Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-07
FUNNY WAYS BOXERS
LOSE THEIR TEETH
Bob Edgren Tells Amusing
Facts of Fighters in Their
Care of the Ivory.

In every fight Jack Johnson wears that
famous golden smile. To those who
don't understand I'll explain that Jack 5
smile is literally golden. He has a gold
mine in his front teeth and shows It
whenever he grns. From my limited
mining experience i might estimate that
Jacks teeth would assay about 100000
in gold to the ton.
Jack is proud Of his gold teeth They
cost him a lot Of money. But he's no
more proud than Bob Fitzsimmons is of
his diamond-studded worries. Years ago
Bob had diamonds set wherever there
was space TO set one. Should he ever
fall among cannibals his teeth would
make one Of the most attractive neck
laces ever worn by dusky island queen.
They tell some funny stories about
fighters and their teeth. There was
Sailor Tom Sharkey. for instance. When
Tom was a wild sailor just ashore from
Philadelphia he fought Joe Choynski.
Twice Joe lifted Thomas off his feet with
terrific right-hand swings and knocked
him over among the spectators. After
that fight some one told Sharkey that
he'd never be knocked out If he had his
back teeth removed. as thered be moth
ing to communicate the shock of the
blow to the brain" in that case. Tom
rushed to dentist and had the job
simmons knocked him out. Bob hit him
in the solar pleXus- Thus do the best
laid plans gang aft agley.'
Jack Dougherty. having the Sharkey in
cident in mind, confided the same infor-
nation to Sailor Brown, one of his scrap
pers. Dougherty was joking. To his
amaZement Sailor Brown appeared the
next day minus whole row of front
teeth Il had 'em all out said the sailor.
Dougherty was annoyed. Il told YOU
the idea was the teeth communicated
the shock to the brain he explained
! in disgust. You wasn't never in no
danger nohow. All you had was the
teeth
Leach Cross is tooth specialist. He
has a dentist shop. The first time Leachie
the Dry Dock y. c. A clip on the mouth
knocked out a row Of artificial teeth.
With an agonized expression ueeth cost
money! Leachie turned his eyes to the
and his opponent as il to hold them back.
Me teet'." walled Cross Don't step
on me teet.
In one OF Leachie's first fights he hap
pened to loosen a couple of his rival $
teeth Ieachie needed practice in his
profession just then. He invited the other
boxer to come around the next day and
have the teeth Strengthened. That gave
Leach a bright idea. Whenever he sue
ceeded in jolting his opponents teeth
after that he passed him a business card
as soon as he went back to the dressing
room.
| sat at the ringside in Carson when
Corbett and Fitzsimmons fought. FitZ
clipped Corbett on the mouth with a
wicked left. At the same instant l saw
something white pop out of Jim's mouth
on the other side and fly across the ring
Nobody realized at the time that Jim had
lost an eyetoOth. But it lay near the
edge of the ring. As Jim went to his
corner a spectator called his attention TO
the broken tooth. Not mine, 1t must be
Fitz's." exclaimed Corbett in prompt de-
NAL. Jim was too proud to acknowledge
that any one could land damaging blow
on him. Charley White picked up the
tooth. He stills wearS it as watch
charm.
Fitz had a habit of knocking out teeth.
One day / saw him drop Dan Hickey with
a right uppercut that Travelled hardly a
foot. The blow broke off an eyetooth.
and, II | remember correctly, the tooth
next to il.
Billy Lewis fought Curzon. an English
middleweight, in Paris. The first blow
CurZon landed was a swinging uppercut.
II struck under Willie's chin and damned
his teeth together so hard. that II crushed
several OF them. One was split from