The Washington times., 1907-04-19


after he jumped the Washington club
because of a disagreement with Jake
Stahl. but said he was so eager to show
that his best days were not over that he
would pay the fine as soon as ne was
officially notified that it had been i'm
posed
Hughes also said that lie liked Wash
ington, and would rather play here than
in any other city in the American
League. He has changed has whole
bearing since Stahl left and should be a
big help this summer.
1t is now up to some of the sure
thing boosters in New York to explain
how Jack Blackburn was bested in that
city Last night by George Gunther, OF
Australia. Some months ago you
couldn't pick up certain New York
newspapers without weird accounts Of
how this unfortunate colOTed brother
was starving to death in the midst OF
the plenty OF a great city because al
the other fighters, big and little were
so afraid Of him that he cOuidnt get a
match. These tales were so pltlIul JhaJ
even away down here in Washington II
was all we could do 10 steel our hearts
and refrain from raising fund 10 save
the furnishing one.
Then came a rude awakening. Black
burn got Il siX-TOund engagement in
Philadelphia with Joe Cans when Joe
was out OF condition. and lying awake
at nights figuring how he could lose TO
somebody. so that he could trap Bat
ting Nelson into q match. With Cans
weak and striving desperately 70 get
the worst OF the fight, Blackburn, &C
cOrding 10 all accounts, was scared To
death. made a bum showing and threw
away his opportunity.
That jolted some of the hurrah press
agents in Gotham, but they soon re-
turned 10 the charge Now Blackburn.
according to dispatches from New York
this morning, was clearly beaten last
night by a man who has never been
mentioned I'm the same breath with q
champion. and We wonder what the
next line of talk viii be.
Speaking of boosting. we view with
alarm the intelligence which marks the
actions Of the San Francisco crowd IN
receiving Bill Squlres, the Australian
heavy. without insisting that he be i'm
mediately matched with JenTies. This
display Of human intelligence and rea-
condolences is so rare IN hstlc circles
that the public is likely 10 fear that IL
pTesages some great disaster Possibly
it caused the recent earthquake IN
Mexico.
( If precedent had been followed,
Squires and his handlers would have in
sisted upon a match with JefIrles, or
nothing. and the fool portion OF the
public would have been stung right of
the bat as IL was when Jack Munroe
was pitted against the sure-enough
champion. but. possibly, the coast pro-
mOters have been reading the regent
census bulletin on the number of free
I schools in the United States and real
I lied that the good old days of making
the fight fans believe anything told
them in a press-agent yarn have passed
away.
If Squires is honest. has some class.
/ and is willing 10 work his way up by
/ fighting Burns or O'Brien, or both, he
! should be accorded a hearty welcome,
and there viii be many who viii hope,
! if he does fight O'Brien, that the near
/ championship belt will go to an Austria
/ lian who is on the level. in preference to
/ a Philadelphia. whose suspicious lights
{ have done so much to kill a manly and
{ useful game.