Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-10
FROM THE RINGSIDE
By Associated Press.


street from Fourteenth to Fifteenth, in
front of and beyond the limits of Recrea-
ton park was massed with thousands OF
people soon after noon. Hundreds of
holders of general admission tickets stood
for hours in solid lines extending far out
Fourteenth street and to Fifteenth street
Mounted police with difficulty kept an
opening for the Mission cars Foot Off
GERS in numbers preserved order around
the entrances
At Ills p m. the ball grounds were
slowly filing up. The total seating ca
pacity is 10000
Shortly before the gates were opened
the management discovered wholesale
attempt to pack the grounds with bogus
admissions. The police were informed
that several thousand spurious tickets
had been unloaded. This called for a
careful scrutiny of every ticket presented
and resulted in number Of arrests and
much delay at the turnstiles.
Joaquin Miller, the Poet of the Sier-
ras," had a ringside seat There was a
fair sprinkling of women in the crowd.
At 1:20 p. m. the south bleachers rose
to the entrance of the champion Cans
came in with his handsome mulatto wife
He wore an ulster and a blue cap and
carried a suit case.
The high hill back of the Market street
cut overlooking the ball grounds was
black with the people. To cheat them OF
their unbought view the management had
erected poles and strung canvas sheets
around two sides of the field inside of the
high board fences Willie Britt tested the
ropes that formed the eighteen-foot ring,
and which the carpenters had just fin
ished tautening The ring platform was
located over the pitchers box and near
the center of the grounds. Neither fighter
had to put up with the sun in his eyes,
usually an annoying incident of open air
contests. The sky was leaden hued and a
chill wind blew from the northwest The
moving picture machines were stationed
on high platform west of the ring, so
arranged as not to block the view of the
spectators.
The slowness with which ticket holders
were admitted owing to the circulation
of bogus tickets, augured that the fight
would not begin early. Jack Gleason S
much advertised and doubly anticipated
glee quartet, arranged in place of the
customary preliminary bout, entertained
the crowd.
At 2:20 p. m. betting had gone to to
at the ringside, with very little Britt
money to be found. The absence of short
end players was explained, according 10
the wise ones, by the fact that practically
all of the big bets. ranging in the small
thousands, were being offered by the Cans
followers. Tex Rickard, who was here
at the head of a big delegation of Nevada
sports, offered odds of 10 to 7 that Cans
would win inside of is rounds. Rickard
also offered to bet any amount from $500
to $1,000 at to 1 on Cans. He says he
has found no takers. Several bets of $1e0
to $50 that Cans will win were made at
the ringside. Sam Berger as stake
holder had pocket full of gold pieces.
Britt Eters
At 2:25 Britt entered the grounds in
company with Tiv Krelling. He was en-
thusistically received.
Complaint was bitter against the sale
of bogus tickets. by which many fans
We're ensnared. There was scarcely a sec
ton of the grounds where men were not
showing bits of spurious cardboard In
evidence that they had to pay twice to
get in.
At 2:30 p. m. Bill Jordan, the veteran
announcer, entered the ring and intro
duced the delinquent quartet. His gen
tie epithet in announcing them as the
champion four warblers of the world
tiekled the humor of the vast crowd and
they got a great reception. They re-
turned the compliment by singing a num-
ber of popular and topical songs You
could hear yells of appreciation In Butch
ertown.
Battling Nelson was introduced He
issued a challenge to Jimmy Britt, re-
gardless whether the latter won or lost.
frankie Neil the bantam weight. also
challenged Britt and Nelson. Jimmy
Burns, who is matched to fight Joe Cans
at Los Angeles September 27. was next
introduced, as also was Houdini, the ac-
tor. Joe Thomas then challenged for
$4,000 a side any man of his weight in the
world. young Ketchell of Montana pre-
ferred. The latter at once leaped into the
ring and accepted Thomas def.
At 2:45 p. m. a moving picture machine
was dragged into the center of the ring
| In response to requests to arise and
wave hats, handkerchiefs and other arti-
cles the entire crowd of spectators rose
to man and for several minutes dem
onstration took place that is seldom wit
messed at any gathering.
Mrs. Cans There
| A popular figure at the ringside was
the champions wife, who, honorariIy
guarded by a platoon of dusky sports
had a seat Immediately behind the press
bench at the north face of the square
Mrs. Cans was attired in long coated
suit of cream colored tennis flannel and
wore a white felt picture hat surmounteo
by feather plume of brilliant green, sci
off by dotted mesh veil. She took the
liveliest interest in the thousand little
incidents preliminary to her husbands
battle.
! The two fghters weighed in at IA