The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-03-25
FORMER CHAMPION PUGILiST
ADMIRES MUSCLES OF GER
TAIN ANGELIC STATUARY.
Admires Aguina,do. for His Fast Foot
Work Displayed in the Phil
ippine Islands.
BY RObertus Love.

ST. LOUIS, Mo-. March 25.-Escort-
ing Jim COrbett through the World S
Fair grounds is something like plotting
Hercules through the stellar system.
have not piloted Hercules, but I have
escorted COrbett. l imagine that Her.
cules would sneer at ordinary celestials
for their muscular inferiority, that he
would pity an unfortunate cub celes-
tial who has been hit in the solar
plexus and knocked out of Celestial in
to kingdom come, and that he would
make comments on the sights of the
star-sown vault from the viewpoint of
a benevolent bruiser. At any rate,
that was the attitude assumed by Mr..
Corbett toward the inanimate human
figures which he beheld on the Worlds
Fair grounds.
When it fell to my lot to steer the
former champion pugilist and present
vaudeville monologist through the
visitor as means of transportation
Garry nothing!" said Corbett. Lets
walk: why, a walk like this IS good for
a man."
The explanation that to see the
grounds and buildings properly would
require about twelve miles If walking,
up and down hill and on the level
merely made Corbett more eager for
fOOt-work.
Gee he ejaculated say. but
that's the real thing. Why, l remem-
Der when l was training at Asbury
Park to fight Sullivan, l used to break
away from my keepers and do a foot
stunt up to Long Branch and back be-
fore they missed me. Then I'd tackle
two or three miles of the boardwalk
and be fresh enough to punch the eter-
ing a bit short of wind. Oh, say. We'll
walk, Come on"
But the hills are pretty steep.
and"
"Aw. cheese it," said Corbett. What
have you got legs for, man? Say. l
want to tell you that if l had a bunch
of hills like these when l was training
to go up against Bob Fitzsimmons at
Carson City, I'd have knocked his
block clean into Butte, Montana. Why,
a few good sized hills are great for a
fellows wind. Come on, now-move
lively"
Say, what's this here house," he
asked. as we strobe Down toward the
main picture of the exposition.
The Palace of Transportation" l
replied, its 1900 feet long and 525 feet
space, and"
'Suffer'n' Moses" interrupted the
pugilist. Say but wouldn't tbs shack
make a jim dandy hall to pull off a
mill in? Why, you could build ring
right there in the middle, string up
circus seats and put half million
good gate money into the box l
would like to sign with Jeff for
finish fight in this shanty oh. my. but
wouldn't do Il thing to Jeff-say,
would | now"
Mr.. Corbett noticed in the Palace of
Transportation a collection or odd
looking locomotives-the relics of pi-
oneer railroad days brought hither for
exhibition. One engine, the Pioneer"
as its painted name Indicated attracted
his particular attention.
First locomotive, hey? Well, all Il
have to say is that railroad engines
and prize-tighting have both i'm
proved since 1886. Why, the game was
as crude in the days of old Jem Mace,
who's still on earth, as that engine
is in comparison to the machines that
pull us nowadays. Say" said Cor
bett, suddenly, turning around, have
they got a pugilist exhibit at this fair:
They ought to have. Don't you know
that if they'd get up show of the
progress of the fist game from it's be-
ginning to it's present scientific state
it would draw? Of course it would"
The first thing Corbett saw outside
was a piece of statuary in staff. the
figure of a Greek god waiting to be
mounted upon a pedestal. The muscles
of the god looked somewhat pudgy.
Corbett approached and felt the biceps.
Cess" he said, IF 1 had had
muscles as hard as that when 1 went I'D
against Jeffries the last time, I'd be
Champion Corbett now, and where did
you reckon Jim Jeffries would be?
Why, he'd be back pounding boilers"
A little farther along stood an angel i