Waterbury Democrat., 1900-12-03
FIGHTS AND FIGHTERS
Jim Jeffries Denies That He is
 to Be Married.


 Indignant at the Reports That He and Dorothy Drew Are Engaged - He
 Says That She Is Trying to Get Free Advertising-When He Gets Ready to Be Married He Will Tell the Pub lie.
 Sometimes ones nights sleep makes a lot of difference in q mans views of the world and its affairs. On Satur- day night Jim Jeffries. the champion pugilist, went to bed with the idea that the announcement of his engagement to marry Dorothy Drew. the actress, was great big joke. all wool and a yard wide. Yesterday morning when he awoke it was with the idea thar this talk of marriage was serious business and that he better not daily with it longer lest it seize him and drag him down.
 When seen later in the day the big fighter was not in Mysteries. but he was about as near to that condition as he ever will be. Jim ScOrnS the idea that he is to marry Miss Drew. and 1n no gentle terms says that Miss Drew should have hastened to deny the story of the enga agement. He goes fur ther and says that the announcements was made for no reason other than to help along the play in which Miss Drew is appearing and which is booked for stay in New York.
 Jim's manner of denying the en- gagement instead of leaving that pleas ant or unpleasant duty to the woman in the case may shock the finer sensi- bilities of some persons. It has not Jared Jim. On the contrary. her fail ure to land q knockout blow on the an nouncement has stirred him deeply. The chances are that he and Miss Drew will not greet each other pleas antly, if indeed. there be greeting of any sort when next they meet.
 This is terrible blow" the big Californian said yesterday. and as he spoke he winced as he never winced in the ring. Nov" he continued. this isn't a fair deal. and l think Miss; Drew should have denied the story. I don't want any trouble of the kind a matri- monial engagement might call for. You see. this brings up a nightmare of suits for breach of promise. divorce and all sorts of trOuble-iuSt as if I was going around looking for trouble. No we'd ding rings in mine. I started out in the prize ring and in the prize ring intend to stay for some years to come
 But. say. this is awful. Deny the stOry-denv it stOusand times. Say that Jim JeffrieS-big Jim JeffrieS. the California fighter. champion of the world-make it plain and strong-say that he's not in the marrying business that he isn't engaged to be married that he has no idea of being engaged and that when he finds the woman he wants and gets ready to De married he'll let all his frients know about it. Say. if I could land q stiff right on that engagement story it'd be dead and buried in minute.
 II thought it was joke at first. but I know better now. and I'm dead sick Of it. If there are any friends of mine who think of kidding me on this tell them to see that their life insur- ance policy is paid up before they dc it. I'm tired of this
 Last night the letter which follows was received from the champion:
 The statement made in New Haven , Conn, to the effect that 1 am engaged to marry Miss Dorothy Drew, the act ress is q malicious lie. l cannot i'm agine how such an uucalled for anC unwarranted announcement could have been made. In the first place such $ thing as marriage has never entered my mind as yet and is net liable tt / for many years to come. When l dc decide to get married I will make : public announcement of the fact my self. but until then 1 wish it understood that all malicious reports in regard tt my getting married. such as were cir culaated recently. are faisehoods.
 never gave Miss Drew any encOur agement whatever in regard to matri mony and. furthermore, positively didn't propose to her. Miss Drew her self knows this to be the truth, ant l think the least she could have dOn' was to make a denial of the statemen instead of substantiating it as she prac tically did. I think the announcement was made for the sole purpose Of ad vertising Miss Drew and her partner MT Aborn. both of whom appear in on' of the theaters in this city this week.
 Once again. emphatically deny thu statement that I am engaged to Mis- Drew or any one else. Yours respect fully, ,
 JAMES J. JEFFR1ES.