Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-19

to fix nice pictures. Jeffries' fine. upstand-
ing record, of course, is enormously in his
favor; i find few folks who really want
to come out and express the belief that
jeff would indulge in any funny stun In
his dealings with the public. But it seems
to be taken for granted that JEFF has
somehow or another lost a lot Of his old
time self-assertiveness and stubbornness,
and that he now is in the hands of Il
pretty crafty and dust-annexing gang of
expioiters.
I've just had talk with Jim Corbett.
who yesterday arrived from England on
Corbett Is strongly of the belief that all
of the talk of a frame between JEFF and
the black man is pure bunk.
Don't you believe word of that moon
No. Z pifie. Neither OF these men is go
ing to do any stalling for the pictures.
They don't have to. Even If they were
| crooked. it wouldn't be good sense. And
the battle won't call for any stalling.
Both JEFF and Johnson are defensive, not
aggressive, fighters. Both are covered up
a good part Of the time. Neither jumps
in to do any quick whaling. They're eau
tious. and they like to have the fight
brought to them. The scrap, it's 100-to-1
fifteen rounds, and it's liable to go a
great deal farther than that. There ism
a chance of a frame. OF course. the pic
ture thing is big thing. Everybody
accordance with the picture rig would be
almost impossible. There would be too
many things to look out for. Neither OF
these men, hating each other as they do.
donble-crossed by the other. And that
one great big reason why therell be no
picture stalling. Again, suppo sing the
| fight went ten or fifteen rounds, and then
you suppose the pictures would be as
money-makers? Not any worth mention
ing. The colored race doesn't comprise
any appreciate class Of amusement-goers
| In this white mans country. and they
wouldn't dig enough coin for a peek at
the pictures to pay for the big expense
OF taking them and advertising and show
ing them. On the other hand. if JEFF
were to walk right in and slap Johnson
to the floor In the first round, even II
there'd been no fighting worth mention
ing at all. the pictures just of that much
Of It would be worth their millions. The
gang all over the country would waltz to
the picture shows just to see how JEFF
had done ii.
| ''There is nothing now and there never
/ was anything in this chirp about big
/ Hghters-fghters, that Is to say, who've
1 won their way to the top through on-the-
plug the picture game along. That yowl,
| you'll recall, was set up when Fitz hand
| ed me mine out in Carson City. Now,
] does any one suppose, remembering that
tight and It's outcome, that 1t wasn't on
| the level? I'll tell you what I'll go on
| record as saying: I'd have been willing
| to give my right arm not to have lest
4 that fight with FitZ. ! wanted to win.
\ was crazy to win. It's a nightmare with
| me yet that I've never been able to en-
i tirely throw off that I didn't win that
scrap. I thought I was going to win. to D
| well, l knew all about what a valu-
! able asset the pictures were going to be-
/ knew ii months before the fight. But il
made me laugh, when it didn't make me
| sore when I heard the clatter to the ef-
feet that Fitz and I were going to stall
/ to give the pictures a chance. Such an
\ idea as that never entered my head, and
4 I am equally sure that Bob never thought
of it. We went into that ring determined
to knock each others blocks or without
| ever thinking Of the pictures. We had nc
time to think Of pictures. You'll remem-
Der, Of course. that for the first eight oil
ten rounds l dished UP pretty good
licking to Fitz: cut him up. as he often
1 has tcld me, more than he had even beer
| cut up in any Of his fights before OF
after. Then he handed me that thing OF
! the plex that made me look like rained-
\ on pretzel Does anybody. I ask again
j suppose that we were keeping an or eye
i on the picture machines when all that
i stun was coming off? I hope not. I'd
1 like to have a peep at the bean OF man
who'd suppose any such thing.