The San Francisco call., 1909-01-07
LERCARI BURNS THE
WIRES TRYING
FOR HART
I Promoter Is on fHe Anxious
Scar While Big Boxer Re-
mains SIeHt
By William ]. SIaffery


penetrated every known hamlet Of the
Blue Grass Stale with kilograms last
night. Marvin Hart. once pretender 10
the heavy weight throne Of Astdom.
failed TO respond. and the agile and
energetic master Of The Pacific club
took 10 his couch sorrowfng and hoping
that the morrow would start a cyclone
some place and carry IN its wake a
Hoek Of fighters. every one Of them
fl and capable 10 take on Sam Lang
ford before the present month has spent
itself
If Hart responds TO Lercari's tele-
grams within a day or two there is q
chance for him 10 meet dusky Sam from
Boston. but if the delay is TOO great
the only thing for lercar! 10 do Is 10
dig Up q couple Of the lesser lights
for Sam 10 hammer away az or else
abandon the idea Of putting him on this
time. II must be q case Of quick action
for the promoter TO fulfill his January
obligations and give the fans run
In the event OF his failure 10 secure
Hart Lercari vii Do MS utmost 10
! unearth Young Peter Jackson and
Battling Johnson ont OF the ruins and
send both in against the husky black
whom they are all so fearful OF. Ler-
carl is also having his hard luck in
an endeaxor TO get line on Young
latter yesterday. but up 70 late ho1r
last night there was no response
Johnson Is supposed 10 be straying
around the NTiIds Of the southern part
Of the state and probably can be located
easily enough, but what good viii he
be without 2 running mate 10 help him
, out2 II Lereari makes Ihls sorl of
match he viii be forced 10 sign three
men instead Of two and bitter eX-
peTience has taught him that Two Of
them is trouble enough
Joe Woodman. Langford's manage
is getting uneasy He wants fight
for his protege and he wants II badly
They cannot rrot cut scrapper Ioe
speedily TO suit him With this end IN
view ne said last night that he was
wiling to send Langford in 10 stop
Jackson and Johnson both within 10
rounds though he specified that he
must have Jackson last as the 4alIer
was so tough that Langford might in
5ure his hands
IN case LercaTi fails 10 land any body
for Langf0ro WOOdUan probably VIII
take his big smoke back 10 Los An
geies where Promoter Tom McCarsy
has practically guaranteed him match
with q couple OF big fellows Tor TINS
month or some early feoTnarg cate
WoOdnan insists on action and II he
can not get 1t here ne naturally viii
seek the next best place
Langford IS also getting tired Of the
long and tedious wait he SPENDS ms
time between this city and Oakland and
has already worn Out four pairs OF
shoes doing The line. He viii fight
anybody. he says. and he doesn't care
80 70 London 10 take on Johnson. but
the chances are that ne VIII ught
around here first
# LercaTi gets stuck and IS unable
70 land a big cana saes might do far
worse than put on little Tommy f1tz-
gerald with Jimmy Walsh or Monte
Atteu for 10, - or 20 rounds Little
t1tz Is hustler and he can MAKE
weight for any OF them Moreover. he
is willing 10 fight just 10 show the fans
Of this city that he Is there
Fitzgerald fought and beat lot OF
lightweighLs around the east and mid
die west and is not afraid Of the Eaf-
BE spared many months with 5at5llng
Nelson and any youth Of his size who
could weather the Battlers r1shes
must be some performer with the m5tts-
II Lercsri wants FitZ he wil have 10
show lot OF speed, for Eddie Smith
Is trying 10 match him for his main
event for the Reliance clubs next snow
While making his rounds last night
Lercari casually dropped in upon Joe
OConnor and they Immediately began
70 talk about signing up ketchel and
minute and ere O'Connor had a chance
10 get d line on what was about 10
happen the promoter shouted:
Tn give Kstchel 25 per cent bonus
10 fight Ian gford-
No. it's nor the money that is in
the way responded OConnor. we just
turned GOWN z S4NsNtN LDeNNG4G1l CLISI-
ketchel must have q rest Assd there IS
no chance for his signing I'D with any
BODY for q while"
All right then, make II next month
shouted Lercari. -Ill act for the other
club. Twenty-Five per cent bonus still
goes. You give me your word that
you'll sign with LanEfoTd and you're
on. How's thatg"
But OConnor was not ready 10 talk
business and he told the promoter So
he 1s bent on giving ketchel & good
= he = -
be bothered about fighters or match
makers for the time being. He inti-
mates that Ketchel viii be on the job
himself shortly. while others are OF the
opinion that Willis Britt has either
taken the Michigan lion under his
wing or else he is enasaToring to line
him Up so that Conroth can sign him
for his next attraction without undue
trouble
Word comes from Eureka that Harry
Baker we'll known among the four
FOUNDERS Of this city and the match
maker Of the Reliance club in the
north, has been locked up in a private
EznsLartuTn- following complete nerv-
GUS collapse. According to the story
Baker IS in & bad way and the doctors
fear that his mind is likely TO give
away under the seTere strain.
Baker went north 10 manage the Re
lance club Of Eureka and succ eeded in
putting On the best shows that the
little city ever saw 1t is believed that
his dealings with fighters, q tough
game at its best. resulted In the COM
plete overthrow Of his nervous system
Bakers home is in this city and he
probably viii be brought down soon.