The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-26
Given Good Beating by Jack
Johnson at Sydney.
Police Stopped the Fight i'm the
Fourteenth Round.
NEGRO THE BEST MAN.
Had the Advantage of Tommy
From the Start.
Winner Fresh at the End With
Loser Badly Battered.

Sydney, Dec. 26.-Jack johnson, the
big negro from Galveston, Texas, is the
worlds heavyweight champion pugifist
He won the title today in the big
arena at Rush Cutters bay from Tom
my Burns, the French-Canadian, who
had held it since James J. Jeffries re-
linquished it, and after a chase of
Burns that led half way around the
world.
The end came in the fourteenth
round when the police, seeing Burns
tottering and unable to defend himself
from the savage blows of his opponent,
mercifully stopped the fight. Previous
ly it had been arranged that if the po-
lice interfered a decision should be rem
dered on points, and Referee Mcintosh
declared the big black man a winner,
for all through the fight he had shown
himself Burns master in every style of
fighting.
Burns, in an interview after he had
gone to his dressing room, said:
Il did the best I could and fought
hard. Johnson was too big and his
reach was too great
Johnson appeared fresh after the
fight, while Burns eyes were badly
puffed and his mouth swollen to twice
it's normal size He fought a game bat
tie and showed indomitabIe pluck, but
he was no match for the big Texas
black.
Twice only in the annals of pugilism
has a colored man been permitted to
fight for the title emblematic of
worlds championship heavyweight pu-
gi1ist. Peter Jackson tried it with John
L. Sullivan. but Sullivan would not
consent to a go. After James j. JEFF
fries took the scalp of Bob Fitzsimmons
he took on Hank Griffin at Los An
geles, but the colored man was easy for
him and never had a chance to the
honor. He was knocked out in four
! T1n -. l0r-
line and several years later retired.
Johnson had tried to get on a fight
| with him unavailingIy.
Then Tommy Burns or Noah Brusso.
as his name really is, took up the
mantle of Jeffries. Since then and I'M
| til today Johnson, endeavored to get
him in the ring declaring he was
| Burns master.
! The fight was for a purse of $4,000
! of which Burns received $4,000 and
| Johnson SIS, 600. The ring was "a foot
one and was pitched in the center of a
| big arena built especially for the pur-
pose. The day dawned overcast anu
| cool. Thousands of persons from all
| parts of the country were attracted to
| the scene of the encounter, and many
reached there Christmas night and
slept in the open. They came by street
cars, autom obiles, carriages and on
| horseback. and at 10 o'clock this morn
ing one hour before the fight was
scheduled to start every seat was oc-
| cupied. The prices or seats ranged
from $25 to s.. so.
The crowd was estimated at between
eighteen and twenty thousand and II
kept perfect order throughout the fight
| A brass band enlivened the holiday
| throng-
| Before the contestants entered the
| ring ''BiIl' Squires who thrice has beer
| defeated by Burns. challenged the win
ner.
Burns weighed in at 16s pounds and
Johnson at 1872.
The betting was seven to four or
Burns at the start, but it veered after
| a few rounds to to 1 on Johnson.
| The spectators conceded that John
| sons victory was due to his phYslca
advantages over Burns. his superior
knowledge of the fighting game and nj
unruff1ed demeanor while being taunt
ed by the champion. The stakes Wef'
paid the men while they We're in tn
ring.
They Enter the Ring.
At 1912 O'Clock Johnson entered tn
arena accompanied by his seconds, San
FITZPATRICK, Mullins, Unholz, Lang an
BRYANT Wild cheers greeted him an
the big black man turned and bowe
to all four sides of the ring. Just a
Johnson took his seat Burns appeared
He was smiling and the plaudlts or tn