Omaha daily bee., 1909-06-13
ARE NEGRO FIGHTERS CANE?
Majority Accused Of Having a Wide
Yellow Streak.
RECORDS OF LEADERS IN RING
Jack Johnson, the Champion, Branded
In England - n Cowsrd-Tom
M~OIinesux Probably the
PIucktest.

NEW YORK, June n-"Ive's heard con-
siderable gossip about the real gameness of
the present champion. Jack johnson, among
the fistic experts lately" said the veteran
New York sport, while discussing the cour-
age Of black pugilists the other day.
"Of course there have been some negroes
who have stood the gaff and have taken a
good walloping, but the majority OF them,
when put to the test, usually show a yell
low streak. Johnson's record doesn't prove
that he is a game fellow, for he fought
about sixteen draws in which some of his
opponents were only second and third
raters. A game fighter doesn't usually
have a string of drawn battles with UNI
classy %scrappers. II may be, however, that
johnson has stalled in all Of these affairs
in order to get some more easy matches,
as he did with Sailor Burke and Jack
O'Brien.
w can tell more about Johnson's game
ness, though, after he meets Stanley
Rotchel and Jim J~effries. This pair will
test the big negroes ability to take punish
ment, for there is no doubt that Ketchel
or Jeff can stand the gaff. Both have
been in hard, gruelling mills and have never
shown the white feather.
Ganest of the Lot
Tom Molineaux, the American black,
As he was called in England, was probably
the earnest negro in the history of the
prize ring. After defeating Tom Blake in
eight rounds away back in 1910, he was
matched TO battle with the great Tom
Crib, the champion OF all England at the
time. They fought a bloody contest under
the old rules and Crib was declared the
winner after thirty-nine rounds. But this
did not satisfy Molineaux, for he imme-
diately challenged Crib to another mill.
Crib readily accepted and put the Ameri-
can black out in eleven hard rounds. After
these two terrible contests both Crib and
Molineaux retired from the ring.
Peter Jackson in ibis prime was GER
tainly a great heavyweight, but he quit
cold in his first battle with Bill Farnum
at Melbourne, Australia, on July &c, 1884.
jackson fought Farnum again, however,
same place and same year, but the police
interfered in the sixth round. Shortly after
Jackson arrived in Frisco in 1888 he got
into a rough and tumble scrap with Paddy
German. who was only a w~elterweight, but
after a wicked encounter German made the
big Australian negro cry enough. Joe God
dard also made Jackson look like a gutter
at Melbourne in 1890 in eight rounds. Still,
jackson was a good fighter and won some
great battles within the ropes.
Godfrey and Sullivan.
I'm 1888 George Godfrey challenged John
l.. Sullivan to fight for the championship,
but when the big fellow invited Godfrey
TO stand up before him in a four-round
bout at the Music hall, Boston, the follow
ing evening, nothing could induce the col
ored pugilist to go upon the stand. This
was shortly after SuHlvan's return from
Europe, where he fought Charley Mitchell
a thirty-nine-round draw. Peter Maher,
who was often called a gutter, walloped
Godfrey out in six rounds at Boston in
1898. Peter Jackson, Jake Kilrain and Joe
Choynski also made Godfrey lower his
colors. Godfrey in his day, however, won
hard battles from Jack Ashton, Joe Ian
non, Patsy Cardiff, Denver Ed Smith, c. &.
smith and Prof. Hadley.
George Dixon was a good game colored
lad. but / never considered him a fuil-
blooded negro. He was half white, l was
told many years ago. Dixon was a won
derful pugilist. He defeated the feather
weight champions of every fighting nation
and was the undisputed worlds title holder.
The only time l ever saw Dixon show
weak heartedness was when he fought Cal
Mccarthy that memorable seventy-round
draw in Boston. His legs gave out in that
affair, and he was afraid to go in for mikes
in the latter part of the mill. Dixon
started his career in 1886 and was hard at
work meeting all corners until 1905, when
Tommy Murphy knocked him out in Phila-
delphia. Nineteen years in the ring Is
something Of a record. Dixon won his title
from Cal Mccarthy in 1891 at Troy and lost
It to Terry McGovern at the old Broad
way Athletic club in 1900. holding it for a
period of nine years. McGovern, on the
other hand, held the title for just one year,
Terry going down to defeat at the hands
of young Corbett in two rounds at Hart
ford in 1901.
Frank CraiG's Career.
Frank Craig, the Harlem Coffee Cooler,
did some successful fighting around here
in his day. When he had an easy mark
in front OF him he fought like a wild cat,
but he was a far different proposition
when the real punchers got after him.
Peter Maher put him out in two rounds
at Boston in 1894. Bill Dunn of Jersey City
sent him to dreamland in three rounds.
but the Cooler returned the compliment
by putting Dunn away in one round later
on.
When Craig went to England he be-
came extremely popular with the members
{" tine National Sporting club by stopping
Jack O'Brien, the champion OF Wales, in
two rounds and beating a dozen other Eng
lish pugilists in quick time, including Ted
Pritchard. The Cooler became a bowling
swell in London and created a sensation
when he drove three cream colored mules
tandem through Hyde park and other
fashionable parts OF the British metropolis.
Craig, also became a music hall favorite
because of his clever buck dancing and
soon married a rich white woman. That
made the Harlem negro more chesty than
ever, n he was flying high when Dan
Creedon, the Australian middleweight,
went 10 London and met the Cooler before
the National club. II was a slashing fight
and Creedon simply cut his man into rib
bons, finally making him quit. Craig never
recovered from this terrible beating, for
when he came here to do battle with
Tommy Ryan he was the easiest kind Of
a mark and was knocked out cold with a
few punches. That ended the Coolers
ring career. for he went back to England
and retired.
probably the gamest fight Craig ever
put up was with Fred Morris, another
negro. down on Long Island in 1894. They
wore skintight gloves and after both had
received some terrible punishment the