River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-04-05
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.l
HOW I WAS "TRIMMED"
IN NEW ORLEANS.


12-I can afford to sit back and crack
a quiet smile at the things that came
off Gown in New Orleans when
fought Jim Hall in the National Ath-
letic club, and, incidentally lost
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 I guess We'll all have to get in on
it.
On February 10, 1890, fought Jim
Hall in Sydney, Australia, and lost
the decision-and not because |
couldn't knock him fiat any time
wanted to, either, but that's another
story, that maybe I'll touch up later.
Ever since that fight I'd been trying
somehow to get another go at Jim,
principally because he'd been blow
ing all over the world how he'd
found an easy thing out there In
Kangarooland. / was out for Jim,
ard [ needed him in my business, and
it was a long while I took to get
him.
However, | came over to this coun-
try, and landed in San Francisco, and
nobody there seemed to take much OF
the FitzsimmOns stock at anywhere
near what l thought it was worth.
Maybe they thought it was watered u
bit, and from what I've learned since,
it wouldn't surprise me, knowing San
Francisco as 1 do, if they hadn't had
lot of good hot ones put over the
plate before that. However, they
didn't cotton to me very much, and
had to wait bit.
All they knew was that Jim Hall
had got a decision over me out i'll
Sydney, and Jim had forgotten to
hand over all the details at the same
time. 1 followed Jim's trail around
lit, and finally I got an offer from
the Minnesota Athletic club, of st.
Paul. to pull off a go with the good
James. AS said before, they didn't
know me very well, and I had to put
up a guarantee Of about 5000 simo-
Icons that I'd be there when the gong
tapped, and have Jim in the ring.
It looked easy to me then, but Jim
had figured out that he was in wrong
somewhere, I guess, and he didn't
seem to see it in the same light
did. Maybe I was a little over
anxious, because that Sydney bust
ness had to be wiped out somehow,
but to cut long lodging story short,
/ didn't get Jim into the ring, and
the club pulled down my 5000, and
left me to square the bill with Bob
F'itzslmmons the best way could
Afterwards heard that Jim looked
over the fight I'd had with Jack
Dempsey, and figured himself in
at the small end, but while l thought
about it then, l didn't stop watching
for a chance to get Jim. l made him
a few offers that the ordinary pro-
fessional would have grabbed at and
swallowed, hook and sinker, but Jim
was bit shy, and steered clear of the
bait That was July %, 1891, and
was out looking for other business al
the time.
In March I met Peter Maher in
New Orleans, and dropped him in L.
rounds, and that made Jim shy off
a little further. Then I put Jim Far
rel asleep in two rounds in Newark,
and Jim sat down and waited. A
week later / went after Joe Godfrey
in Philadelphia, and laid him away
to rest in one round, and six days
later picked up Jerry Slattery in New
York, and fastened the Grape on his
record in two rounds. All this time
Jim Hall was fading away little bit
further, and l didn't do any more
fighting until September, when l went
down in Admission, Ala, and trimmed
Willard Gender without any trouble.
I could see Jim watching me out of
the corner of his eye, and l tried to
draw him on, but he'd got money
mad about then, and he couldn't see
it anyway he fixed it. He was still
talking pretty big about what he'd
do to me when we did meet, but every
time he saw a Autograph of me they
say he'd shiver and say it was goose
walking over his grave. Invent out with
a show that winter, and we hit some
high spots that kind of rubbed our
nice new paint off here and there.
However, at last l managed to get
Jim nailed down, and it was fixed thai
we pull it off in New Orleans. The
National promised to hang up purse
of $4,000, and they did it all right.
Then a certain party offered us $50
900 to come up north and pull off
the mill in New York, but the cinch,
which is me, wouldn't have it that
way. 1 got up on my hin1 legs and
made a howl which simmered down
about like this:
mo, stree. I've got good friends
in New Orleans, and l know I'll get
square deal here. I'm going to stick
TO my pals in New Orleans
incidentally, I'd borrowed about
S. ,0G0 from a man down there who
was interested in the club, to get me
out of a hole, and pay off my show peo-
pie. and / couldn't see where / came
in to toss him in the air. stuck out
for New Orleans, and New Orleans it
was.
Here is where the comedy COM
menoes. Nobody, but few wise ones
believed l ever had chance with
Hall. My fight with Dempsey ought
to have put them wise, but it didn't,
and so when the betting was called
was the short end of it, and most OF
the club outfit could see almost any
thing hut Fitzsimmons. This is not