Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-03-08


John Sullivan, has-been at as years
of age, visited DcS Moines last week.
The great champion Of champions is Il
great man no longer. He has grown fat
ana ptSSimiStic and occasionally remin-
iscient.
Fifteen years ago he was a great man,
big. strong ard handsome. For more
than eleven years he had met all Corners
i'll the prize. ring and defeated all
Corners ana then drink and James j.
Corbett':; foot work put him down and
out of the fighting business.
For ten years he has been referred to
as poor Old John L.
Yet he is not an old man. Farmer
Burns is almost as old. Bob FitZsim-
inonS is but four years younger. sui
Ivan has made more than 4 million
dollars in his time and he has spent
more than Il million dollar; being n
good fellow" - rounder' and a
champion.
For many years h. did nothing hut
drink ana grow fat and poor. During
the st. Louis exposition he sat at the
end Of the bar and curious Sightseers
came to look upon the great has-been.
Then people grew tired of seeing the
del clict, the wreck Of Il great athlete,
bloated and soaked with strong drink.
and he was no longer Il drawing card
for saloons:
He decided to go on the stage again,
and he sube-ed up. He reduced his
weight from AS pounds to 90 pounds.
lie us,'i to fight ~ about 2a3 pounds.
10 ct
pears in vaudeville.
1t was as a vaudeville star that he
visited Drs Moincs last week, loafrd
! about the Chamberlain hotel ana
dra -Appollinaris water, for John T..
| Sullivan is; Il teetotaltr now.
''Thrrr amt amy more champions
now" said the CHAMPION of champions
| in h5 room AT tn. chamberlain. He
| W'sr" :; dinner jacket. imma cula te white
| shirt and WaiStcOat and puficd /. fat
| black cigar. 1t was a great effort for
| hiin To raise one foot to rest it on tn.
tube q, Ii settle! back, il a small
chair that fairly Eru1nel under his
| @Te1t ". i@ht.
Marvin Hart posed as 4 Champion
| but h had no right T." even take n look
| at the title. O'Bricn j.; II good man for
his size. hut he's not in the champions
| ship class. There amt any good as
far as real champions of the world goes.
| Jrli:it% cailie nearer being a real
champion that any man for good
| many years. JefIr"s is q great fighter.
He can never fight again. though. in
anything like championship forn. He
| c"ul,.n't stand the work Of training
down.
| lltzSimmons tried Ia train down for
his. battle a few weeks ago. but he could
| not get into shape. When man once
starts down in the fight business it's
| all over with him and he'll never be
able to pall himself up to what he WIS
| before"
Sullivan was asked about the talk Of
a fight between himself ana Charlie
Mitchell in Washington.
"old Charlie MITCHELL Wen. that old
stiff hasn't got anything over me-" re-
| piled John l.. as he took his foot from
The table and Strengthened back his
broad shoulders.
ia fight Charlie Mitchell any day
| OF course | couldn't get into good
shape again, not ike used to be- but
| could get into shape {" pat old
thari" Mitchell out of the game for
keen" and don't You ever think differ
ent either.
Il take exercise every day and I
have pulled my weight down from 34S
pounds to 21j. and ] can get 50 pounds
more off if necessary.
High living is what makes q man
fat "hi 40 use. and now I've eat all
thAt our ana am doing 4 little If the
SIMPLE ilfe stunt that you read about.
| never felt better in my life ana I'm
making money again. Not 50 much as
III IN" old days. but I'm making a
living
Il cut out rum over y wear ago and
never expect to take another drink
as long as | live. I never did like
dring like some people do. | guess |
have slowed away as mich strong
drink as any man my agt. in the world.
but no more for me.
"DrinhinS is 4 disease. T tel Van
mere are some people that never can
stop. They can take ali the cures in
the Worii hut they can't stop. There
are som" people that you can keep
n"oze away from for n year and the
first chance they get they are at it
again and boiling. blind drunk.
Now I'm not of that kind. I've cIlt
IL our. I'm through for good and all
The only reason | ever did drink as
much as | did was to be sociabIn
somebody was always saving. Come
have a drink. John Then John would
take a drink, but | am on the water
wagon TO stay now. No more rum for
me this side OF the grave"
sullivan was asked about the decline
OF interest in the prize ring.
ITS because of graft" was the re-
ply.
There is graft in everything" he
so,i'ihuen' stroking his long gray
muStache.
Now people don't take as much in
'ereSt IN a fight as they used IN he
cause 'hey are not sure they are going
|" ger run for their money. They
fisht for 20 rounds or ten rounds IN
man MAJ Set battered up pretty well.
CGt because he is a clever foot worker