Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-03-27
Copyright, oy Joseph B. Bowles.)
WHY PUdILIsTs RETIRE"

of the pugilists who drop out of sight, and what they do when they retire" and I've tried to get some kind of an idea about this very thing. You've got to understand first of all that I haven't retired. and that Pm not going to retire, and that I'm not so we'll up on the points that make a man realize that he's a dead one.
 It's kind of tough thing, I guess, for a man to sit down and think he's no more use in the game, but it hasn't come to me yet, and if I have anything to do with it, it won't. I've made pretty fair record as it is for man of my age, and I don't think many men can point to record of 362 fights and two defeats. But that's outside the question, and what we're after now is what becomes of the men who drop out, either through defeat or age. I don't know just how many men over 40 stick to the game. but there must be mighty few of them. AS far as I've doped it out, the aver age age at which fighter drops out is about 35.
 Of course the real reason behind it all, and I know what I'm talking about in this case at least, is the drink. Don't think this is going to be temperance lecture, for it isn't, it's just plain common horse sense. I don't believe any man of fair intelli- gence would willingly go out to sprain his arm, or strain tendon in his leg just before he was going to fight. By this mean that if chap was told. and had learned from experience of himself or others. that if he lifted Eeavy box or barrel he would stand Q mighty good chance of getting knocked cut in his next encounter, he would be kind of likely to fight shy of it. Fol- lowing this out, then, 1t stands to req son that if a man goes right ahead and fills his hide up with whisky, keeps late hours. and generally dis sipates, he stands mighty good chance to get, his head knocked of within short order.
 As I say, that's not any temperance lecture, as any man with a bit of brain in his head can see, but it's mighty close to furnishing reason for the boys that drop out long be- fore they've got any physical right to.
 Pm 42 years old, and I've been through a pretty tough battering in the ring myself, but I'm still here, and mighty shifty on my feet, at that. It's an open bet that. barring Jim Jef- fries, I'm willing to make good heavy side bet that I'll drop any man in the ring to-day inside of 15 rounds. I couldn't say that if had lived free for-all life, and blown in every cent [ made on wine, women and song.
 There's many a good man who has made some thousands in the ring, hunting for a place to sleep at this minute, and he can go back in his own heart and figure out just where he dropped his money. I'm not that kind myself, and without blowing my own horn too freely, can be ex- cused if I say right here that there's not a man in the fighting business to- day that's reached my age and is still a champion, with look in for an- other championship.
 The trouble with the lads of the ring is that they've come up the lad der fast, and they find themselyes with more money than they ever believed was in the country. and having had no experience of this kind of life, they think it's necessary to blow 1t in as fast as they can get it. on the be- lief that there's plenty more where that came from. Tn a way they're right enough, but only as long as they keep straight and look out for themselves.
 If there's anything tougher than to be a time-expired idol of the public, I'd like to find out what 1t is. Why. right this minute I can call to mini one case that will do for an exam pie. There's a little fellow that's made a million or SO with his hands. who for 14 years was the real goods as far as his class in the ring went. He met and put away every man that came to him, and he had diamonds and clothes and manager who was ready to stake him to anything he wanted. Then some one put him down and out. It ttook just two months for him to find out how much of a rubllc idol he was. At the end of that time he was trying to borrow car fare, and finding 1t a hard lob. His man. ager wouldn't cross the street to look sf him. and had no use for him. He'd gone the pace too fast, and when the finish came with him among the sIso rans. he was down and out. and Ia6nt a dollar of all he made.
 There wasn't any reason in the world that he shouldn't have had hundred thousand in the bank. but be hadn't. He'd been too busy to think of that He blev In his coin % fast that he stood a good chance to take pueanonis- and that let him out His is just one case
 There vas poor Jchnny Gardner. rho vas another. Why. boys. yoa woaldnt deliberately make the otbsr ssIlov . present of odds when yo1 @