The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-09-04
BY BOB FITZSIMMONS.


Copyright. 1905, by Joseph B. Bowles.)
One of the hardest things any pugflist
has to battle against in this world is
public opinion, and I'm not shooting
wide of the mark when l say that I've
had bit more than my share of adj
verse criticism. In fact, I've been up
against 1t good and hard lot of times.
and while I've tried 10 hold my temper
In the face Of unjust charges and stin
more bull-headed wrong opinion, some
times I've let go when / couldn't hold
out any longer-and I've been sorry
for IL.
Every man, woman. and child has
been misunderstood at one time or an
other, so maybe what I'm going to tell
now may get me q little sympathy.
though I'm not looking for it to any ex-
tent. because I've always found that I
could take care of Bob Fitzsimmons
pretty well without any outside inter
ference. Still, man sort of looks
around the circle when he gets into a
mean corner. and If there's friendly
look in the chaps eye in the corner, he
feels that much better.
Sharkey Fight.
What / started with in my mind this
week was that little affair that came
off out in San Francisco about nine
years ago. / mean the go 1 had with
Tom Sharkey out there, when a bunch
of pikers and lot of sure-thing crooks
jobbed 1t to give me the worst Of 1t
any way 1t happened to go.
AS 1 said before. I'm not looking for
sympathy. but when fellow has had
IL handed 10 him in the rawest kind
Of way. it salves the sore SPOT whole
lot to get chance to tell just how X
happened. Ma-be some of you folks
who read this can remember how you
felt when a sneak thief belted you on
the nose as you walked down tho
street and took your weeks salary out
of your right-hand pocket just as you
were going home to hand it over TO the
wife. Perhaps you can remember how
you felt when some fellow you thought
was all the cards. handed you the double
cross and set you back hustling for the
breakfast money. and you never got
chance to tell even the sergeant at the
police station how IL happened. Well.
that's just the way / feel about it. and
the more l think of IL, the sorer l get
Trying for Match.
I'd been working pretty hard to get
on 81 match with Sharkey for some time.
and il was pretty hard shedding to get
a wallop like that for all my pains. If
I'd been whipped, I'd never have said
a word, not a peep from yours truly.
but to be sandbagged. and by n gun
fighter. at that. was all the worse. or
course it all happened n good while
ago. but it's like an old gunshot wound
it aches on rainy days.
But I've been casing about my feel
ings long enough. AS 1 say. l hadn't
been over here so long. anyway. When
1 first showed up in this country the
Fitzsimmons stock was selling a long
way below par, and 1 guess a good
many of the public had an idea 1t was
wateved stock at that. That stacked
me up against the Black Pearl first as
a sort of trial horse, and when / put
him away in four rounds, it looked
easy.
Sharkey was coming along then as the
champion of the navy, and he had his
eye out for jim Corbett's scalp
worked quite while TO get a line on
Sharkey but I had to whip Jack
Dempsey first and then Abe Congle.
After him they trotted out Peter Maher.
and he tossed UP his arms in twelve
rounds Jim Farrell was handed over,
and he remained with me just seven
minutes, all told. / thought Sharkey
was in line but l had TO make a chop
ming block of Joe Godfrey for one round.
i argued with Jerry Slattery for
couple more, and they showed a dead
one named Millerd Gender over the table
at me and / ate him in round. So 1t
went for four more years. and then
came the time when i got Sharkey into
"a corner, and he couldn't get away. |
nal -
mn for that mill, and / thought it was
mighty useful money. Anyway.
counted il as good as mine, and the |
~aL<e-up was all the worse when IL
came
House Looked Good.
We drifted into the ring that night
out in Frisco. and the house looked
mighty good 20 me. saw lot OF men
7 knew. and some of them wagged the
finger at me to show they had bet On.
and counted II already spent. That made
me feel a little bit better. and j COM
menced to wonder about this referee
they had selected. ! never was much /
of sfickler for referees Any man
that looked right to me was plenty good
enough, and though I'd heard something
about this chap. Wyatt carp. i didn
take much account of what they said
about him. One fellow leaned over the
ring as loafed in the corner, and said:
There's a Job out TO do you. Bob. II
they have TO kill you to get away with
it. Watch out for the gun"
And then some one dragged him off
the ropes. and l didn't get the rest. /
didn't pay much attention TO 4, anyway. |
because i never believed l was going 10 |
be shaken down like a coma on, and The |
tip the chap handed me faded away |
When Sharkey came into the ring ard |
we walked over TO this boy carp. took |
a good look at him. He didn't look /
crooked to me. though he had A sort !
of set eye that read like IL wouldn't
stand for any argument. When he talk
ed he made IL pretty plain that what be
said had 10 go, and / guess both Shar-
key and myself felt we'd be as good as |
a pair Of Sunday school lads.
Had Sharkey Casing.
Wen, nearly everyone knows how the /
night went. / had the sailor gassing |
about for seven rounds. and | was get
ting ready TO hand him the wallop that !
would mt him dourn IN