Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-05
THE PUGILlSTS.
Jack Munroe Wants More Tim me
 From Jeffries

Been," and Sandy Ferguson Meet
 Each Other. .. i
 New York, Sept 5.-It's cool sum- mer, but it's hotter than the hinges of the gates of the Kankakee pit at Bath Beach.
 The reason thereof?
 'tRuby Robert is riled; the Sage of Bensonhurst is frothing at the mouth; the knuckle-dusting gent whose brow once bore the laurels of a world $ heavyweight champion, Bob Fitzsim- mons, is boiling over with a rage that has tinged the ocean breezes of Bath Beach deep sea blue.
 And justly, too.
 One George Gardner, recent winner of a very doubtful, newly-founded pugilistic title, has asSailed Fitzsim- mons fstic reputation.
 Laughable to the followers of pugil- ism. Gardner's assertions that Fitz is afraid of him. have heated the carrot topped one up to a hundred and sixty eight.
 Therefore Ruby Robert is riled.
 And being riled, here is what he has to say for himself.
 He wants to fight me, does ne:'' said the Sage of Bensonhurst Ger tainly he does; he wants me to split the purse.
 "Now there's nothing doing in that line.
 'I'll fight Gardner. winner take al, at the :nI0dleweight limit, 15S pounds
 But ynn.l hi,i he. not fight ine on those. terms, when Ii comes down to an issue.
 I'm an old man, am I?'' and the golden-toppe Australian threw out his chest. "Just ask some of those fellows fought if I'm an old man. Old man be --."
 'sWhy, say! I'll fight 'em all; nobody barred, not even Jeffries.''
 A big-knuckled. befreckled fist that looked like a sun-spotted ham, empha- sized this statement with a sweeping flourish that took in the whole pugil- istic universe.
 And there are others"
 ''Ten thousand dollars to Munroe if he stands ten rounds
 "A fight for Corbett any time he wants it;'' another huge sweep of a huge arm that wound up with a bang that shook the rolls off a roll-top desk.
 .Ruhlin? A 'pipe.'''
 He gazed refiectively at a knuckle that was a cross between a cobble stone and a goose egg.
 That knuckle" he said, calming down, ''has never been right since I hit Ruhlin in the stomach and mashed my fist against his backbone
 There was a far-away look in the lanky Cornishman's eyes. Visions of dancing sea of faces, of a shirt wassted, screaming. perspiring mob, packed like sardines. banked clear to the vaulted dome of Madison Square Garden, possibly foated out of the past. ~
 And the vision brought with it the clink of gold; the fatness thereof of the Garden box office.
 NEIL DEFEATED DECoURCEY.
 Los Angeles, Gal, Sept 5.-Frank 0. Neil of San Francisco, champion ban- tamweight pugilist of the world. last night defeated Billy Decourcey of Los Angeles in fifteen rounds.
 Jim Jeffries according to a dispatch from San Francisco. has signed ar ticles of agreement to meet Jack Nun roe in a 2O-round, bout, before the Century A. C., Los Angeles, Gal, the same to be decided on October 16, un- der Marquis of Queensberry rules When the news was announced, it did not create much surprise, because Jef- fries, since he whipped Jim Corbett has said that his next opponent would be Munroe, if it were possible to bring the latter into the ring with him. 4 few weeks ago Jeffries offered S10,OOG to Munroe for the latter to stay four rouds with him, but, x although the miner responded, nothing further was heard of it until the dispatch from San Francisco that the champion had signed papers for fight.
 Tom Carey, matchmaker of the Century A. O., sent the following tel. egram to Munroe, who is at Rocka way Beach:
 'tJeffries has signed: 65 gross fol Jeffries and yourself; date October 16 answer at once.'
 The miner said in reply that hs would gladly tackle Jeffries; that il was the ambition of his career to dt so, but that he could not get ready tt fight by October 16 He then suggest ed a. month later. November 16.
 It is understood that. ln signing Jeffries undertakes to stop Munroe in side of the limit, and, failing to de this, Munroe, besides getting the de cision, will receive the long end of tht purse. This bit of information was of more importance, seemingly, tt Munroe than the announcement tha' the brawny boilernnaker had signed.
 t'No man can knock me out inside o1 twenty rounds, much less in foul rounds" said Munroe. T am very glad that Jeffries is going to fight me and he will not find me easy picking either. But the date. October Is, is not to my liking at all. want some time in which to train for a battle o1 such importance. If the Century clut will change the date to November 1t I will sign articles without delay, an6