The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-21
NHEN F|IZ FIRST BLEW N
FREAKS OPENING EFFORTS
IN THIS COUNTRY
DIFFICULTY IN GETTING ON
ChOynsl<i First Got Line on Him
and Brogan the Jockey Gave
Nose Gunst the
Tip.

| When Bob Fitzsimmons first came t.
| this country he was in appearance an in
oiviolai that or ated lauqhter wherever
he went Freddy Began, the crack Cali
fornia featherweight, was one Of the vel9
first to see Fitz when ne landed, a2lc
to a party of Chicago friends tie relate
the other day a few touching reminis
cences in regard to the great tighter wac
has won the championship OF the world
who has lc:, it ana who IS rev once
more on the highway leading toward the
priced goal
1t was on the night that the lanky Aus
tralian pounded Gus Rubin so, and Bo-
gan, as he read the dispatches from the
ring, lapsed into a medtative mood for
a time and then he unraveled a yarn
that sounded like fairy story
1t was a personal account of the first
day that Robert Fitzsimmons arrived in
America after working his way over on
a steamship from Australia as coal
passer.
1.-The true story of Fitzsimmons' first
weeks in the United States has never
been published" said Began, 'and 1 in
tend telling it. 1t was in 1890. I was
loafing around the Golden Gate Athletic
Club of San Francisco, as 1 was accus-
toned to do, with lot Of other boxers.
About 8 o'clock in the afternoon Bob
came lounging over to the clubhouse and
asked for match with some one.
HIS CLOTHES A JOKE.
"All of US boys stood around and laugh
ed at his appearance, for he was a sight.
He was attired in Seymour coat, pair
of high water trousers, a little cap and a
dirty-looking soft shirt. He carried a
little black hand satched with a rope
handle, and any one who has seen his
hump shouldered and knock-kneed figure
can imagine what a queer-looking lndi-
vidual he must have been.
1.-THE club matchmaker looked him over
and told him that there might possibly
be a chance to match him with Wiley
Evans for a date several weeks off, but
he did not know what kind of a match
he would make with Evans. Now, every
one who applied for fight at one of
these clubs and was not known had to
be tried out. When Fitz was told this
he retorted: don't have to be tried out
had bloody good record in Australia,
and am good enough for this country.
With that he turned and walked out and
we did not see him any more for several
weeks.
"He applied for a position as horseshoer
at Eddie Greaney's blacksmith shop the
next day, but was told that there was no
room for him. Two years afterward he
won $4,000 wager from Greaney for the
horseshoeing championship.
GOES AS A SUBSTITUTE.
Several days later I went out to the
Cliff house, which was seven miles from
Frisco, on the Mission road, and which
Of h. hack troll TiT no
resorts in the country. Joe Choynski was
there getting ready for a fight with Cor
bett, as was 'Reddy' Gallagher who was
preparing for fight with Billy McCar-
thy.
lone day Gallagher was taken sick and
the contest was declared off, 80 we
thought, but in walked Fitz with a let
ter from President Fulda, Of the Califor-
MIA Athletic club, stating that he had
substituted the Australian in place of
Gallagher against Mccarthy.
''Fitz worked along with US for sew
eral days, and we paid little attention to
him, except that we smiled at his pecur-
lar ideas about training. When we put
on heavy sweaters in the morning foe
run he would go out and take a slow
walk, and we came to the conclusion
that II was because he could not run a
long distance.
Zone day Choynsk suggested that we
invite him out for q run to try and kill
him off. Much to our surprise he ac-
cepted the offer and away we started.
Our idea was to carry him at a rapid
clip to the sea beach, six miles away,
and then back at our very best and
make him cry enough
'Choynski and 1 would take turn about
setting the pace, and we were beginning
to feel the effects of the rapid gait long
before ave had reached the ocean. kept
watching Fits face, expecting to sec
signs Of distress, but instead there was
that same steady expression Of satisfac-
ton and absolutely no rapid breathing.
Choynski noticed it, too, and I could tell
that he was also perpleXed, but neither
of us had wind enough to talk, and away
we logged through the sand hills down
to the sea and right back on the return
journey.
TIRES PACEMAKERS.
''On the way back Fitz kept asking
questions in regard to the scenery, but
the answers he got were jerky and few
He was beyond any doubt tireless, and
his long legs strobe faster and faster
He was now setting the pace, with
Choynski, and 1 was ready to drop, but
too proud to quit. We were never so
glad to see anything in our lives as when
the Cliff house burst upon US at turn
of the road. While we were being rubbed
down the Australian coolly wiped him
self with a towel and remarked that the
pace had been 'bloomin fast
after dinner we were frisl1ing around
lazily in the gymnasium when Fitz pro-
posed to ice that they don the gloves