The San Francisco call., 1908-07-18
Kefchel's Belt Is an
Ancient Relic
Papned By Maynard Years Ago.
1t Has Changed Guardians
Many Times

If Stanley Ketchel believes that the
championship belt which was slipped TO
him the other evening is fresh from the
bench of the goldsmith and never be-
fore adorned the manly waist of
wielder of the five ounce kids he is Ia
boring under some sort of brain storm,
or else the man who told him the story
Indian signed him with a fine line of
eloquence. The belt is one Of the few
relics that the recent disaster spared
to our fair city. and if it had a tongue
it could relate a story that would cause
many of the departed old timers to rise
up in their graves and yell for the pO-
lice.
In the first place, the belt has it on
Ketchel about 10 years in age. Besides
having helped support the lighting
trunks of many a near champion and
more who never figured stronger than
brush fighters, the belt has kept COM
pany with pledged watches in pawn
shops, attracted the attention of revel-
ers in cafes of the old tenderlOin and
laid in SO many safes that it would be
capable of holding down a cracksman's
job were it gifted with mitts with
which to turn the trick.
HARRY MAYNARD's BELT
The token which Ketchel now pos
sesses is no other than the historic
ISlAC VI the DS5OAS QdgS u tic IAl4S-
the Harry Maynard belt. More than so
years ago, when Maynard was some
what of lightweight boxer here, he
created himself champion of the world,
and, in order to make it good and
strong, went TO local jeweler and or
dered the elaborate belt.
In due time the flossy looking piece
of jewelry was delivered to the pugilist
but instead of bringing him something
~, fna 1f,Ir
the line went Harry as soon as he be-
gan to flash the belt. Times got hard
and after hanging the trophy over the
bar of his old saloon in Pine street he
was forced to turn 1T over to one of the
original uncles in return for loan of a
few dollars.
Aspiring pugs in the good old days
of the ring used to take the belt out of
hook now and then and sport il around
while they we're in the limeiight. How
ever. the relic inevitably found its way
back into the pS~nbroker's safe, and
so time and tide sped on and fighters
came and went, but the Maynard belt
was always on the job.
OFFERED FOR S75
The old boys around town lost track
of the trophy some 10 years ago and
it remained for Billy Roche to dig il
up in a second hand store in Los An
geleS SnOrtly DeIOre the hre. Some
enterprising young man agreed to sell
it 10 Roche for SIS, so that he might
hang it up in lieu Of purse in case
he found any fighters who were will
ing TO spill their gore in return for
possession of the belt in place OF a
stipulated amount of the coin of the
realm.
But the fighters OF today are not
Like the boys of the good old bare
Khckle days, and Roche found that he
could not induce any OF them to fall
for the belt and overlook the gold with
Uncle Sans name stamped upon IL.
Having nothing else to do with it Roche
turned the trophy over to Jim Cof-
froth. who placed it in a little safe
in his Office. shortly before the fire and
then forgot all about it,
In the same office were two larger
safes. and. naturally, these were de-
stroyed and the little one remained in
tact. Coffroth was surprised to receive
letter from a safe opened a few
weeks after the fire telling him to cal
and get his safe. Jim did so. expect
ing TO find something of value there
but what was his astonishment wher
the Maynard belt confronted him and
all but winked both eyes at him.
COFFROTH TURNS IT DOWN
Jim did not know what to do with
the relic, but in the meantime the Los
J Angeles man who passed 1t TO Roche