The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-08-25
OKLAHOMA AFTER
THE BIG FIGHT
Miller Brothers Offer $4,000
for the JeffrieS- Johnson
Battle.
THEY WILL MAKE GOOD
CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA MAY
LOSE IF THEY DON'T HUSTLE.
BY ED. w. SMITH.

Chicago, Aug. 24.-"There is ma limit
at which these men viii balk in this
fight proposition. They'll go through
with it if they can get the battle and
nobody need worry if there is not a
penny taken in at the gate"
This is the way Harry Frazee. the
prominent theatrical man, sizes up the
Miller brothers Ofer Of a purse of 49,
GOO for the proposed Jeffries-JOhnsOn
battle. the contest to take place near
their '1O1" ranch in Oklahoma between
Bliss and POnca City. Because Of the
prominence of the men at the head
Of the effort to- decide the world S
glove title in that section Of the cOun-
try the offer of the purse created no
end OF interest among show men in
this city.
meaning of the word" Mr.. Frazee con
unued. why there isn't any limit
even to the extent of that ranch Of
theirs out in Oklahoma. It is idle
talk of this being an advertising
scheme for their road show, because
the show really doesn't need 1t. What
they want the advertising for is the
territory out there. That, I believe, is
what the offer was made for.
Personally I know that when the
101 ranch show was started out to
be the real Wild West show OF the age
1t was something of a joke to the
Miller boys. They had accumulated a
lot Of money by good. sound business
methods on their ranch and ranching
was their business. Being good men
of business, they realized that some
body else's game was a bad thing to
dabble with.
Advertise Oklahoma,
But they stuck because they wanted
to advertise the place known as Ok
lahoma. From a Joke the show turned
into a mighty valuable piece of prop
erty, and it hasn't enriched them to
make more than an appreciate ad-
dition to a million-dOlla rank. 1t
has served. however, the purpose Of
advertising Oklahoma. The Millers are
to forfeit the entire purse Of .S75, 900
to the fighters in case there is any
thing at the last moment to prevent
the battle being decided.
Now that goes to show the general
bigness Of their ideas, the scale upon
which they do business. They don't
want to limit the fOrfeits to $4,000
or so, but are willing to forfeit the
whole business if the fight is not de-
cided. Oh, they're big fellows, all
right. As for a place in which to hold
the fight. don't worry about that much.
They entertained 100 600 people out
there when Mr.. Taft was there and
dlu Jhat more frightful task right up
to the handle. If the Oklahoma bid is
successful you'll see another big task
filled Just as easily and as gaily.
Geographically there could be no
better location for the battle. Tt is
only a days ride from Chicago and
has a dozen other big cities almost
within as easy range. From what
I've heard there will be no striking
opposition to the contest there. Why
there should be is not plain at this
time. But, of course, California is
going to make a big roar if that fight
ever gets away from the Pacific coast"
other men connected with the show
business were equally confident that
the Millers could pull off most any
thing they are started after They
are big men who do things and do them
right was the burden of opinions
of those approached in the matter.
So from this it looks as if Califor-
MIA and Nevada are to have a mighty
strong rival for the battle. That will
not be bad news at all for the fight
ers, who will see a chance to thus use
this club over the heads of the pro-
moters for a larger purse.