Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-15
SPORTS TALK
Sporting News OF Interest in the
Iowa Field Jim" Sellers
Deli.
Colored Pueilist OF Belmond
Challenges the World His
Early Days.
Iowa Base Ball Prospec.s-Ar-
rangements for Bowling
Tournament.

"Jim" Sellers formerly of this city
but now of Belmond,the colored welter-
weight who. q few years ago, was
talked obout by the sports interested in
the rope enclosed arena. is evidently OF
the opinion that there is nothing like
to get his name before the
public. Sellers, thru the press OF Iowa.
has issued a challenge to the world,
and offers to meet any man in the
country between 40 and 100 pounds. he
not only offers to meet them, but he is
firmly convinced that he can knock
means business. and back of him Is
said to be all colors of coin-both white
and black. Marshalltown is the city
where Sellers first learned that he could
fight. and it was in the vicinity OF THIS
city not many years ago that he had his
first battle early one Sunday morning,
when, in the presence of goodly num-
Der of sporting men, he fought to
draw. after twenty-siN rounds, Jack
"Yellowhammer'O Davis, of Mason
City The white man was more skilled
in the art of the bruisers. but the de-
Tense made and punishment ineted out
by the black boy led a number of his
friends to believe that he had the right
kind of stuff In him. 1t was day
when prize lighting was more of
business in Marshalltown
than it is today, and it was only few
weeks until Sellers was matched again,
this time against another local aspir-
ant, allie" Morrison. Morrison and the
black man fought twenty-five good,
stiff rounds to draw, and the negro
welterweight's friends were more conf
dent than ever of his ultimate success.
Battle after battle followed, at inter-
walls of a few weeks, and Sellers
generally up and coming, with more
credits than losses at the close of his
mills. Finally the game waned. and
became a dead one" locally, and the
pugilist had to look elsewhere for sup
port. The last few years have been
spent in retirement from the ring, but
his present announcement will I'M
revive the interest In him on
the part of some of his Marshalltown
friends. Sellers ought not have any
trouble in securing matches, providing
ne has the proper kind of backing, for
there are plenty of men in the country
between lao and $50 pounds who are
fairly spelling for a fight, and the
greater majority of them never heard
of Sellers, either.
Iowa is likely to see more base ball
this year than it has in many seasons
past and already clubs are being
formed In nearly every town of any
size in the state. A Central Iowa.
League has been proposed, but like
many other plans looking toward the
formation of q club for the middle
state cities, they will likely die 81
bornin'.' For the past few seasons,
about this time, there has been talked
the proposed formation of this same
Central Iowa League. Just so many
times as the league has been talked of,
just SO many times have the plans
fallen thru and come absolutely to
naught. The league as talked of at
present includes Marshalltown, Fort
Dodge, Waterloo, Oskaloosa and OF
son City as the sixth town.
The arrangements for the annual
tournament of the Iowa State Bowling
Association are being gradually made,
even tho tournament is seven weeks
off. The Dubuque people who have in
charge the local arrangements have
already issued considerable advertising
matter and the prospects are that the
tournament will be a success. Already
the teams of Des Moines, Sioux City,
Davenport and Marshalltown are en-
tered for the games that will be played
on May 6, and s.
Captain s. Clyde Williams of the
University of Iowa, who was last fall
placed beyond the workings of the
conference of eligibility rules for an
assumed name, will play summer base
ball this year under his own name He
has decided that he might as we'll be
professional. since the conference de-
clared him to be no amateur, and has
signed a contract to play shortstop on
the Sioux Falls, S. D., base ball team.
He will leave town for Sioux Falls as
soon as the base ball season at Iowa
closes in June. He will coach the uni
verslty base ball team this spring.
Belmond is to have wrestling match
tonight between Linn Ruby, of Dayton,
and The Terrible Swede," of ST. Paul.
The match is for $50 side and the gate
receipts, the conditions of the match
being two falls catch -catch-can and
one Graeco-R Roman, Police Gazette
rules to govern.
The return game between the bowl
ing teams of the Marshalltown and
Dubuque clubs will be held Monday
night on the alleys of the latter club.
The contest will be between five-men
teams, five games. total number of pins
to count The Marshahtown team suf-
fered it's first defeat of the season at the
hands of Dubuque a few weeks ago and
is going to take a stronger team to Du-
buque for the games Monday than APP
peared in the game here.
ANSoN CALLS GAME OFF.