The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-05-10
O'BRIEN AS
KING FAKER
Jeffries Now Claims Phila-
delphian Attempted to
Corrupt Him.
$4,000 TO LAY DOWN
Coast Scandal Gives Boxing Black
Eye Among Sports From Maine
to California.
Especial to Lake County Tlmes.) }


Los Angeles, Cal May 1o.-In a
statement this morning. James J. JEFF
fries the heavy weight champion
throws another bomb at the pugilistic
ambitions of Philadelphia Jack O'Brien
and says that the latter offered him a
cool $4,000 to lay down in the 18th
round of proposed fight to take place
in Nevada. On top of the recent fake
fight between Burns and O'Brien last
Wednesday night the denouement
makes O'Brien the champion of the fax
ing class, and shows a boldness on his
part that ought to warrant his eXpul-
sion from the roped arena in time to
come.
Jack O'Brien is the first and only
man who ever came to me and asked
me to do a crooked thing. He asked
me to fake a fight and further than
that wanted me to lay down to him."
Jeffries is reported as saying The big
fellow stated that OBrien asked him at
his residence in Los Angeles If he
would lay down for purse of $40, 900
and sum of $4,000 in the bank. say
j ing that some Nevada people wished it
done. jeff refused and O'Brien went
away.
Stories Fail to Agree.
The statements of McCarey, OBrien,
Nolan and Burns in regard to the last
fight arc a set Of misfits McCarey
states that O'Brien came to him and
told him that Burns ought to agree to
some things for the honor and money
lhe got by lighting such a glorious fell
low as Jack O'Brien, and told him that
unless something was done there would
be no fight. McCarey went to Burns
and Burns told him to agree to any
thing O'Brien wanted and to trust him
with knocking O'Brien's head off when
they met in the ring. Burns also told
him to call all bets off. McCarey goes
on to say that O'Brien paid a second
visit and asked him If he could surely
get Burns TO lay down and Burns was
again visited with the result that
O'Brien was conceded all that he asked.
McCarey made O'Brlen give his /, o. u.
which he still holds for $4,000 and
Burns did the same thing. A side
agreement was made with Burns to go
ahead and double cross O'Brien and was
to get $4,000 from McCarey to fight
for a win. At the same time O'Brien
was to give Burns $3,5o0 to lay down.
ParaIyized with Fear.
When O'Brien arrived at the club on
the night of the ight he demanded his
money in advance. but was refused and
asked If everything was going to go
right, and when reassured, went into
the ring When the referee called all
bets Off O'Brien was paralyized with
fear and could scarcely fight. Nolan
was put wise to the whole affair last
Sunday and says that he tried to get
the men to put up a square fight, but
"a hp
washed his hands of the whole affair
However, the fact remains that he was
in O'Briens corner at the time of the
fight and Is as much to blame for not
exposing the fake as anybody.
O'Brien stated that he knew he did
wrong but was making no apology for
what he had done and would take his
medicine like n man. He stated that
he was not the one who broached the
thing as the others have stated, but
that the other fight with Burns was
also a fake. He says that McCarey was
the man who started the fake business
and that he is being made the scape
goat of the whole affair.
The fact remains that the whole
affair was one Of the worst deals ever
perpetrated on the sporting public
Burns. OBrien. McCarey and Nolan are
as much to blame one as the other and
the whole lot of them should be placed
in one class, and the public should have
no more dealings with them No re
specting club should give either fighter
chance. They have given the box
ing game blackeye all over the coun
try and one that Will injure the chance
of any more fights on the coast. II
fact it means oblivion to O'Brien an,
perhaps to the rest of the gang.