The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-22
JEFFRIES WILL
 FIGHT JOHNSON
Former Champion Is Broke and
 Needs the Money
TOO FREE WITH HIS COIN
Manager of Jeffries Wants to Arrange the Fight With the Negro In Small Ring and Get John
 son Scared.
By BERT E. coLLYER.

Los Angeles, February 21-(Special. )- With the passage of the anti-racing meas ure, and probable enactment of a similar law which will also legislate from out the state limits of California all form of pugilistic encounters, the local camps have been thrown into a more or less chaotic state. About the only buoyant thing that the writers have to offer for the selection of the fans at home and abroad is the supposed monstrous purses made by this or that promoter for the services of the "big a da Jeff' and the colored champion, Jack Johnson. So much has been said relative to the Ire tired heavyweight champion" his plans and whatnot. especially by the nonde- script reporter, also the ever paramount press agent, that in a majority of cases the masses, to use the street vernacular, have been carried away"
 Regarding all this chatter but one thing has been demonstrated to my satis- faction, "as being on the level" and that was the drawing power of Jeffries before the theatrical footlights. So far as the recent offer and subsequent acceptance
 
 Francisco, everything was quite open and above board-he signed the contract and received the stipulated remuneration. Aside from that I have been unable to discover the smallest semblance of au- thenticity surrounding the stupendous offers as published broadcast, and per- sonally have put them down to the in- nate rawlings of the ever versatile press agent who, if requested to do so, could lay my hand on without even the as- sistance of a messenger.
 Of course, the latter vermin, which has been the curse, especially of late years, of the newspaper profession, has always been much more active in the native son state than in the effete east. Such condition, of course, is hard to determine, and probably may be summed up in the assertion that, being more or less har- dened to it out here, it is the more read fly stood for. Even at that l believe that many of the sporting fraternity are being hoodwinked by the persistent stories. Be this as it may, the evil of it all is. nevertheless, the same.
 But hark back to our story. Jeffries is broke. Amazing as this all may seem, it is nevertheless true. From those close to the big fellow, I have learned that 5000 will very comfortably cover every dollar of asset he has at present
 "Where did his vast earnings go?' Such is the smart question l have had asked me not once, but hundred times, during the last fortnight. Such a thing, to be answered with a strict regard to veracity, would, of course, take more space than is generally allotted to the staff man. or any other writer of sport for that matter However, in word, l will vouch the startling statement that Jeff gambled 1t, or rather. l should say had 1t taken away from him Tn games of chance. At Well-knoWn care on Main street, noted for it's pretentious- ness, and where several sure-thing gam blers make headquarters, Jeffries, the monument of human flesh, the man who stood off the terrible punches of Ruby Robert''-"the only man who hurt me, said Jeff-can be found drawing to the flush monkey or the ;bob-tail any night. It is here the big fellow has been mulcted-I mean what l say-out of thousands upon thousands of dollars. How about his saloon? Well, so far as that is concerned he never did own more than
 
 the least, has never been a paying invest ment
 And now we come to the real reason why Jeffries will fight Jack Johnson--be- cause he Is broke. Jeffries did not tell me in as many words but he did say Of course, that recent offer from Aus tralia (which l believe was the only one not manufactured out of the whole cloth by press agents) Is a lot of money, and l he was a point gained by the rabble who wanted to see him back in the ring, also the few admirers that any champion may boast of But 1t was not from Jeffries that l learned of the hugeness of his plans, but from "Cy' Merrick, who has acted the part of adviser to the big fellow on many occasions--in fact, l might say on everything of more than ordinary moment. It was Merrick who advised Jeff to accept the theatrical engagement at Frisco 1t was also Merrlck who illus trated to the big fellow the advsability of corraling many more such con tracts-in other words, to Init the iron while it was red" Further still 1t will be Merrick who will accompany Jeffries on his proposed theatrical tour In the capacity of manager
 The plan of campaign as outlined by Merrick and Jeffries is to make the foot light" tour as extensive possible. Then agree to meet Johnson. Merrick has ad- vised that the ring be 15 feet, arguing that by making it so small he will inn mediately get the goat" of the black man and have the battle half won before he enters the ring. Inasmuch as Jack Johnson has always been given credit for having yellow streak, 1t looks like good move-at least l believe, so, the only way in which he will ever beat the negro.
 the Australian, according to the latter's statement, and is willing that Tommy should meet the colored scrapper, but he declares that had Burns been the victor in the recent mill he would not have let him meet Johnson again.
 The films show that Burns put up much better fight than the newspaper ac- counts indicated.