The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-03-11
FIGHTERS HAVE
vein Of VANITY
From Chicago Inter Ocean:

From Chicago Inter Ocean:
Vanity among pugilists is common
trait and most of them hate to get
punched in the ring for fear that their
beauty may suffer. The worst afrlc-
ton scrapper can suffer is deformeo
or "caulif1ower" ear. The member be-
comes mutilated after a long campaign
IN the ring. and unless good care Is
taken the malformatiOn becomes per-
manent. Tom. Sharkey is one OF the
fighters who carry a "caulifower ear
and it is said that he would give a
years receipts of his saloon to have
his ear back in the form it was when
he was born. Other bruisers have scars
as telltale evidence of some OF the
hard battles they were in. while others
have other marks on their visage that
in no way enhance their looks. such as
broken noses, puffed up lips. etc. Many
fighters are vain about their dress and
wear flashy jewelry and pad their
shoulders. Some have the cologne hab-
it, some have penchant for patent
leather shoes, turned up trousers and
so on. but few thus far have displayed
any weakness toward their hair.
Their hirsute adornment is the last
thing they worry about, but there is an
exception in the case of Bob F1tZsim-
mons. The Cornishman, as many ring
followers are aware, is partly bald.
His auburn locks, which have been i'm
mortalized in yellow, blue, and other
tints by the genius of the caricaturist,
retired many years ago. In fact. it is
said that they disappeared when F'itz
was just turning rs years old. Fitz has
has his head covered he can pass for
man of 3d.. and Bob confesses to being
AZ years old
When the ex-champion started out
this season on the road with theatre
cal company to strive for new histrlop-
ic honors he concluded that something
must be done to take the place of his
departed locks. So he bought toupee.
This was last August. and he has been
wearing it ever since. Probably the
fact would have remained undiscovered
until this day had not something hap
pened to the thing. Fitz's vanity is
the cause, and thereby hangs a story.
When Fitz was in town a few weeks
ago he thought that he would make the
toupee permanent part Of his head by
making it stick closer by other means
than mere paste. So he bought q
porous plaster, cut it the size Of the
toupee, glued them together, and then
stuck the sticky side Of the plaster on
his head. The scheme worked very we'll
until the plaster began to draw. Joe
tells the story, says that the plaster
might have attracted Fits brains to
the surface had he not warned the
Cornishman in time. Edmonston found
out what Fitz had done only after the
plaster had been on two days. He
grabbed the toupee and the plaster and
pulled it from the fighters head. The
toupee and plaster were by this time on
familiar terms with Fits bald pate,
and it was no gentle job. Bob writhed
in pain, but after much exertion the
toupee came off, and with it some Of
the few remaining hairs which grew
in that locality.
For one whole week Fitz suffered in
tensely, and it required all his fortitude
to wear the toupee on the stage. Fitz
still sports his toupee on the spot he
wishes to conceal, but he has since re-
Trained from bringing into requisition
anything that is extra adhesive.