The Washington herald., 1907-05-11
O'BRIEN IN DISGRACE
Philadelphia Boxer" Has
Reached the Limit.
FIGURED IN MANY FIAsCOEs
His Experience with Tommy Burns
Is Not the First Time That Qua
ker's Name Has Been Coupled with
CrOOkedness-HRA Made Consider
able Money-Public Tired.
'roa the Phliadelphia North American.

From the Philadelpha North American.
Despite all his shrewdness, Jack
O'Brien has finally overreaehed himself
The Philadelphian's bout with Tommy
Burns at Los Angeles Wednesday night,
which he lost by decision after twenty
rounds. not only puts an end TO his fool
tsh pretensions to the boxing champion
ship, but it also adds final conviction to
the opinion held by followers Of the ring,
that no fight in which he figures can be
on the level
The degree OF O'Brien's offending in
this last battle ranges from rank cow
ardice TO downright crookedness.
Tommy Burns. one of the principals,
frankly says that the bout was framed
up He admits that he had an agree
ment with O'Brien by which he was to
permit the Philadelphian 10 win. He had
TO promise to quit or there would have
been no battle.
But Burns says he never had a purpose
Of keeping this bargain. He was willing
70 lose the sum Of money he deposited as
forfeit not to beat O'Brien, in order to
show the public that he was Jacks mas
ter
AIcCarey, promoter OF the bout, and
Eyton. the referee. both corroborate this
story, and the latter says it was a
knowledge Of the erookedness Of such
bargain that made him declare all bets OF
in order that money should not be won or
lost on a framed bout
O'BFien on the run.
Burns story that he went in to win is
bone out by the report Of the fight by
rounds From the opening to the finish
he did all the leading, while O'Brien ran
from him like a man who. having ex-
pected to win on a fake. and, finding
himself compelled 10 be'tle on the level.
IS seized with panic and has only the one
idea of escaping a knockout. no matter
how much his reputation suffers in the
process.
O'Brien's name, coupled with the word
fake, is nothing new During his entire
career he has been constantly under the
suspicion of using crooked methods, and
at times this doubt has passed into GER
tainty.
Philadelphia remained charitable as long
as possible. FOR OBrien was a home
product. This city had known him as a
boy cart driver, working for his father,
and never dreaming that time would
come when riches would be his. II recalls
how he started out in this city as g light
weight, meeting Isadore Strauss here
more than ten years ago.
Then came the trip TO England, where
o Brien, by knocking out a let of fourth
class dubS, succeeded In winning a string
of titles that made the home folks believe
him a real champion
O'Brien wore good clothes. he spoke
well, he had the business genius to amass
literally OF money, and invest it sensibly,
he was good 70 his family, bought a pail
ace in fashionable West Philadelphia, 1912
Locust street and he talked enthusiastic
caIy of his desire to bring the worlds
championship to Philadelphia.
For a time he stood oct on the top wave
Of popularity. but not for long
Those who watched his fights closely be
gan to discover that he never showed to
good advantage in a first bout with a
man.
Public Gets Wise.
Gradually the method of his system
leaked out. The public began to see that
he regarded the initial bout as only a
feeler for a second and longer contest
Those who paid money TO see a first con-
test were simply cheated. for Jack never
cut loose.
Here is the explanation Of O'Brien's
unpopularity in his home town, which
has puzzled many. In siX-round bouts
permitted by local laws he loafed so often
that he actually became a poor attrac-
tion. being forced TO fight al the Bread
way for the small purse offered by Man
ager Bailey, because the big clubs did not
regard him as an attraction.
But the first actual scandal was
O'Brien's night with Walcott IN Boston,
April %. 1903. This was so raw a fake
that the crowd quit the hall before the
bout was half over. Kissed for his share
of the croOkedness, WalcOtt confessed
that he was hard up and had to have
money hence lent himself to a scheme
by which he agreed not 10 knock out
O'Brien. on pain OF sacrificing a greater
sum Of money than was offered for the
bout To make the bargain sure, Jack
insisted on having the cash put up IN
advance.
This method worked so well that.
with variations it was employed in sub
sequent contests, The most notorious of
these was the bout with Tommy Ryan at
the National A. c.. January q, 1904
For this card, sport-loving Philadel-
phians put up $780, a big sum FOR a six
round, no-decision fight
They got FIVE rounds of pretty boxing
ahd one round filed with sensational
fighting
The contest was q fake. all but the fifth
round. Both men had deposited 5000
apiece. with the understanding that if
there was any knockout the man who
sustained it was TO get all the cash.
DOubIe-crOssed Ryan.
Until the fifth OBrien and Ryan both
lived up TO their agreement not TO do any
damage, but in this round O'Brien, prob
ably figuring that he could AFFORD to
lose the 5000 FOR the prestige Of knock
ing out Ryan and getting a clear title to
the middle-welght championship double
crossed his man and put Ryan down and
almost out with an upper-cut to the point
of the chin.
Ryan, barely able 70 get up, rushed
O'BTien and put him down with a ter
rife swing On the jaw Jack was on his
feet within the ten seconds, but would
have gone out with another punch.
The bell saved him Something was ac-
complished during the minutes intermis-
sion, for in place of the hurricane sixth
round anticipated by the excited crowd,
the men hddled out the three minutes
harmlessly.
-Four months later. almost before the
howl over this bout died out, O'Brieu
went still farther in a meeting with Kid
Mccoy. Almost every paper in town
roasted the pair for takers. and O'Brien
was hissed for some time after every
time he entered local boxing club as
spectator,
O'Brien's victory over the veteran wear