The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-21
GOSSIP Of TIE PRIZE RING
-skID" M'COY'S EVADING
MEETING WITH ROOT
CREDITS HIM WITH CUNNING
Sample of the Letters which the
Sport Promoter Receives From
Ambitious PugIIists Look
ing for Losers End.

1901 ciean, uS-metefed KNOCKOUT Ol
D5ck O Bren at Tattersalls last Tuesday
night, stamps the Western middleweight
champion as the equal OF any middle
weight of the world, and when Kid
mccoy, after signing to meet Root set
sail Tor South Africa, he gave evidence
o. not a little discernment and ring cum
hing. The elusive Kid had actually
signed articles to meet the Western
Champion, and the purse offered for the
contest by the Tattersalls people was
sufficiently enticing TO bring the Hoosier
boxer on. He reiented, evidently, for
the day ne set sail for England he
wirets:
Everything off, Cancel match with
Root" kid Mccoy"
1t row transpires that Mccoy was
scared off by a line offered on the match
by Tommy Ryan. Ryan is quoted as
remallIing to a mutual friend of the
pair that if Root ever fought Mccoy he
would whip him. Mccoy has always
had keen appreciation of Ryans judg
nent OF fighters, and this is probably
what caused Mccoy to back out of the
match. With ring experience of less
than three years Root has to his credit
more decisive victories than any middle
weight i'll ring history. A total of thir
ty-seVen contests, he boasts of thirty-six
victories and one draw. There is not
single blot the record, and the
young fellow stands today probably VITA
out an. equal in his division. Having
cleaned up everything in the middle
weight division he will now likely be
forced to invade the heavyweight ranks
His friends think that with the lighter
weighted heavies Root has better than
an even chance, and with none else to
conquer in his own class he will have
to take on the heavier ones in order to
keep his hands in the game.
Big Bill Naughton was sitting in my
office the other day, when an angular
youngster hailing from Baltimore shut
fled into the office and asked match
aeIn anybody"
AT what weight" was asked
'Tirty-tree at de ringside."
cont bar anybody, eh?''
Don't bar nobody, cull,' corrected the
caller.
How about Terry McGovern?"
Don't bar nobody" insisted the man
in quest Of trouble.
Naughton, who would make four men
like Sam Harris, was introduced as the
manager of McGovern.
TN make the match" Big Bill re-
marked, viciously measuring the strait
ger. Only on this condition, however
winner take all"
winner take ALL! gasped the one from
the Monumental City.
Yes. sir; winner take ALL and Big
Bill glowered down the visitor.
We'll, not fer mine returned the
challenger. 81 don't step into nobody's
ring and have be bleedin head punched
off for nuthin' 1 wants a losers end if
1 fights McGovern."
"IIow much of a losers end?" sneered
Naughton,
Not less den s5' and the man who
WAS willing to have his face hammered
in for that sum of money shuf11ed his
way out Of the Office muttering coarse
q Il
everything sordid; grasping and greedy.
The following letter reached me last
week. 1t is not an uncommon thing, save
for utter candor of the writer:
FORT WAYNE, Ind, Oct 17.-Dear
Sir: am anxious to try my hand at the
fighting game. / am "a years old,
feet. 91s inches high, weigh III pounds,
the belief tnat l could earn money faster
in the ring than in the hotel where 1
am porter. ] have boxed considerably,
and am told that l am clever AS a
mater of fact, L think-that l am clever.
L know that l am strong and that l can
hit as hard as anybody / ever met, 1
want to get on to myself. If 1 am fight
eI, ] want to find out quick. If l am not,
don t want to further harbor the illus
ion. | boxed considerably in school, and
s nave always found 1t easy to put it on
my fellows. Now | will come out to Chi
cago and box anybody you select. I have
saved enough money to pay my expenses,
You need not go further than give the
winner all of the purse. If l am knock
ed out. l will come too, with return
railroad ticket in my jeans. I do not
seek fame as a fighter. l am after the
money there Is in it for me and mine
If YOU will interest yourself in my behalf,
tch me against anybody. I would pre-
fer men like Root Choynski or Shar-
key. If | meet either of these my sus-
pense will be less. 1t will not take me
Win over man like Root would mean
something. defeat at his hands would
send me back to Fort Wayne. I am sin
cere, and Will come on at any time you
name wire me care of this hotel, send
the message collect, and aid me some in
my search Tor line on myself
Respectfully your,
The reported arrival of Kid Mccoy
IN england comes as Something of a
surprise to the followers of the fstic
game in America. Why the kid" should
go TO England at this time is mystery
There are no fighters there with whom
he would care to battle, and, moreover
the financial returns are not sufficient,v,
large TO attract the attention of the loser
Of the Corbctt-McCoy go, which netted
considerably over 100000 to the defeated
one The Kid is foxey one and
tnat he has not made his trip to England
Tor nothing or for the purpose of a pleas
ure trip is evident. No sane man would
inns season OF the year go to Great
Britain with the idea of enjoying HIM
self. Not only is the voyage a rough
one, but residence in the tight little
isle is not pleasant one, or will not be
within few weeks. What he has un
his sleeve is a matter of conjecture to
the sports. That he has something up
his sleeve is evident, nevertheless.
Some of the wise men say that the Kid
Is bound for South Africa and this seems
reasonable supposition The war is
about ended, and there are at this time
more Englishmen in that country than
IN years before. Not only are they there
but they have the time and the money to
TO pay well for boxing shows OF this the
Kid is well aware, and although the Hoo
SER has plethoric bank account already
ne is not adverse to adding to it. His
martlaIs troubles may be of a Character
70 warrant his absence from the limited
States, but it is hardly likely The Kid
has committed no more serious crime
than allow his spouse to throw de-
canter at him. With the example of his
respected conferee Jim Corbett before him
1t is not probable that he will lay awake
nights thinking of the punishment that
map be neeted out to him when he re-
turns to the land of his birth. What tbe
Interior motive Of his visit to the other
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