The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-15
THE WORLD OF SPORT
STORY OF JEFFR|[S'
FIRST PRIZE FIGHT.
Was a Plain Boilermaker Until
Hank Griffin Came to
Town.

There is an odd little story, writ
ten about the accidental manner in
which James j. Jeffries, champion of
| all the champions, became a fighter
Jeff" he was asked, how did you
happen to get into the fighting game 2"
The giant rolled over slowly and
/ thought for moment. Then a wide
smile came over his features.
WELL" he said, ut was an accident,
/ guess. 1t was forced on me in a way
and at the time 1 didn't know my own
luck.
81 was living down at home and
working hard in the boiler works. One
day big coon came to town. He was
one of those fighters who travel all
over the country, picking up fight
here and there in the small towns, and
he was pretty good in his line. His
name was Hank Griffin.
well, this Griffin went to a saloon
where the boys used to hang out after
work in the evenings. He leaned on
the bar and began talking about what
a fighter he was, just like all those fell
lows do.
HE boosted around until the boys
threw a handful of twenties on the bar
and said that he'd back himself to
knock out any man in the town.
THAT was too much for the crowd.
I was big, husky fellow then, as big
as I am now, so some of my friends
sent for me.
"They thought I was about the only
man around there equal to the coon in
size and strength, and then in the few
fights I had had with the boys nobody
had got any the best Of me either.
Il was over there in minute as
soon as / found what was wanted. /
was ready to fight him right on the
spot, and as soon as got in the door
1 pulled off my coat, but he explained
that he meant regular ring fight, and
that we might as well as not make a
little money out of 1t.
THAT idea struck me as all right, so
we fixed it UP. We got a hall to fight
in, and / went on with my work, while
the big coon began training.
when the night came for me to
fight got through early and went
home to dinner. Then 1 went over to
the hall.
1.-THE gloves were put on my hands
for the first time in my life. remem-
Der how funny they felt to me, just as
if 1 had a great big, clumsy pair Of
hands that L did not know what to do
with.
'"The very first crack the big coon
hit me an awful punch on the nose. 1t
made me mad, and I went for him,
tooth and nail
IL guess that was just what he
wanted me to do. for during the next
ten minutes he punched me all over
the ring. What he did to me was
shame.
"He punched me on the nose until
1 saw stars, and he walloped me on
the jaw as fast as he could hit.
But after awhile found out that
he couldn't daze me or knock me down,
and then 1 began to get cooled off
little, and / went in to find out how he
did it.
81 didn't know a thing about box
ing. The coon peppered me until he
began to get tired out, and 1 was as
strong as when 1 started
HE would jab me at arms length
and keep me from getting near him at
all. But all the time l was learning
more in that fight than 1 did in a
years boxing afterward.
Along about the fourteenth round
the black man was pretty tired. L
started forcing my way in, thinking
all the time about plan l had for
beating him.
After awhile 1 got my chance, and
punched him a good one in the stom-
ach. He curled up on the floor and
couldn't get up, SO that was all there
was to it.
after that l began to think it would
be more fun to fight than to work in
the foundry, SO broke away and went
in to learn how to box"