Los Angeles herald., 1908-08-01

"a of penance for his elaborateness
II in explaining his ring record as
an incident to his last fight with Tom
nv Burns, it is probable that Philadel-
mia lack O'Brien will be received
hack into full fellowship in the sport
ing world and that his coming out
party will be put on the Jeffries Ath-
letic club calendar for an October or
November date, with either Stanley
Ketcher. Hugo Kelly or Al Kaufmann
as his chief assistant.
O'Rrien has applied for forgiveness
and reinstatement and very Wisely
concludes that the quickest and surest
way to prove to the world That MS pro-
testations of repentance ana PROMISES
to be good are sincere, he asks TO De
given a fight in Los Angeles from
which CITY he was canned" about two
Years ago. He takes the position IN
this argument that If the Los Angeles
nublic will forgive and forget he Will
have no difficulty in being received
once more in good sporting society
throughout the world.
A few days ago bunch OF sporting
men in Los Angeles were tanning over
old fight days, and the Burns-O' Brien
souabble came up for discussion. II
was surprising to note that many good
sportsmen of this city held to the DeIleI
that OBrien had been Sufficiently pun
fshed and that he would be dellghteo
at an opportunity to prove that ne IS
sincere in wanting to get another
chance to make good and be goou
thereafter Taking this as an lndlca-
tion that the time had arrived when
the philadelphia could get Wiling
auditors to his plea, few of his Los
Angeles friends telegraphed MN the
news and asked If he wanted TO get
back in the game via Los Angeles. his
renlv. of course. was an enthusiastic
affirmative.
Jeff ForgiVes Him
These friends got busy right away
and talked with those in Los Angeles
who were expected to offer the princi-
nal opposition to the plan of reinstate-
ment. Jeffries was approached upon
the subject, the big boy being consld-
erred as the one who had the greatest
grievance against the Philadelphia,
and the big fellow promptly and I'M
hesitatingly said:
''Why, do not hold anything against
O'Brien and his talk about me never
did bother me much. I suppose he has
realized his error for long time and
not only am willing to forgive all the
unpleasant past, but will use Whatever
influence may have in aiding him to
get a match here as means OF rem
stating him.
ut seldom happens that fighter
who once has been canned for mdls-
Greet talk or actions, will fail to make
good when given another chance. one
lesson usually is enough to prove 10
them the error of their ways and as q
rule they never forget that lesson.
OBrien has had his lesson and 1t mas
cost him dearly in money, prestige and
af6 vTq
come back and be good now, it proves
that he has learned his lesson well ana
he probably will do the right thing IN
the future. A burned child breads the
fire, you know"
Talked Too Much
While there is no excuse for rehash-
ing the story of the Burns-O Brlen al
fair of two years ago, it is not amlss
to refer to it long enough to assert tnat
inasmuch as nobody, except the prin-
cipals, suffered in any degree, the prln-
cipal offense with which OBrlen can
be charged is that he did TOO Inuch
talking in his efforts at justifying him
self and in playing even with those
connected with his downfall. HAD ne
accepted his medicine and gone ahead
with a closed mouth, instead Oh spill
ing too many self-convicting words
along his pathway, he would nave peen
reinstated long ago.
His best friends took him to task for
talking too much and he was not long
in realizing that he had made mis-
take It then was too late to attempt
any remedial tactics and although ne
finally closed his mouth and went back
east to begin all over again, he realized
he had a long journey ahead of him be-
fore he could get back to the place
from which he tumbled himself. How
ever, he has attempted to atone for MS
nisdeeds and the public generally IN
the east and a big element of 1t on the
coast is inclined to give him another
chance.
No Lack of Precedent
There is no lack of precedent to JUS
tifv the reinstatement of O'Brien. His
tory fails to record an instance where
a fighter, after being canned" and
then given another chance to make
good ever failed to Justify the hopes of
his friends after one experience outside
the fold It only is necessary to reter
TO such notable examples as Kid Nc
Coy Tommy Ryan, Joe Cans, Jim Cor
bett, Tommy Burns and Jimmy Britt
to prove this statement and reassure
the sporting public of the utter lack
of risk involved in giving a fighter
who has gone astray a final chance to
make good.
Cans once stood in the same cate
CORY with O'Brien. Both were great
fighters, but had made more than one
nisstep. Cans did everything that
O'Brien has done, got away with it,
confessed and then came back and was
restored to full fellowship in the pugil-
istic ranks. When he acknowledged
his misdeeds and promised to be good
the fans took him back into the fold,
gave him another chance, and he made
good.
The history of Cans career in the
ring reads like that of O'Brien, except
that Cans is back in the fold and
O,Brien is barred. Cans not only par
ticipated in fake fights, frameups and
laydowns, but he confessed it all. He
used this confession as the means of
getting back in the good graces of the
fans, after he found he had gone to the
limit and could not fool the fans any
further. He realized when 1t was most
too late that 1t was about time to
mend his ways, and he promised to do
so. Given chance, he faithfully lived
up to his promises.
o'BrIen as Good as Cans
O'Brien is just as good as Cans. His
record is not as bad as was Cans. II
Cans could get pardon and come back,
why should not a man of the admitted
prominence OF O'Brien be accorded as
good treatment and as much considera-
fjon as is accorded a negro? There is
no good reason to offer to dispute the