The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-11-24
TRUTH ABOUT
jim JEFFRIES
Poverty Is Only Thing That viii
Ever Force Champion Into
Ring Again. o.
ny CHARLES E. VAN LoANJ

There is one question which Jim JEFF
fries answers scores Of times in the
course of a day:
DO you think you viii ever fight
again?"
And the big fellow simply shakes his
head. He is tired of talking about it.
Every point i'm the argument has been
gone over so often. He knows his own
mind and is not TO be bullied - ca
joled into doing something which ~
regards as foolish.
Jim has lost ali but spectators in
terest I'm the prize ring. A few DAYS
ago he declared that he would never
again enter the ring as referee. The
man who was for six years the grea,
central figure of modern pugilism may
never again thrust his broad. hairy
fists into padded gloves He takes the
view that he has his own life - live
and the right to live it as ne pleascs.
He bitterly resents the argument that
he must fight again.
On the Level.
II wish a lot of these wise people
would give me credit Tor having or
binary good sense" Jim SAYS. uuerul-
ously. They don't seem 10 think I'm
smart enough TO know what's best for
me. and I've been Of age for eleven
derstand that I'm on the level when |
say that I'm done with fighting as a
business. Just the other dav / was
back at the end of the bar and a
dudish looking stranger came i'm. He
introduced himself and talked fOr a
few minutes about the place and the
fittis. and then he pulled off the
Usual question, Are you ever going 70
night again?' / said No oh, Mr.. JEFF
ne
mean it,, Say. | wanted to take that
little shrimp by the back of the neck
and pitch him into the middle Of the
street. | suppose il was because ne
represented public opinion rather than
anything he had done personally.
Everybody seems 10 think that l cant
4 possibly mean il.
Now. listen To me. / never was
stuck on being a fighter The only
thing l wanted was the money, and
Fighting made more money for ne than
II could have earned any other way
This business Of having people turn
ling around To look al me on the street
never made any hit with me. I hated
the show business, and if you don't
think so. ask Billy Brady about The
lime he took me across the country.
IN bet he hasn't forgotten IT.
when | got all the money lu- OF
D lighting game / quit. There was a
e holler about my getting ou- so /
D. All right. I'll give YOU one year
% finj a man for me to fight II you
ant do it I'm done
They didn't find the man and-weH.
= hats all,
Never Had SweIled Head.
II suppose If We had a lot of good
3leavyweights I'd be in the ring today.
rhs better class of sDortsmcn do not
want to see me fight again-that is,
gainst the fellows you have now. You
know 1 never talked about myself.
Ind I hope / never had the sweilcd
head. but. honest. l believe I can hex
II the rest of these so-called heavy
Weights i'm a punch.
Burns says he viii fight Johnson
his winter. Johnson ought to beat
i'm. The only chance Burns has is III
he black mans yellow streak, and /
believe that Burns is game. and VIII
lever be licked without a hard fight
30 that gives Burns one chance. all
light.
Suppose johnson wins the heavy
Weight championship, as / rather sus-
Il he will; can you hear the holler
hat will go up? What's JET CONS
% do?' oh, jeff you goin' TO let mis-
er hold the championship? And all
hat sort Of patriotic hOgWash that
LIZ always Dcuult 10 champion.
For the honor of your native land.
tc., etc
And Il Will make a lot Of people
mad when | sit still and let Johnson
old the title. But / have made up
nv mind that III never fight another
egro. and I'll stick 10 it. When thev
Ouldn't get another white man to
ght quit
But One Chance.
There's just one chance TO get M
ito the ring again. II ! lose every
olldr have in the world I'd fight be
ause by fighting I could ser more
loney than by selling my strength
ny other way. J saw an ad tie other
ay and il read: The average man is
orth 81 a day from his neck DOWN
hat comes pretty nearly being true
nd Il explains why ] went into the
ghting game. II | should 50 broke
nd / guess there is mighty small
nance Of that I'd be right where 7
arted a long time ago. Then Ia
ght, and that's the only chance they
ave TO see Jim Jeffries in the ring