Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-04-08
THE SPORTING NEWS.

him either fight or crawl when Burns | comes back from his task of squeeZ- ing the lemon crop in Britain. The New York sporting public is regarded in other American cities as the easiest in the world, barring that of London. Metropolitan fight fans have stood for more lemons and fake matches than those of any other city in this country.
 Probably the ripest lemon ever seen in local boxing club was Mike Morrissey, alleged Irish champion who was stopped with one blow by Peter Maher nearly ten years ago. When Maher tapped him on the ear, Morrissey sat down hard, and Ref cree Charley White White proceedcc to count him out as follows:
 "One. Get up Mike,
 Two! Will you get up Morrisey?
 -Four! Don't disgrace yourself. Be man.
 Five! Hear your countrymen cheering!
 "Six! Maher won't hurt you, Get up, Mike!
 Seven! You'll lose the fight!
 Eight! You won't get your money if you don't get up.
 Nine! Here's your last chance! Will you get up?"
 q will not answered Morrissey Do yez want me to be kilt?"
 You're a rank quitter, Ten. You're out and Maher wins." said White as he walked out of the ring in disgust.
 Peter Maher's favorite lemon was Steve O'Donnell, who the big Irish man knocked out in jig time. Maher also stopped such easy ones as Jack Smith, Sailor Brown, Mike Monahan Jim Daly, Ike Hayes and Gus Lambert each in one round.
 l Joe Cans. the lightweight cham | p;on, is a notorious lemon hunter and skilled framer of fake fights. He lay down to Terry McGovern in two rounds at Chicago, also to Frank Erne at the old Broadway A. C., and to Sam LangfOrd in Bos- ton. His last fight here with Willie l Lewis was simply d stroll ing match to get the coin and anoth- CT fight with Lewis. One of Gans's methods is to plant fighter away off somewhere and then begin a newspaper controversy with the third rater. When he has succeeded in working the sporting element up to high pitch Cans then goes after his lemon and fools everybody. It would be difficult task to trace up all of Gans's hippodromes and lemons, for they have been scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Cans nowa- days says he is on the square and will fake no more. but he will all ways bear watching.
 Jack Grace, third rate pug, is believed to be the champion pugilistic lemon of the world. He has fought and faked in every civilized country on earth under many aliases and dis guises.. Grace thinks nothing of jumping from here -to.-Ja pan or Af- rica to get the coin of the soft peo- pie who follow the ring. He often plays a town or a city under two names a few months apart. A few years ago Grace went down to Wheeling, w. Va., to meet, under his own name, local 135 pound box CT and managed to get half the purse by stalllng for ten rounds. Some of the managers of the club asked him to send them a 125 pounder to meet another local pugilist.
 "All right" said Grace, I've got younger brother who can do the weight and I'll send him along"
 Grace made the terms of the match and left for. New York. A week later there appeared ill Wheel ing a smart looking chap who said he was Jack Grace's brother. He resembled Jack in every way, but seemed to be lighter in weight and more particular as to his clothing. He was pitted against the local 125 pound boy and proceeded 10 stall as his brother" had done.
 By his cleverness in he ring he managed to get draw md half the purse. He left Wheeling the next day on excellent terms with the club. the managers of which sent their "kindest regards to Brother Jack. When Grace got back to New York he laughed over the joke he had played on the Wheeling folks. and as he counted over his bank roll in he presence of friends he said:
 Why, all 1 done was 70 run off the weight, put on new suit of clothes. have me hair cut close to me head and look wise. oh, it was so easy," -.
 Grace has played the lemon part to many star fighters. He says he would go against Jeffries or any oth- CT giant if the losers end was satis- factory. To lie down 10 a fighter of any class does not hurt Grace's feelings at all. He can fake knock out better than any actor on the stage and is one of the greatest globe trotters in the world. -e
 Philadelphia Jack O'Brien. ever since he started out as a fighter. has indulged in the practice cs raising lemons. He has confessed to many frameups. but not until Tommy Burns gave him the double cross and l a beating at Los Angeles was he eK- posed to the sporting public Tom | my Ryan. the former middleweight 1 champion, also had strong 1 penehant for lemons and frameups. I So had Kid Mccoy. who knocked out l many alleged fighters who got well I paid for the bruises they were willing to receive.
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