Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-10
JOHNSON TURNS
LOOSE BIG TALK
SAYS JEFF MUST GO TO HIM
FOR TERMS
RIDICULES CLAIM TO TITLE OF
RETIRED CHAMPION.
Going to Galveston with His White
Wife to Attend Big Reception Said
to Be in Process of Arrange
n1ent for Him

| VICTORIA, March 9.-Jack Johnson
| the heavyweight champion pugilist
and his white wife, a former Philadel-
| phla woman who threw in her lot with
him after the fight in Sydney, and
| Sam Fitzpatrick, Who Is no longer
manager of the big black champion
having severed relations with him, ar
| rived this morning by the Canadian
Australian liner Makura from Sydney
| Johnson unreservedly declared his will
lingness to meet Jeffries or any other
| man.
Il am willing to meet Jeffries," he
said. II am willing to meet any man
| in the world, and 1 don't think any
one can get a decision over me, much
| less put me out. 1t amuses me to hear
this talk of Jeffries claiming the cham
| pionship Why, when a mayor leaves
office he's an ex-mayor, isn't he? When
champion leaves the ring he's an
ex-champion. Well, that is Jeffries;
he wants to get the championship back,
and I'm willing to take him on.
mo, I'm not making any restric
| TONS What's the matter, though, in
the talk of arrangements of a fight
with Jeffries, what will Johnson take
In all the notices have seen it's all
what Jeffries will take. What's the
matter with what Johnson will take?
I'm the champion, amt l? l want a
winners and losers end; 1 don't care
what 1t Is, go and 40 or rs and Is; but
there's got to be a winners and loser's
end. That's how 1t was with Burns.
l knew / could get him and followed
him around the world before I got on
with him at Sydney to show the peo-
pie that 1 could do 1t. II Jeffries
wants a go, as the papers say he's
N mo IN ha n
winners and losers end"
1t is doubtful, according to the ar
rangements made by Johnson, whether
any fight could be brought on with
Jeffries, Ketchel or any other man
within six months. While his plans
are not absolute, he limited at willing
ness to change them If anything big
was hung up for match with Ketchel.
Johnson intends to devote several
months to theatrical engagement
signed with a syndicate in England
for the London halls and, after an En-
glish tour, to tour France and Ger
many. johnson will leave the Makura
at Vancouver and proceed tomorrow
morning to Chicago, arriving there
SATURDAY.. He will continue his jour-
ney to Galveston, arriving on Wednes-
day.
When his attention was drawn to the
Galveston dispatch announcing the
formation of committees to arrange a
parade and reception at Galveston, his
eyes sparkled and he showed his gold
tipped teeth with that historic grin
and said:
Tell them I'll be there"
Asked whether he intended to ar
range a match with Ketchel, he said
everything depended upon the offers.
1t was doubtful, though, If anything
could be brought off until after his the
atrical tour
Johnson was much interested in jeff
ries' condition, asking several questions
in this connection.
Can Jeffries get into shape?" he in
CURED, and only a shrug Of shoulders
greeted the question. Next moment
Johnson replied with emphasis to an
interviewer: I'm willing to fight
Jeffries or any other man."
johnson was asked regarding the
story told in New York by George Ber-
nard, an Australian sporting man, that
before the fight at Sydney Johnson and
his manager Fitzpatrick, received an
offer of $4,000 in cash to throw the
fight to Burns, but they turned the
proposition down cold. The colored
champion said:
II don't think that's right. I don't
know what they might have wanted to
do, but you see they were afraid to
come near me, and-well, 1 don't think
that is right
Ibid you go into the Melbourne hos
pital as a charity patient?" Johnson
was asked.
"Well, it was this way. I had some
trouble with my neck and kind of
thought the Melbourne hospital the
best place to go, but I could not go
there as a charity patient Why, 1
drove there in my motor car"
did you pay for the treatment"
IL
wasn't it? And, anyhow, l felt | was
entitled to go there. for wasn't paying
an income tax of e10-that s .$50-a week
on the G210 was getting a week for my
theatrical work Tommy Burns was
getting more, for he had the moving
pictures. He was getting e250 a week.
I kind of thought the income tax wGs
sufficient to pay for what 1 got at the
hospital. 1 offered to pay the doctor,
anyhow, but he wouldn't take my
money. Then 1 wanted to send him
some silk socks, but he wouldn't take
them. l told him that men in America
worth millions went to public hospitals,
but he didn't seem to understand. Aus
tralia has no reason to complain about
me, though. / have paid my income
tax all the time and I raised a good
deal of money for various charities in
Sydney. Yes there was some discus
sion by the hospital people and someJ
thing got into the papers,"
On the way from Australia Johnson
took part in two concerts on board.
being warmly applauded. He played
selections on the bass violin often at
night. when the rolling of the steamer
was not too much to make him indis-
posed, for Johnson admits that the sea
got the decision over him a couple of
times-he was heard practicing on his
violin. He admitted that he had given
some selections at church entertain
ments in Australia.
I'm a churchman, belong to the
Methodist church. but they did not
seem to have much use for colorcd
man in the Methodist churches of that
white Australia They are good sports,
though. They treated me fine and I've
got no kick coming. But, on the square,
they seemed to think more of Tommy
Burns after I had licked him. giving
him such licking as nobody ever
had, than they did of me, and me the
champion. That was a funny stunt
about me finding comfort in Shake
speare's books and Pilgrims Progress"
but, on the level, 1 do read Shake
speare."
Fitzpatrick. when asked about his
split with Johnson, said it had begun
soon after the fight.
johnson was different man before
the fight. He would feed out of the
hand then, but he is a hard man to
handle now" said Fitzpatrick. I'VE
decided to split soon after the Makura
left. Anyhow, he don't want a manager
now. He has got Mrs. johnson as his
manager"
When Johnson was in Australia an
Australian paper printed story about
his intended marriage with an Oakland
woman, who entered suit against the