Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-23
AS SPENDTHRIFTS
Fortunes Won in the Ring Soon Swept
Away.
BIG ROLLS SOON MELTED AWAY
ohm l., Sullivan, once the Record
Holder in This Respect, Now
worth s1OO,OOO-BIR Money
Won and Quickly Blown.

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the old New York sport the other night
while discussing fstic affairs with his
cronies. There was Tom Hyer. the first
big gladiator of any account in American
pugilism and a popular idol. He made a
lot of money nut of fighting, but blew it
all in like a sailor and ended his days with
out a dollar. Hyer was well cared for in
his poverty by friends, who also gave him
a great funeral.
Yankee Sullivan was a wild, reckless
character and died flat broke. So did Joe
Goss. Mike McCool. Ned o'Baldwin. Paddy
Ryan. Jimmy Elliott, Joe Coburn and other
old fistic stars.
John Morrisey, who won millions as a
top notch gambler, left very little money
to keep his widow from want and when
she died she was buried by some of his
old friends and admirers up in Troy.
Jem Mace and John l..
Il saw a piece in the paper the other
day about a benefit given to old Jem Mace.
1t was only recently too that Mace APP
piled for assistance under the old age pen
sion act now In effect in England. Mace
is a game old fellow of 70 years. He has
never INDUCED in drinking to excess, but
he has always been a follower of the
ponies and will bet his shirt II necessary
while trying to win a pot Of coin for the
misses and the children.
John L. Sullivan was considered at one
time the greatest pugilistic spendthrift in
the world, but it's a fact that he never
made the money the present day fighters
are coming. The largest amount Sullivan
ever received for one battle was $4,000,
which he got for defeating Jake Kilrain.
OF this sum $4,000 was handed over by
John to a burlesque queen for safe keeping.
but she ran away with the dough and Sui
Ivan has never seen her since. y
During Sullivan's famous knocking-out
tour in 1884 ne made a lot of money under
the management of Al Smith. He had a
standing offer of $1,000. to any man who
would stay four rounds with him, and
nearly sixty ambitious fellows were felled
in the attempt. Sullivan was in his prime
then, full of both fight and firewater. A
majority of his opponents were mere nov
ices and were frightened half to death
before they entered the ring.
To-day Sullivan has more money than
at any time when he was the champion.
IF anybody should ask me to pick a
greater spendthrift than Sullivan I'd have
to point TO Jack McAuliffe. His largest
winnings in the ring resulted from the
LShl Will DIZZY MyeT at new orleans
in 1882. McAuliffe won 5000 in stakes. a
5000 purse and 10000 in bets on the out
side, or $4,000 in all. In two weeks Jack
had blown this coin to the four winds. Nc
Auliffe, however. maEe his big money at
bookmaking. On several occasions he owned
a bank roll of 800. 900, but reverses at the
track swept it away.
Jim Corbett a Saver.
"Jim Corbett could never be termed a
spendthrift, but he's dropped a large
amount Of money in a roundabout way.
He gave his first wife a 81. 900 house In
West Eighty-seventh street, also SOS. 900
worth of diamonds, sealskins and other ex-
pensive luxuries. But Corbett, who has
made more money than Sullivan. is worth
a quarter of a million today and owns a
handsome country place at Bayside, L. T..
He never was one OF those hurrah fellows
like John L., throwing his money away IN
public. but on the quiet Corbstt has helped
many a poor broken down sport. You know
Corbett got his Broadway education some
years ago. He wants TO build his own
theater some day and then he says he will
be happy.
Red Roberts Roll.
1.-THE first big money Bob Fitzsimmons
won in the ring was in the fight with Jack
Dempsey in 1891. He got $4,000 out of
that mill, while poor Jack received a pal
try thousand. which was the losers end.
After that they didn't do a thing to Robert.
He was as green as grass and soon paid
81 900 for a house in Frisco worth about
5000. Fitz decided the property to his first
wife, who later divorced him and married
Martin Julian, while Bob married Julian's
sister Rose.
After bearing three children by Fitz-
simmons Rose Julian died about four years
ago at Bath Beach. Rose, like Bob's first
wife, had all his money and property in
her own name, and when she died she left
everything to her young children. Fitz
therefore was high and dry again and had
TO resume fighting and acting 10 make
ends meet. They tell me that Fitz has
no money TO speak of nowadays and has
got to keep hustling. 1t wasn't rum OF
gambling that broke Ruby Robert. 1t wa
too much matrimony.
THE Frisco house v as rot the only gold
) brick handed to old .Fitz. When he fought
Jem Hall before the Crescent Athletic club
) of New Orleans he received a. guarantee
} OF a $4O,O purse, but after the fight Fita
) didn't get one-third OF that amount. Bot
car tell OF a few other cases of bunco
especially when he went to the far west
and was flimflammed by sharpers out Of
, his watch and diamonds. Fitz was Away:
, ore of those suspicious. Cvercareful fel'
lows who sometimes prove easy marks fol
= the gold brick artists. He must have made
3 at least $4,000 in the ring and on tht
. stage, but nearly all of it got away from
him.
e George DixOn's Career.
. "What a mint of money poor littl
George Dixon made during his long an'
n brilliant career! Yet he died In poverty
g Dixon was a great spendthrift and love-
to open wine by the case after winning
a fight. He won $1,000 when he defeate'
D Jack Shelly at New Orleans In 1892. Dtxol
must have fought more than a 100 battles
e which Melted him more than 100000. Will
he earned probably 100000 more in tn
theatrical business, as he was the star of
v burlesoue show which toured the Unite