The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-08-26
JOHN [ WANTS
TO COME HERE
FAMOUS PUGlLiST WOULD SPAR
AT FAIR.
ARTISTIC LETTER WRITER
OLD WARRIOR EMPLOYS A FIRST
CLASS PRESS AGENT.

bark to the present day, the writing
of letters has never ceased to be a
common practice. Yet to write a
letter clearly, setting forth the mes
sage you wish to convey is an accom-
plishment very rare indeed and those
most apt at it will tell you that it
requires much study and hard work
to attain. There are only two infal-
lible rules connected with letter writ
ing and they are these: Never write
to another mans wife, and all letters
written in anger should be carefully
folded, placed in an evelope and then
torn up.
Every business calls for it's own
peculiar form of letter and the one
published below is a little the best
"show mans" effort we have ever
seen. 1t was received this week by
Secretary Lees of the fair association,
from John L. Sullivan, ex-champion
pugilist of the world and while the
fair officials wish to put forth diversi-
fed and interesting programs, there
are reasons as large as a barn door
for passing this up. Unbutton your
vest and read the letter:
Chicago, Ill.
August II, 1909.
My dear Mr. Lees:-
In the first place I can play you
rain or shine. We can give our box
ing exhibition which lasts about ten
minutes, with my sparring partner in
front U the grandstand. You can
erect a a.Vlatform from 16 to "a feet
square, whichever suits you the best,
and about four feet high from the
ground. On top of the platform on
each corner put post about six inches
square and then you can stretch your
ropes around the ring. If you don't
want to build platform, all you have
to do a. to drive the posts into the
groudG, run the ropes around them
form can be built of boards and it is
not necessary to plane the boards ;
| the rougher the better; in all cases
we use rosin, or / can box on a stage,
platform or ground without any ropes
or posts.
Now, we can give you one or two
boxing exhibitions a day as you may
please-in front of your grandstand
or in fact any place you may put us.
The exhibitions are generally given
free, and I don't speak with any egot-
ism when | say that the boxing eX-
hibitions I have given, draw more
people than all other attractions COM
bined. For the time being, it stops
everything on the grounds, running
about ten minutes, and can be made
shorter if you desire. If you don't
want to play us in front of the grand
stand, we can play in any part of the
grounds you place us-it doesn't make
any difference where you put Us We
can draw the people in any part of
the grounds. and have done so in all
places we have played.
Now after the exhibition is over,
or before. you can put me inside OF
tent or building, or put me together
with some other show if you like, and
will do my monologue, which runs
about seventeen minutes, and / can
make it more or less. For this you
can charge admission. The object in
doing this, you can plainly see, is that
you would derive enough benefit from
the admissions to pay my salary three
or four times over In many cases
they have put us in moving picture
shows, or in vaudeville shows, and in
other places to strengthen shows. If
il rains so that people cannot go to
the fair or park, all you have to do
is 20 put us in theatre or store down
town, or a building of any description,
where I can do my monologue and do
my boxing exhibition. and get the
money. There is no other attraction
in the world that you can do this
with.
People have seen these old worm
out acrobatic and aerial acts, etc, un-
til they are tired OF them You can
play me at popular prices and people
will appreciate it, for the fact remains
that many thousands of people have
paid from S. to $50 a seat to see me
put up my hands. Prior to three years
ago had always played in stag hous-
es, where the women never went, but
the past three years I have played in
all the best houses, fairs and parks,
and millions of women have had the
opportunity of seeing me put up my
hands; and as far as press notices
are concerned can discount anything
that you have ever had in all of your