisco. For the
fifteen minutes it took to march to the
hotel street-car traffic was blocked, the
proud coachman driving Jeffries not being
able to see any one in it with himself. All
along the line there were cheers, the
crowd constantly increasing. AS the
hacks headed for the Palace court there
was such rush for all the doors that
led into the hostelry that when the cham
pion alighted the courtyard was full. Cp
above over the ratings separating each
of the floors from the court, women of all
stations from millionaire guests of the
house to the airiest little chambermaids
bent to get a glimpse of the new Her
cules who was just then tipping his hat
to a shout of welcome that shook the
glass in the doors.
Jeffries hurried to the register to sign
his name the crowd still at his heels and
so closely that he concluded to defer the
ceremony. He turned and hurried to the
| elevator to be taken to a room on the
! third floor where he was soon busy shak k
ing hands with more friends and submit