The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-08-07
WHAT TWAS ABOUT.
THE CASE OF Mr.. FITZSlMM0NS AND Mr..
IEEERlES.

III OhSC VI IttLSiUUoho btsC
JeFFRIES.
Causes That Led Up to the Recent
Little misunderstanding Between
These Two Prominent Gentlemen
Fully Explained-This In Difference
to Numerous Requests from "Oid
Subscribers" " Anxious Enquir-
ers," and ''rlany Citizens" to Know
What the Row Was About-Peace
Reigns and AI's Well. ~
Baltim ore Sun.
The Sun has received large num-
Der of letters inquiring what Mr..
Robert Fitzsimmons and Mr.. James
j. Jeffries were fighting about in
San Francisco on Friday evening.
There seems to be some misapprehen-
sion about the cause of the quarrel
between the champion and the "noble
old Roman" or the "grand old man. ="
as Mr.. Fitzsimmons is variously
called by his ardent admirers. 1t
seems that Mr.. Jeffries publicly
boasted that he was the greatest man
in the world. This is the position
which the grand old man" himself
assumed to occupy, and he did not
hesitate to gay so. The claim so an
gered Mr.. Jetfries that he determined
to resent it by biting the grand old
man" with one of his famous left
hooks. Tho statement of this deter
mination excited widespread interest
and number Of persons gathered to
see the left hook jabbed. There was
some diversity Of opinion as to
whether the champion could put the
"old Roman" to sleep, and a system
was started among the spectators of
| putting a monetary valuation upon
their opinions. The opinion that
Mr.. Jeffries could put the grand
old man" to sleep was assessed at $40
while the contrary opinion was
quoted at only 81. Contributions
were made by the spectators and \
fund was raised to be divided between
the disputants to enable them to pay
the doctor or the undertaken, as the
case might be. This sum, it is said,
assumed considerable proportions,
and it is believed that something will
be left over to support the two gen
tlemen until they can start lecture
tour. The reason why the words of
those who backed Mr.. Jeffries were
fercer than the words of those who
backed the "grand old man" was
because of the highly honorable rec
ord which the former gentleman has
made in such contentious. He had
fought Mr.. G. Rubin to draw in
20 rounds; he had fought MIR. j.
Choynski to draw in 20 rounds; he
had put Mr.. j. Goddard to sleep in
four rounds; Mr.. Peter Jackson, col
ored, had gone down under one OF
his lefts, although he side-stepped
with activity; Mr.. Thomas Sharkey
was also put to sleep in the twenti-
eth round; Mr.. Armstrong, colored,
bit the dust before him, and, finally,
the "grand old man" himself had
gone down before the jabs and hooks
and lefts of this distinguished fighter.
1t was not. unnatural, therefore, fol
the spectators who engaged in the
mathematics of pro liabilities to con-
| Cluuc ludt WudI uC uAu OOuC ho Souiu
do again.
But Mr. Fitzsimmons himself hal
had a distinguished career and has
been Napoleon in this special line
and in his time has put many able
bodied opponents to sleep and made
others groggy, besides tapping the
claret" upon numerous occasions. In
New Orleans in 1891 he bested MIR
John Dempsey in 13 rounds. In the
following year in the same city he
knocked out Mr.. P. Maher in IL
rounds. In 1894 Mr.. James Hall was
q victim of his prowess, and in 1896
he encountered Mr.. P. Mahsr second
time and second time ''did" him.
Mr.. Thomas Sharkey was next con-
quered, and finally, in a quiet spot in
Nevada on March II, 1897, the ''old
Roman" tried conclusions with the
celebrated MIR. j. Corbett. This wa
famous victory and it is history
MIR. Fitzsimmons is no less gifted il
mind than in body. He had made I
close study of human physiology ant
anatomy, and in the course of his re
searches he discovered that there is
certain spot over the human stomach
which responds promptly to treat
ment. This spot he denominates tn
..solar plexus" and in the fourteent
round in Nevada the "grand old man
biffed Mr.. j. Corbett q jab on tn
, solar plexus and knocked him silly
When we consider this noble recor
3 it is easy to see that Mr.. Fitzsimmon.
D although Mr.. Jeffries had outargue
J him once, had some grounds for hoF
4 ing that, like Cad, although he ha'
been overcome he would overcom d
5 the last. When we remember thi
q great contest it is difficult for tn
t mere layman to understand why MI
e Fitzsimmons did not pay more atten
:. ton to MIR. Jeffries' solar plexus il
e stead of devoting his whole time an
a attention to his features. In the fft
round we are told that jeff was nc
winded, but was bleeding from tn
nose, left eye and right cheek. Fit
should have winded him. Tappin
his ..claret" caused him to wear a
/ injured look, but did not impair hi
S usefulness, for in the very next roun
he put two terrific left swings on tt
body and head. Up to the eighth an
, final round the 'grand old man" hs
not suffered seriously. JEFF smile
through his blood and wounds, an
lust here, as Uncle Remus would sa,
is where Fitz ''drapped his watermi
= lion" Instead of attending strict
ut to MIR. Jeffries' solar plexus he lo'
a. cred his guard to engage in convers
e ton. 1t was neither the time NJ
=, the place for conversation, and des
~ ly did he pay for this indiscretio
ID For just as the guard was lowered
ne order to give free action to his Chi
at Jeffries seized the opportunity al
e, quickly hooked his left on the ]a'
C. The "grand old man" went down
q his back and Mr.. Jeffries remain'
the cha mpion of the world and Il