The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-01
How [ Was 7 trimmed In New
n Worlds Champion Tells the Truth
OTISduS About That Lay-Down to jim Hall
BY BOB FlTZsIMMoNs.

There are some funny sides to every
thing, and now after the years have
gone by-grown into something over
twelve-I can afford to sit back and
crack a quiet smile at the things that
came off down in New Orlsans when l
fought Jim Hall in the National Ath-
letic club, and, incidentally, lost a
bunch of money; the same old story,
you know: Easy mark, and knoW-it-
all got trimmed again. OF course it's
funny, If it wasn't, then it is now,
and l guess wei all have 10 get in on
il.
On Feb. 10. 1890, I fought Jim Hall
in Sydney, Australia. and lost the de-
cision-and not because l couldn't
knock him fiat any time l wanted TO.
either but that's another story, that
maybe III touch up later. Ever since
that fight Ia been trying somehow to
get anOther' go at Jim, principally be-
cause he'd been blowing all over the
world how he'd found an easy thing out
there i'm KangarOoland. l was out for
Jim, and / needed him in my business,
and it was long while l took to get
him.
However. | came over to this country,
I
/ body there seemed to take much of the
| FitzsimmOns stock at anywhere near
| what | thought il was worth. Maybe
] they thought il was Watered a bit. and
! from what I've learned since, il
/ wouldn't surprise me. knowing San
| Francisco as I do. if they hadn't had
/ a lot Of good hot ones put over the plate
/ before that However they didn't cot
! ton to me very much, and 1 had 10
wait bit.
! All they knew was that Jim Hall
had got a decision oyer me out in sgd
/ ney and Jim had forgotten TO hand
over all the details at the same time
( I followed Jim's trail around bit. and
( finally I got an offer from the Mime
: sofa Athletic club Of ST. Paul, 10 pull
/ off go with the good James. As
said before they didn't know me very
/ Well and / had to put up guarantee
4 of about 5000 simOleOns that I'd be
, there when the gong tapp9d, and have
/ Jim i'm the ring.
1t looked easy to me then, but jim
/ had figured out that he was in wrong
/ somewhere / guess, and he didn't seen
( to see il in the same light l did. Maybe
/ ! was a little OVer-anSious, because
! that Sydney business had TO be wiped
out somehow, but TO cut a long lodging
story short. | didn't get Jim into the
ring. and the club pulled down my 3O0C
and left me TO square the bill with Boil
/ Fitzsimmons the b. 81 way l could.
{ Afterwards I heard that Jim looked
: over the fight I'd had with Jack Demp-
sey. and figured himself in at the small
. end but while / thought about il then
l didn't stop watching for a chance t.
get Jim. I made him few offers thai
the ordinary professional would have
grail bed at and swallowed. hook anC
sinker. but Jim was a bit shy, anC
steered clear of the bait. That was
July -, 1891, and l was out looking FOL
other business all the time.
] In March / met Peter Maher in New
Orleans, and dTonned him in twelve
rounds. and that made Jim shy off a lit
tie further. Then I nut Jim Farrell
asleep in two rounds ia Newark, anC
Jim sat down and waited. 4 week latel
I went after Joe Godfrey in Philadel
phia. and laid him away TO rest in on
round. and six days later picked VI
I Jerry Slattery I'm New York, and fast
ened the crepe on his record in tw'
{ rounds All this time Jim Hall was
fading away little bit further. and
didn't do any more fighting until Sep
temher. when I went down in Admission
Ma. and trimmed Willard Gender with
out any trouble.
I could see Jim watching me out o.
| the corner of his eye, and I tried t'
draw him on, but he'd got money mas
about then, and he couldn't see il any
way he fixed it. He was still talkins
pretty big about what he'd do to ms
when VIC did meet. but every time hi
SAW a Autograph of me they say he''
SILVER and say it was a goose walking
over his grave. / went out with a show
4 hi faFfe
that kind of rubbed our nice new pain
off here and there
However at last ] managed tn &c
Jim nailed down. and IL was fixed tina
We pull il off in. New orleans. TIL
National promised to hang " a puFs
Of $4,000. and they did it all right
Then a certain party offered us $50. 90
TO come no north and null OFF the mil
in New York but the cinch. which i
me wouldn't have IL that way. / go
up on my hind legs and made a how
( which simmered down about like this
NO. stree. I've got good friends il
New Orleans, and | know I'll get !
square deal here. I'm going 10 sticl
10 my pals in New Orleans.
incidentally. I'd borrowed about $500
from a man down there who was inter
ested In the club. 10 get me out OF ;
hole and pay Off my show people, and
/ cOul0nt see Nnere / came IN 10 los
him in the air. 1 stuck out for New
tOrleans. and New Orleans it was.
Here is where the comedy commences
Nobody but few wise ones, believes
J ever had a chance with Hall. NJ!
fight with Dempsey ought TO have pa
them wise. but it didn't. and so whel
the betting was called I was the shor
end OF il, and most OF the club outfi
could see almost anything but Fitzsim
mons. This is not swelled head or any
thing like that but after I'd whipped
Dempsey. that lad was always watch
ing out for me, and his wife told M
once that when he was on his death
bed he nut a roll of money he hat
saved into her hands and said:
Whenever or whoever FitZSimmon
fights place your money on him. 70
hes bound 10 beat every man of an.
weight he ever meets
Poor Jack was wrong toward the last
but il went then. Well. stories like tina
had got about. and they helped me ;
little in the betting, but the big none.
was on Hall. Here is where the fun
commences. and where / fought mysel
out Of a handsome stake.
Jim and ! got into the ring, and |