The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1905-06-25

still in the game. One Of the
earliest friends 1 had was good
old Nike Gleason. He was one of the
first TO see that had the punch, but he
held me back when I wanted to show
them. Mike did push me to the front,
but not as fast as I wanted TO go. i was
dsffy 70 get crack at Paddy Ryan when
] was a gossoon around Boston. Hearing
that Paddy was to give an exhibition in
Lowell shortly after he had walloped Joe
Goss and got the championship, struck
Mike to take me TO Lowell.
At that time I had made good Roadway
at the boxing trade without letting it cut
out my other trade or laying bricks on
top of one another in mortar sandwiches.
and I was sure enough that my time had
come 10 make good with the clout. Mike
gave me the laugh when L asked him to
take me TO Lowell so I could put a chal-
lenge right up to Ryan. the champion. so
that he couldn't dodge it.
"Jawn," said Mike, you're going to
come along. but take it aisy. take it aisy.
In a year or so you'll be able to get a
hearing from Paddy, but you haven't had
the experience. If you go at him now
he'll knock your head off,
Throws His Dinner Pail Up an Alley.
So I went back into my hole. but not
very far. The evening that Ryan was TO
show in Lowell / was going home from
work when / met a fellow named Nc
Carthy. Telling him how bughouse I was
10 get at Paddy, he cut in with:
I believe you can lick him, John, and
If it's money you want I've got enough.
We've got just time TO catch a train for
Lowell. Come on and we'll take the wind
out OF Paddy's sails
was IN my working clothes. my dinner
pail in my hand. Chucking the dinner
pail up in an alley We made a break for
The tram. When Paddy came on the
stage / stood up and challenged him.
just what Ryan said ! don't remember
exactly, but ii was something like "go and
get a reputation" Whether he had heard
Of me or not and didn't want any of the
game OF the Boston Strong Boy don't
know, but 1 was showed away. But in a
few months 1 had reputation enough and
Paddy. when we got together. lived to
tell the tale that the punch / gave him
Was enough 10 kill an ordinary OK.
A Fair Fight Strengthens Friendship.
When 1 was matched to fight Ryan
much Of my stake money was put UP by
Gleason and Jim keenan,. Ryan's father
and Gleason's father both came from Tip
perary, and Mike has a soft spot in his
heart for Paddy, although a good true
friend OF mine During the fight L noticed
my man Gleason hob-nobbingf with
Ryans friends on the other side of the
ling. When Paddy had been counted out
] accused Gleason Of going into the Ryan
ranks. He was dumb for a minute, much
surprised that l should think his action
strange.
You know how I feel toward you,
1t.
surprise enough to talk, land you know
where my money was, but on account
OF the old man, a towney of mine,
thought l ought TO show him that a little
ching like this shouldn't come between
IT Cuds."
Nike was one of the few men who
could go through a rough-house expert
ence and retain the good will OF all sides.
He was just as good a friend of the
Ryans while betting on me to put Paddy
into dreamland as he was to all my sup
porters. He couldn't understand why
there should be any hard feelings after
q fair fight, for TO his way of thinking
q nice fight was the surest means of put
ting a leadpipe cinch on friendship.
Ryan and myself sat in Gleasons cafe
ia Court street the Sunday night after
that fight and the crowd that came to see
US filed the street from building to build
ing, so that the cars couldn't get through
for several hours.
The Passing of an Old Friend.
Gleason was near me in all my fights
except the one with Kilrain. Business
troubles kept him from that. Toward the
end he became unbalanced and was sew
eral months in an asylum before l was
told of it, being on the road at the time.
] paid handful of money TO get poor
Mike out from behind the bars, thinking
TO bring him around with good company.
took him TO Muldoon's place, where
! was going to train. But Mike was
changed. He failed. grew unreasonable
and after a few weeks went back TO
Boston without giving any of us warn
ing. He didn't last long after that,
dying in the asylum.
IF the people that Mike Gleason had
befriended had followed his body TO
the cemetery he would have had the
largest funeral ever seen in Boston,"
said Captain Cooke in the Police News
Mike was one of my earliest and
steadiest friends. / hope he is happy,
and I think he is. Such men are not
handed down in history as patterns,
but they do lot more good than slick
er chaps who wouldn't sit on the same
seat with him. I'm proud of Mike
Gleason's friendship for me, glad that
] was able to stay with him when he
needed friend. and 1 know he is
where the true men go when they die.
He had the Irish love of fair fight,
be liked men who could fight, but he
was so tender hearted that he would
give up TO every victim of hard luck
He was glad TO make money so as to
have IL 10 give away where it was
needed, and his heart; beat as warmly
for the Fourth of4Juiy as ii did for
ST Patrick's day.
Teasing kilrain Scvcnty~Ffve Rounds.
In my last letter / promised TO tell
more OF the battle with Kilrain. want
TO bark back TO that scrap to show
that at that time. sixteen years ago.
when ] YVES undisputed champion of the
world. the same yarns were told of me
that you see in newspapers-that i was
all in; that I couldn't stand up half an
hour and SO on.
One sing-song in some of the papers
at that time was that / would quit IL
any man could stand me off my hur-
Ticane rushes. That always made me
sore TO the bone. but / never let on
that IL even reached me. So l made
myself promise that I'd show them.
] just played with Kilrain during all
those seventy-five rounds. lasting three