The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-23
SPORTING NEWS.
Jim Jeffries Doing Fairly Well
As an Actor.
Speaks Lines Too Fast in es Man
From the West"
HARDLY A STAR, AS YET
His Ambition to Get Another
Match With Fitz.
Displays Bitterness In His Re-
marks About COrbett.

Cincinnati. Oct 23--"Macon WINES
to the Enquirer from New York as foi-
lows:
Mr.. lame. J. Jeffries, 1.-The champion
of the vorid.'' made his dramatic debut
in Greater New York at the Ga1ety the
ater, Brooklyn, last Monday; was
present. didn't expect much from MN
as an actor, and took my seat IN a very
Ienient frame of mind. had deterTnln-
ed to be to his dramatic faults very blind
and to his virtues (if he had any very
kind. was very agreeapIy olsappoAne-
ed.
The play, '@rhe Man From the West,
is of the Northumberland kind, ana IT'S
author has literally helped himself from
other peoples works, principally M Mss
and 1.-THE Great Ruby.
The part he provides for Mr. Jeffries
is that of Silent Sam, the Sher1n OF sew
en- Forks, Montana The title OF tns
character would indicate that the sheriff
was a man of few words. He is not IN
duly garrulous, but he is by no means
tongued-tied. At rough guess snould
say his part is about six lengths "a
length is A lines) long, and though ne
has no very long speeches those he mas
are delivered, as Polonius says, with
good accent and good discretion"
His chief fault is a tendency to SPEAK
too rapidly. He is aware of this fact and
intends doing his best to correct 1t.
had a talk with him behind the scenes
during the performance, when he said:
7 talk very rapidly in ordinary CONVEX
satiOn, and came near spelling the CHI
max of the first act tonight by speak
ing too quickly. I find when talk slow
er my part goes better with the audi
ence."
But it is not Jeffries, the actor, that
the American public cares SO much
about as it is Jeffries, the worlds cham
pion. When I spoke to him of Tom
I Sharkey's challenge and asked him If he
would take cognizance of it his face
curled up contemptuously as he replied:
mo, I don't think I viii. have licked
him twice. Why should I fight him
again2 The man am after particular
I " is Bob FitzsimmOns."
but Fitzsimmons says he has retired
from the ring I suggested.
"Oh, he will fight again." prophesied
the ex-boiler maker. He retired once
/ before, you remember; told how he had
sworn to his wife that he would never
4 fight again The public would never
have him as a theatrical star. and it
won't have him now. As soon as he sat
/ isles himself of this fact I think he viii
/ be willing enough to fight again He
/ is going around from barrOOm to bar
| room boasting and Dragging about how
easily he can whip me. ] want to see
/ him undertake it. I gave him a licking
once that he didn't forget for a year. /
would just like to get another chance
at him, and if do I will give him
1 humping that he will never forget to
the day of his death.
You must be feeling pretty good I
suggested.
Never felt better in my life he re-
sponded.
| How is your lame arm ?'' asked
I haven't got any lame arm he re-
! spOnded- THE arm that was lame is
all right now. If get a chance to
tackle F'itz he will swear to it after am
4 through with him. If he won't fight me
I think Gus Rubin is entitled to the
/ next chance, don't you?
/ IF Sharkey viii agree to fight me, win
ner take all, would be willing to tack
le him again after my theatrical engage
ments are over, but he won't do it, and
I am not going to give him one-half the
| profits SO that he may benefit financially
/ at my expense. As for Jim Corbett,
/ (there the champions face grew hard
and bitter) I don't want to have any
| thing to do with him, because he is not
| on the level"
Here a sporting reporter of one of the
New York papers spoke up and said:
| "COrbett wants to have a talk with
/ you. Jim. I was with him most of the
| afternoon He wants to have a private
| conversation with you, and he thinks
| that if he does you and he can come to
TERMS
This proposition fairly started JEFF
| fries boiling.
HE can't have any private CONVERSE
| ton or conference with me-" he retorted.
| If he wants to see me he has got to
see me in public, and the more people
present the better I will like it. I will
| have no secret meetings or conferences
| with him. am a square fighter. I new
ed went into ring in my life except to
| do my level best. I don't want any pri-
| think he has done more to injure boxing
than any man that ever was in the ring
in America He calls himself Gentle
man jim. He spat in Fitzsimmons' face
| in Philadelphia. That was gentleman
| ~, wasn't it, Then look at his ring per-
formances in New York
| There is one thing you can tell the
public, and that is I am a long ways
| from being out of the fistic game, and
that will fight. to defend my title, any
| man in the world, but it must be on the
| basis of winner take all, and 7 will make
a side bet of $4,000 or $4,000 that 1 will
| win.
The only exception I will make to
this is in favor Of Fitzsimmons I will
| consent If it is any inducement to him
/ that he shall have IS per cent of the re-
ceipts even if he loses. He made me
give him two-thirds Of the house win or
lose, when I was matched against him
I had no say in naming the referee Or
| anything else. had to accede to all his
| terms, and then licked him good and
plenty"
/ CIV MTHf-CU WTsrHra a TyY