Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-21
johnson and His Vanity.

They are telling an amusing story
around town about Johnson that en-
phasixes the negro's vanity and also goes
to show that he Is getting "wised up"
The story runs that on his return from
Reno Jack visited an Italian sculptor Of
this city and was SO eager to have q cast
Of himself made that he passed several
hours posing each day. Finally the
sculptor sent Johnson a bill for $4,000.
which the champion refused to pay.
Though anxious to be reproduced in mar
BILE. Jack says he thinks the sculptor
made mistake. and has charged him
for q dozen busts. Result is. Johnson
has been made defendant In q suit for
the amount.
Billy Delaney. Jack Gleason and Sam
Berger are few of the notables In
sporting circles visiting New York lately,
and each has given his little talk on the
subject OF the Reno fight. Delaney says
that neither he nor Johnson had any
fear as to the outcome, and that the
negro was Drumming over with conf
dence before the fight Billy may be
sincere in his belief that such was the
case. but II ever / saw a more anxious
or worried colored gentleman than john
son was as he sat In his corner just be-
fore the tight began then my memory
fails me.
Says johnson Feared Jeff.
Jacks confidence did not show impress
sively until he realized that he had q
man before him who was so weak he
could not strike blow with sufficient
force to hurt welter weight. The fact
that Johnson a day or two before the
fight insisted that the original agreement
to divide the purse Is per cent to the
winner and % per cent to the loser be
changed and that the amount be split
equally between the two men did not
show any great confidence in his ability
to defeat Jeffrtes.
That he received 60 per cent instead Of
90 per cent for winning was because Jeff
would not consent to an equal division,
and wanted the original agreement to
stand This would indicate that Jeffries
was the confident one. still believe that
had the fight taken place one week be-
fore the Fourth that Jeff would have
won decisiveIy. The nervous collapse of
the last few days was what killed his
chances, and not the confidence or great
skill OF Jack Johnson.
There has been a great deal said and
written about the race prejudice that ex-
lists against the colored boxers OF today
and of the last twenty years, and q num-
Der of the lovers OF the game say that
Jeffries should not have risked his title In
q battle with . negro.
Takes Jab at John L.
They point to the record Of . famous ex-
champion, who never would fight q col
ored man. and who berated every man
who believed in giving . negro a chance
at the title. This helps to remind me that
Immediately after the recent champion
ship contest the first man to scramble
through the ropes to greet johnson as
champion was no other than this former
pride of pugilism. 1t was this same ex-
gladiator who drew the color line SO tight
when he was champion, and yet he was
the first man, and one OF the few white
men, to congratulate the negro. It's q
funny world.
Looks very much like q case OF cold feet
on the part OF Sam Langford In refusing
TO meet AL Kaufman at Philadelphia last
week. After the fight had been postponed
one day on account Of bad weather Lang
ford's manager. Joe Woodman, asked for
an extension of one week, which was re-
fused by the club managers, and Billy
Delaney, representing Kaufmann Al was
reported In superb condition. ana Sam
NAV have feared knockout, which would
end any chance he might have OF meeting
Johnson. Certainly his ducking out OF
this match will hurt him great deal in
the regard OF the public. and the cham-
pion will likely pay no more attention to
his demands for q match. It il q hard
blow In . financial way both to Al and
the promoters, 40 the advance sale
amounted to $4,000. with the prospect Of
: thirty-thousand-doIlar house when the
men entered the ring.