The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-09-01
JEFFR|ES AND JACK
MAY MEET IN RING
But the Wise Sports Shake Their
Heads in Doubt About it-Hard
to Tell Where Things
Stand

NEW YORK, sept. l.-OptlnlSln Is
a mighty good thing to be imbued
with. Especially so is this quality de-
sirabIe when a calm student of things
fistic reviews the Jeffries-J Johnson sit
uation. 1t is over a half year now that
the giant Galveston negro administered
sound trouncing to willy Tommy
Burns at Rushcutters Bay Australia.
Immediately a hue and cry was raised
in sporting circles here and abroad, but
more so on our own shores, for James
j. Jeffres, the undefeated champion,
to come to the rescue of the Cauca-
sian race.
At first Jeffries refused to heed
| the clam0r He wanted to be let alone.
to enjoy seclusion out at his California
a'falfa farm But the public would not
b We it So So Big Jim came out Of
the woods with a blare of trumpets
and commenced a most lucrative the
! atrical tour Would he fight Johnson?
| the tour was good for 20 weeks, and
| it would have been foolish to relieve
| public suspense Interest in the eternal
question augmented and box Office re-
| ceipts increased. Next came a lull;
| the public grew wary. and then the fine
master hand of an enterprising press
agent was outlined behind the affair
! when it was announced that Jeffrles
would declare his intention of fighting
| Johnson at a local vaudeville theater
| The information was furnished in adj
vance thanks to genial Samuel, the
! far coast haberdasher, and great was
the crowd that assembled.
But then came another lull and
! things looked bad again. But Berger
| is most handy man to have around
| and the sporting world awoke one
! morning in July to hear that J@frries
manager had declared that his charge
{ was hopelessly out of condition and
! rat a bout with the, negro was out of
the question. Once more the crowds
! 1ocked to witness the histronic stars
| only to hear a denial of the report
| Meanwhile the situation was terob-
bling with interest. And Jeffries then
! posted a $4,000 forfeit for match
| with the negro. Things indeed looked
%l,o DIT 10 coll n1
| felt" means nothing. 1t is not bind
! ing in any way. and if Jeffries does
not fight he can withdraw the money.
! However. it was reassuring to certain
extent and the hearts of the enthu-
siasts beat joyfully within them Incl
dentally the completely farcical aspect
of the so-called forfeit. was shown
in the fact that Johnson refused to for
ward his $4,000 to New York but nand-
ed it over to a Chicago sporting man.
Mike Murphy's Verdict.
Now Jeffries has gone to the old
world presumably to take the baths at
Carlsbad. Veteran sporting men who
have followed the erstwhile bolermak-
err very carefully for the last half
year state. that his wind is in deplor-
able shape Will he ever round into
condition? Mike Murphy. the siner of
the last American Olympic team. is au-
thority for the statement that he will
not. And Murphy has come to be
looked upon as an authority in the art
of handling athletics. If Jeffres really
takes the baths while abroad and
strives hard to get into condition. the
enthusiasts may take new lease Oh
life and congratulate themselves once
more on the fact that there will be a
battle between the negro title holder
and Jeffries
Recent developments in the situation,
however. have placed Sam Berger in
ludicrous light and made the fistic
world rather skeptical. When Jeffries
departed for foreign strands he is said