The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-09
IONS UPON THE PASSING SHOW

record In ring affairs that would make bank
burglar look like philanthropist. The public
was suspicious Of Cans. Nolan with greed
like that OF hungry hyena started out to
take advantage Of the fact that the real light
weight champion was in badly and opened lp
with a game Of pinch and squeeze that shylock
himself would have been ashamed of. There
was the weight exaction. the perpetual kick and
howl about every triae. Nolan showed himself
up for about as much OF sportsman as green
goods operator. He hogged every point. worried
the negro in every possible way and became
so tnsstent and garrulous as to disgust not only
the fight promoters but the public at large.
Despite the black record of Cans, public
opinion swung to him and he went into the ring
the popular pet. People who had nothing in
particular against Nelson expressed the hope
that the chocolate would break the neck Of the
beetle-brow all on account Of the nasty ways
of Nolan:> Nolan had made the serious mistake
Of looking at the whole affair business
proposition while appealing to the masses for
support upon the excuse that it sport
ing" event. Cans accepted every arbitrary de-
mand Of Nolan and then licked the mealticket
of the Butte man almost to death. Nelson's
staying for the punishment went as thoro
vindication Of Jack London's characterization
Of the Dane the ''abysmal BRUTE
The fight was one Of the dirtiest ever re-
corded in American ring annals. Nelson fought
FOUL almost every inch of the distance. The
negro, whose sportsmanship showed high as COM
pared with that OF Nolan and Nelson. showed
more: intelligence, more ring generalship, and
more cleverness all of the way than did the
Dane He slashed and stabbed the South Chi
cago product until his face looked like bowl
of scrambled pluns and fought him to stand
still for long time while he nursed a broken
; hard-broken upon the Jaw of the durable
Dane.' 1t was like putting Dan Patch against
truck horse 80 far as speed and precision
good boxing was concerned. ~-.> ~'s..
There seems to have percolated thru the brain
Of the battler that instructive knowledge which
comes to all brute creation when it meets its
| master. He clinched. butted like livery stable
goat and generally deported himself more like
tar-room sawdust slugger than like man who
had without any legal right attempted to usurp
the title of champion.
Cans fought clean battle oil Of the way.
Only once did he lose his head Nelson kicked
at him, after the gong, and this was too much
for the long suffering coon. He kicked back
! and missed. Siler permitted foul fighting, NIL
of the way, making the lame excuse that he did
not care to disappoint the large crowd who had
gathered to battle. He evidently did Mt
hurting Cans by his dirty tactics or consider the
rights of the negro in the matter. He is de-
scribed in press reports. repea teddy warning
Nelson about using his head as battering ram
and even taking his hands to push the Danes
head out Of Cans neck and off his chin.
The public would have been glad had Cans
been able to whip over a punch overpowerlng
as to reach Nelson's brain and quiet him for
ten or twelve minutes, but the butting and
wrestling had evidently weakened the cham
pion that he did not have the strength to put
the Dane away. He was down fine as grey
| hound and this. coupled with hour or so
of fast boxing in desert sun, boxing op-
ponent who was using tooth and toe nails