The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-27

accused OF participating in a dishonest ring
contest. and 1 am perfectly willing 10 let
the people judge for themselves relative
to last nights fight ! like courageous
man or animal and when I see man who
fought as FitZsimmOns fought last night
accused Of throwing his friends, am COM
PEELED 20 do something / have never done
befOre-rush into print in defense OF the
honesty OF a fight l was connected WIN
To defend FitzsimmOns from the accuse
ton Is TO defend principal IN the great
est pugihstic encounter the world has ever
seen. / think the story Is the brlghtest
feather in Fitzsimmons's wing. II has had
the effect of making me warm supporter
OF man whom I never liked, and ven
ture 10 say II viii have the same erect on
thousands Of others. Even the spectators
did not know what bad fix Jenries was
in. His cheek bone was laid open ana ne
had bleeding. broken nose, the blood from
which ran down his throat, preventing MS
breathing.
These were not the things we feared
most One Of his eyes was cut between the
eyebrow and the eyelash. and we were
afraid that the flap of his eye would fdIl
and blind him. His other eye was also
blown out for a moment. ! think Jehrles
demonstrated he could take as much as ne
could give. People near the ring Will agree
with me in this. / eagerly watched Tor
some sign Of weakening in EitzsimmOns. II
came in the fifth round. l then told JeI-
fries TO keep close to him and not let nm
recover. Jeffrtes followed instructions ana
landed the punch in the eighth. In cOnclU-
sion. I will say that it was the gamest fight
between the gamest men the world has
ever known, and the best man won.
Regarding the letter in the hands or
Mayor Schmitz, saying that the contest
would come TO an end In the eighth round,
Delaney said: I'VE received hundreds or
anonymous letters predicting something for
every round. That one should have hit 1t is
a fact so trivial that don't believe MAYOR
Schmidt will heed il. know nothing OF IT
beyond what Is TumOred.'
George Siler said that Fitzsimmons, al
though beaten. proved cOncluSively that
he is, or rather was. the greatest fighter
that ever stepped into an American prize
ring.
The Chronicle this morning says: There
was no faint or suspicion coming from any
quarter that the contest was not strictly
fair, and the best man won. Surely no
other encounter of the kind ever waged
combined all the good qualities OF that
Fought last evening"
The Call says: For seven rounds Fitz-
simmons made a pitiable spectacle of the
young Hercules from the South, and then
fell under just such a blow as that with
which he won the worlds championship
from Corbett at Carson on that memorable
l7th of March. 1897"
The Examiner insists that the fight was
fake pure and simple. 1T says:
Wv. w. NaughtOn. the sporting writer
programmed for Fitzsimmons TO go out in
the eighth round. The information came
from the Jeffries sOple. Mr.. Naughton
wrote out the programme, signed it, sealed
It and put ii in the custody of Mayor
Schmitz The fight came off according to
the programme. In the eighth round, when
there had been no severe fighting. Fitzsim-
mons dropped his hands turned and spoke
TO Jeffries. Jeffries hit him and FitZsim-
mons went to his hands and knees and
stayed down until he was declared out. Then
he got up and walked around the ring, his
eye clear. his voice strong. not n bruise on
him. Every one present asked: What was
FitZsimmOns talking for? Why did he quit
fighting? After the fight Mayor Schmidt
proceeded to open NaughtOn'S statement,
there was every indication in the betting
that a large corterie was informed of the
arrangement" The letter written by
NaughtOn is as follows
July pa received to-day an intimation
that the fight between Jeffries and Fitz-
simmons was to be won by Jeffries in the
eight round and that one of the party who
with Jeffries at Hardin Springs had
told my informant to bet that Jeffries would
earn the decision in the round named.
"XV w NAUGHTON"