The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-28
SPORTS
BY A WOMAN's " JEST
Charges Of Fake in Jeffries-Fitz.
simmons Fight Explained.
BOB is ON NAUGHToN's TRAIL
Both Pusilists showedtthe Marks of
81 Battle, Yesterday-Fitxsim
&'-i-S mons Heart Affected.

The latest phase OF the charges OF
stake, in the Jeffries-F -Fitzsimmons fight
Friday night at San Francisco is set
forth in an explanation by Lou Houseman
OF the Zip received by w. w. Naughton.
According to Houseman, Mrs. Al Hall,
y wife of close friond Of Jeffries, told
Naughton two weeks before the fight that
Jeffries would win in the eighth round.
This remark, Mrs. Hall ayers, was made
entirely in Jest. but Naughton didn't see
1t that way. and kept the story close to
: himself, until the day of the fight, when
he addressed his famous letter to Mayor
Schhnitz OF San Francisco.
{ Fitz, it is reported, win begin suit
against Naughton and the San Francisco
paper which printed the fake story.
He will ask damages of 100000.
:. The concensus Of opinion among the
sporting writer's who saw the battle, with
the sole exception OF Naughton, is that
the fight was on the square. In fact, all
unite in styling 1t the hest heavyweight
contest the world has ever seen. If the
amount of punishment taken by both men
Is the standard of the excellence of a
bout, Friday nights contest was certain
ly good. '..-'. 's
The condition OF F1tzsimmons yesterday
effectually disproves the theory that he
did all the hitting. The pile driver body
punches Fitz took from the champion are
said to have affected his heart. Great
welts stand out on his back and sides,
and yesterday he tainted while being
rubbed down. Upon recovering he
imagined that he was in the ring, and his
trainers had hard time to control him.
Among most Of the critics, the theory
IS maintained that F1tz fought hard all
the time, and that when he dropped his
guard in the eighth it was from ex-
haustion and physical pain, rather than
with any intention of letting Jeffries put
him out. -
Jeffries, also, was in bad shape yester-
day. His principal injury is a broken
nose, but his face Us badly cut and
bruised.
On Naughton's Trail.
Fitzsimmons Is hot on the trail Of
Naughton, and says he will leave no stone
unturned to get him. Bob was at the
; Cliff house at San Francisco last evening,
and said:
L sent telegram to the publisher of the
paper which printed that fake story, and in
1t told him the story was d malicious lie;
that the writer of it must retract, and that it
must vindtcate me. AS for the man that
wrote the story, he has been lodging me since
the fight, but I will run across him before
leave town, and when do I will drive my
right fist into his solar plexus and see
whether not he will have enough breath
left in him to- say, as he claims I did, 'ht
me again"
He has steered clear of me. and . If he
knows when he is we'll off he will keep out of
Mrs. Fitzsimmons' sight also. do not know
what she will do to him, but I do know it
will be something he will not forget in n
long while. The idea of me throwing that
fight after I had advised John and Adolph
spreckels, Percy Williams, and number
of other warm and dear friends to- bet on
me - And they would have won their bets,
too. If my left hand had not gone back on
me-.
Mayor schmitz Censured.
Mayor Schmitz is being censured for
permitting his name to get mixed up with
the fake story. A number of men are
willing to make aff1davits that the mayor
said Immediately after the contest that
the fight was the best he had ever wit
messed. . - ..;. -.
Jeffries, Fitz, Percy Williams and the
San Francisco. Athletic Club officials,
under whose auspices the contest was
held, are willing to- post in round figures
$4,000, the money to go to charity, If
any man. or men can produce evidence
that the fight was other than on the level.
Fitz intended to go east Immediately
after the contest, but yesterday said he
would remain until he knocked the props
from under the fake story.