Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-02-12
77 V-'''A' \ T7< From 0 ! Inside the < PrizeRing INTERESTING LETTERS OF AN
 EX-WoRLD'S CHAMPION
 HEAVYWEIGHT
 By BOB FITzsIMMoNs |
Copyright, by Joseph 3. Bowlss.),
MY FIGHT WITH sHARKEY.

1 Copyright, by Jossph B. Bowlss.)
 MY FIGHT WITH sHARKEY. One of the hardest things any pugilist has to battle againstS in this world is public opinion, and I'm not shooting wide of the mark when I say that I've had a bit more than my share of adverse criticism. In fact, I've been up against
 it good and hard a lot of times, and while I've tried to hold my temper in
 the face of unjust charges and still more bull-headed wrong opinion, sometimes I've let go when couldn't hold out any longer-and I've been sorry for it.
 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 little sympathy, though I'm not looking for it to any ex- tent, because I've always found that could take care of Bob Fitzsimmons pretty well without any outside interfer- ence. Still, man sort of looks around the circle when he gets into mean cor ner, and if there's friendly look in the chaps eye in the corner, he feels that much better.
 What I 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 had with Tom Sharkey out there, when bunch of pikers and lot of sure-thing crooks jobbed it to give me the worst of it any, way it happened to go.
 As said before, I'm not looking for sympathy, but when fellow has had it handed to him in the rawest kind of way. it salyes the sore spot whole lot to get chance to tell just how it happened. Maybe 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 the 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 break fast money, and you never got chance to tell even the sergeant at the police station how it happened. We'll, that's just the way feel about it, and the more I think of it, the sorer get. I'd been working pretty hard to get on match with Sharkey for some time, and it was pretty hard sledding to get wallop like that for all my pains. If I'd been whipped, I'd never have said word, not iao peep from; yours truly. but to be sandbagged, and by gun fighter at that was all the worse. Of course, it all hap pened good while ago, but it's like an old gun shot wound-it aches on rainy days.
 But I've been gassing about my feel. ings long enough. As I say, I hadn't been over here so long, anyway. When I first showed up in this country the Fitzsimmons stock was selling long way below par, and guess good many of the public had an idea it was watered 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 cham pion of the navy, and he had his eye out for Jim Corbett's scalp. worked quite while to get line on Sharkey, but l had to whip Jack Dempsey first and then Abe Congle. After him they trot- ted out Pete Maher. and he tossed up his arms in F rounds. Jim Farrel was handed over. and he remained with me just seven minutes. all told. thought Sharkey was in. line. but had to make a chopping block of Joe Godfrey for one round. argued with Jerry Slattery for couple more, and they showed a dead one named Millerd Bender over the table at me and ate him in a round. So it went for four more years. and then came the time when got Sharkey into corner, and he couldn't get away. There was a neat little purse of s20.OOO up for that mill, and thought it was mighty useful money. Anyway, I counted it as good as mine, and the wake-up was all the worse when it came
 We drifted into the ring that night out in Frisco. and the house looked mighty good to me. saw a lot of men I knew. and some of them wagged the finger at me to show they had bit on. and counted it already spent. That made me feel a little bit better. and commenced to wonder about this ref cree they had selected. never was