The age-herald., 1901-02-24
WHEN "JOHN L." MET
 THE PRINCE OF WALES

is the health?"
 From that minute we were old friends. We began to chin like long-lost brothers. The prince was a short man with bright eyes and a good, fresh color. His hair was a little shy on the top and he wore a full beard cut to a point. He was a little bit too big for his height, but he looked to me as if he'd be a pretty good welter weight-say 142 pounds in condi- tion.
 And maybe he didn't know all about the fighting gamel He wanted to know if 1t wasn't dangerous to jump at man right off the reel the way did-if there wasn't danger of knocking up my hands by cut ting loose slam-bang at a fellow. told him it was more dangerous for the other fellow than for me, and he laughed. And maybe L wasn't pleased to find the prince so well posted about the gamel That man is a genuine sport. The lords and dukes, etc.. sat there not say ing a word and getting their ears full and I guess they found it pretty swift going when the prince called me John and ''old man. before we'd been chinning two minutes.
 How many fighting men have you knocked out, John?" he asked me
 Well" I says slowly and counting up as well as I could well let me see-I guess about a hundred not counting them that got scared to death and went to the floor without waiting for the old punch
 Let me feel that terrible right arm of yours,' says the prince.
 The little table was covered with bot ties of Scotch and soda (potash, they call it), and lot of glasses, so I stood up and put up the arm and let the prince take hold of an American muscle. He was standing up, too.
 There's an arm!" he says. Now can understand how you knock 'em out so fast. I've heard a great deal about that right anu 1 never dreamed that I'd have a chance to feel it."
 So we sat down again and kept on chinning. The prince was smoking the best sigars I ever touched Talk about the big black ones Tod Sloan smokesl They're outclassed.
 Smoke, John?" says the Prince.
 'Sometimes,' I says, and lit one. They were so good that when the Prince pass cd the box a second time I put a couple in my pocket. He smiled and nodded, as much as to say it was all right, he knew I wanted 'em for my friends
 Jim, Smith Che Prince called him Jem) and Jake Kilrain were matched then for the championship of England, and the Prince wanted to know my opinion. I told him Smith ought't to win. That fight never came off.
 We had been talking a long time when it came my turn to spar. I went fifteen rounds with Jack Ashton. Poor old Jack! The Prince never had a chance to see great battle, so I gave him good an idea of one as I could. I went at Ash ton till he was groggy, then let up so as to let him come to. The Prince was tickeled to death with the scrap, and as I was leaving the ring he waved his hand and said good-by to me. Next day Lord Clifford sent me fine cane with a silver snake-head on 1t.
 Now, I want to give my reasons for thinking that Edward VII is a great man. In the first place, he's got common sense to burn How do know? See how he treated mel See how well posted he was! There wasn't a bit of a bluff about him.
 And here's another line I got on him: You'll read in history how George " I'm pretty sure that was his number, Third or Fourth-was often bragging, when he was Prince of Wales, about what he could do with the gloves. He thought he could make an even go of it with Gentleman Jackson, the best man in England. Well, what kind of a King did he make? He was a failure.
 But what does this King Edward do? He meets the champion of the world and never makes one crack about how good he is Doesn't that show good judgment?
 Give Edward VII a show and you'll find him one of the best in the business. And if he ever comes to America I'll bet he drops in at No. 107 West Forty-second street and says, Hello, there!'' to his old friend. Yours truly,
 JOHN L. SULLIVAN.