Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-04
JEFF'S FEET ARE SLOWLY SLIPPING.
BIG MONEY MAY PULL HIM BACK INTO RING.

Los ANGELES, Cal. January 4
James J. Jeffries, the retired and unde-
feated heavyweight champion of the
world, is the only hope of the white race
now. The we'll meant offers of Jim Cor
bett, Tom Sharkcy and Bob Fitzsmmons
to give battle to Jack Johnson, the negro
champion, are appreciated to the full eX-
tent of their true worth, but 1t Is to the
mighty Jeffries, who has never known the
sting of defeat, that the American sport
ing public is now looking Tor succoI iloih
an embarrassing position.
Jeffries need not go TO foreign Iands III
quest of fortune. The big fellow may
live, train and fight in his home city and
then receive more money for his services
than any boxer was ever paid before IN
the history of the ring.
r. j. McCarey, matchmaker and hal1
owner of the Pacific \. c. of this city
last night duplicated the recent of1sr
made to Jeffries by Jack Wren, the mil
lonaire bookmaker of Melbourne, Aus
tralia. Mr. McCarey's offer pared GOWN
to an actual basis is as follows:
He will give Jeffries $4,000 for the re
tired champions end on win. lose OF
draw basis. The hour that Jeffries sig
nfies his Willingness to talk business
Mr. McCarey will post with the Los An
Eeles Examiner $500 TO guarantee ms
ability To swing the Johnson part OF the
big match.
Big Forfeit Asked.
Jeffries will be asked to post Slo'"o
forfeit as a protection to McCarey. VINO
stimulates that the battle shall not take
place under five months. There IS not the
slightest wildcat tinSe to the proposition
No one who is familiar with the McCareS
wav of doing business will for momeht
doubt the loca! promoters capapliilE VI
engineering the great deal, even lhousI II
the amount involved may equal UT eve"
exceed $4,000 , =.
'.If Jeffries is going to fight at all. let II
he in his own country and among MS own
people," said McCarey in taking OIL ME
offer. cit is the American people WHO
are the most anxious TO see JelrleS coiiie
out of retirement and win back the heaF!
weight championship from the negro, JACK
Johnson. Let him then give an American
promoter the chance to profit by the
match.
THE public has as yet scarcely aWak-
ened to the possibilities of Jeffries-J Ohm
SON r Getting. which would be the first real
battle for the worlds heavyweight cham-
pionship that has occurred In years. Ihliih
of what the proceeds of the moving PIE
lures alone would be. l viii stage the
AFFAIR. giving Jeffries $50 o00 for his end,
paying Johnson what he is worth, and
still be able to finish with good margin
on the profit side of the books
Jeffries. when informed of the local Of
fer. reiterated his oft-made statement that
he would never re-enter the ring, but add
ed significantly:
IF / ever do fight. it won't be in this
country
Doing Deep Thinking.
There is every evidence that the big
fellow is doing some pretty deep thinking
these days Where a week ago JEFF was
wont to resent any talk of his returning
to the ring, he now rubs his massive right
hand across his face in a thoughtful man
ner, and says:
That's a heap o. money. amt 1t? It's
lust like tossing off a hundred thousand
dollars"
Ii is known that to an intimate friend
Jeffries said: eff do fight / will make a
tour of the world first, stopping in Lon
don, Paris and all the large cities: l
wouldn't care if the trip took up the best
part of a year.
Despite Jim's strong insistence that he
has no intention of fighting Johnson, he
obviously is at least becoming reconclled
to the possibility of such an event. If
Jeffries has studied arithmetic he has
overlooked the dollars and cents section,
for the big boy has little idea of the value
of money. His real friends have i'm
pressed upon his mind. though, the fact
that he is passing up fortune, and the
retired champion is thinking, thinking,
thinking.