The San Francisco call., 1909-01-13
LERCARI STILL HAS
HOPES, BUT NO
ATTRACTION
Promoter Intends TO Make One
More Strenuous Effort TO
Land Welsh
~ WnLiam ]. SLafferv

Unless Promoter Charley Lercari
shows an additional flash of speed
within the next few days there viii be
no professional night in the city and
county OF San Francisco this month
Daily Lercari is about TO hook a pair
OF heavy fish and daily they bite at
his bait and gayly glide away. AS
the pugilistic stream is badly in need
OF stocking at the present time, Ler-
carl VIII either have TO throw his hooks
into a pair Of catfish or minnow fight
ers or else pass the month up and wait
ul the hatcheries are in full bloom
once again.
The principal weight that the pro-
moter is carrying on his broad shoul-
ders is Freddie Welsh. Tts like a pea
and shell game with the macaroni
magnate Now he's got the Briton and
now he hasn't. Little Freddie can slip
around with the agility Of any eel and
has the disappearing habit down TO a
science that is bewildering. Just at
present he is hiding in one of the mys-
terlous caves which are so plentiful
IN the outskirts of Los Angeles and
nobody seems TO be able 10 get line
on him.
Lercari kept shooting kilograms at
Welsh all DAY yesterday and far into
were comebacks from the telegraph
companies stating that Welsh was not
lettering out in the open and that their
corps OF detectives could not track ms
mysterious movements. This is how
Lercari stands now, though everybody
hopes for a change.
The promoter wants Welsh and Pow
Ell Tor his main attraction and he viii
back this UP with a brace or two Of
local performers whom he expects viii
round out his card 10 perfection. But
uu he gets his main event everything
IS Up in the air with him. Having
waited this long Lercari is willing to
take chance on a day or two more.
FRANK Mcdonald, who is managing
the affairs Of George Memsic and Mon
taua Jack sullivan, attempted 10 induce
Lercari TO sign up either or both of
his men last night, but there was moth
ing stirring on this score. Mcdonald
wants 10 get Memsic on with Powell
and sullivan as one Of pair Of oppo-
nents for LangfOrd. Lercari could not
see either proposition.
AS Tar as Johnny Murphy is con-
cerned Lercari says he is finished
though his friends believe that he viii
eventually compromise by matching
Murphy and Powell Murphy. accord
lnG 10 the promoter, wants too much
money. demanding guarantee for his
biz win. lose or draw. Lercari and
I'D Nolan. Murphy's manager, engaged
in several Wrangles during the last
few days, but none of these was pro-
dpctiVe Of results, though there was
plenty Of noise.
If Lercari is relying upon local talent
le VIII have TO step lively even to land
this sort Of a card. There are very
few good boys left outside of Powell
Murphy and Kid Harrison, and now
that they are in demand they are out
for all they can get.
genries can play on the Sullivan
COnsidine vaudeville circuit for the
next 20 weeks if he wishes, and tne
chances are that he viii fall for the
terms which Manager Ralph Pincus OF
10 frrr~ I'M ff1saraf OFF Ia ~
wire last night. JEFF telegra phed that
i looked good TO him and that he
would consider it seriously upon his
arrival here on Friday night
Pincus states that everybody in this
city who attends the theaters is smoked
up over the coming of the big fellow
and already the Wigwam theater is
practically sold out for Jeff's entire en-
gagement- In order to make the box
ing stunt Of JEFF and Berger more real
Plncus has enlisted the services Of
Billy Jordan, the veteran master OF
ring ceremonies who will send the
pair away every time they start to box
Promoter Jim Conroth is in receipt
of many telegrams from Willis Britt
the boy bandit Of the roped arena, but
thus far Willis has not told COfrOth
any Of the details Of his wonderful
theft Of ketchel. Britt is evidently
keeping in the dark as long as pos
sible. He neither says when his man
VIII enter the ring again nor when he
viii make haste for San Francisco.
Britt wires that he has many bic
theatrical engagements to fill and ac-
cOrding 10 this information it prob
ably win be at least three months
before Ketchel shows his face in this
city again Britt cleVerly refrains
from mentioning the name Of LangfOrd
in any Of his communications and il
is evident that he is giving ketch
a chance 10 forget the terrible smoke
Roscoe Taylor, the clever little anna
teur boxer from Seattle, is out with a
challenge for Lawrence Granfield the
local boy who won the title at the
last Olympic club show in this city a
year ago. Taylor says that he will
allow Granfeld TO make any weight
the latter desires, and he is even will
ing to turn professional and box the
winged 20" lad as a ring warmer to
I.ercari's coming show-if the show
ever comes of.