The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-07
GOSSIP Of THE PRIZE RING
@GENTLEMAN JIM, CORBEFT QUITS
THE RING To "ELEVATE TIE
STAGE" AGAIN
31LLY sT1FT's LATEST FIGHT
:'ommy Ryan's Strange and oninous
SueEce-Lou HoUsemHn Spurns
Banquet From "a Boston
Pink Sheet.

ne disregard OF all accepted rules OF
grammatical construction the loving
spouse of one James ]. Corhatt declares
hat me and Jim has made up" For a
ady who claims to have had past more
ar less theatrical the foregoing may APP
pear trifie mixed, but due allowance
must be made for the incoherent mutter-
ings of a victim of Loves young dream.
: IL is all very touching and pathetic,
this return of the wanderer to his native
land, and the reconciliation which fol-
owed with wife who a few days pre-
Fious had been breathing fire and brim-
stone threats as TO how she would punish
ne man of the battered solar pIexus for
lr5 sneaking and insidious ways But the
paThos of the situation has been COM
.,ieteiy sInotAercd by the farcicaI element
10 ;ha. play presented by the Cofbett-Mc-
10y stock, company and their leading
aides, and the eX-champion's name has
3ecome target for ridfcule throughout
The length and breadth of this land of
she free.
Corbett has finally announced his in
.ention to retire from the ring, adding
hat he has plenty of money and does
good. 1t is an excellent thing for the
ring and its patrons. He also announces
his return to the stage in company with
his wife. And this is a sad thing for the
stage. Just how Corbett expects to make
a success in his new venture before the
footlights is hard to say. He does not
possess sufficient dramatic talent to earn
his salt as an actor pure and simple, and
the fistic fans are not likely to fall over
one another in a wild rush to the box
office to see a pugilist whose name has
become a synonym for pugilistic crook
edness and double dealing.
But by fair means or foul Gentleman"
jim will always contrive to bask In the
imelight of public criticism. Notoriety
is, has always been and always will be
the breath of life to his nostrils, and as
long as his hand can hold a pen or his
voice retain sufficient power to dictate
to stenographer, Corbett will continue
to issue weekly bulletins to the press
and infiict Ids tiresome personality on a
long suffering public.
OF verify the prize ring has known
some curious champions but there has
been but one Corbett. For which small
mercy sportsmen at large return devout
thanks.
The trouncing of Billy Stiff by Dick
O'Brien in the wind-up of last Tuesday
Nights boxing show at Tattersalrs, dem
onstrated one of two things. Either Stiff
has gone back to lamentable degree or
else he was very badly off color when
Maine. His bad showing cannot be at
tributed to poor condition, for If ever
fighter looked fit to battle for decision
Stiff did when he shaped for action In the
ring.
Judging from external appearances he
was trained to the hour and should have
been able to travel the six rounds at top
pace. Much to the disappointment of his
friends he proved to be both slow and
clumsy. He fell all over himself in try
ing to evade O'Brien's leads; his judg-
rnent Of distance would have disgraced a
novice in the manly art, and worst of
ell he showed clearly by his actions that
he entertained a wholesome and undigni-
ned fear Of his opponent. Each time
that O'Brien rushed Stiff retreated with
all possible speed, holding his shoulder
Adgh 70 protect the jaw and covering
every inch of his anatomy that he could
possibly shield with his arms and open
gloves.
When he ventured q counter hit st
was delivered in nervous haste and with
out any accuracy to speak of. Nine times
out of ten his swings were blocked or
curled harmlessly around the Eastern
boxers muscular neck Only once did he
succeed in landing that much-talked of
Fight-hand swing on O'Brien. That was
toward the end of the fourth round and
the punch landed squarely on Dicks
Jaw, but although it shook up the latter
for an instant it in no way retarded his
speed and O'Brien was still forcing the
night when the bell rang.
O'Brien was as corpulent as ever. but
bis handicap of flesh did not seem to
trouble him, and his work was clean-cut
and fast throughout the entire contest
Like Stockings Conroy and big Ed Dunk
horst, O'Brien always carries an extra
ordinary amount of fat around his stom-
ach, which even vigorous training fails
to subdue. But he is by no means sensi-
tive in that usually tender region and
punches around the wind do not appear
to hurt him in the least. On Oct 16
u Brien will be given another chance to
measure his skill against Jack Root
he says that-his last fight with the West
ern nliddlcweight champion taught him a
few things, and that he mas line on the
local mans style which will prove of in
finite service to him in the coming en-
Eagement.
Although Otto Sieloff lost the decision
TO Dial Hawkins, Of California, in the
semi windup of the night, his reputation
did not suffer much in consequences
From the first to the sixth and final
round the local lightweight forced the
fighting. Rush followed rush in rapid
succession, Sieloff hurting his sinewv
frame on his opponent with the fury Of
an enraged bull. But the experience and
generalship gained by many hard-fought
battles in the ring stood Hawkins in
good stead. His defense was excellent
and although now and again one of Sic
loft's savage swings reached his BODY OF.
head the majority were blocked or went
wide OF the mark Yet Sieloff never
slowed up for an instant although he
was made receiver general for many of
those short EARRING jolts that Hawkins
Keeps in stock He was rushing his man
at the finish with as much vigor as he
exhibited at the beginning of the contest
and showed but little sign of WEAKNESS
when the gong rung for a cessation of
hostillties But Hawkins had a decided
margin In his favor, as far as points
were concerned, and to him accordingly
Referee Siler awarded the verdict
Hawkins famous left hook was not in
evidence as much as had been expected
The fact Of the matter was that the Cali
fornian found himself unable to put his