Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-06-26
GOSSIP OF THE FIGHTERS
Sportsman Wants to Know Why Big
Fights Are Harder to Pull Off.
STUART WAS LIKE RICHARD
He IL Was who Had the Law Passed
which VIII Make JOhnsOn-Jef-
fries FIsht Possible in
Nevada.

Nevada.
NEW YORK. June 25.-"why Is it that
heavyweight championship fights cause
such an cutlery in this country when other
glove contests pass practically unnoticed7"
asked well-known sportman during a
discussion relating TO pugilism the other
night.
This Jeffries-Johnson affair reminds me
OF the trouble the late Dan Stuart experi-
enced while trying to pull off the Corbett-
Fitzsimmons affair, and by the way II was
Stuart who had the law passed which may
allow Jeffries and Johnson to settle their
differences in Nevada. Stuart was just
such a promoter as Tex Richard. He was
dead game chap liked prize fights and
was willing tosrun the risk Of losing money
to pull one off. When he matched Corbett
and Fitzslmmons in 1896 Stuart thought
he had 1t all fixed to stage the scrap in
Texas. There was no law against fighting
in the Lone Star state at that time and
Stuart picked out Dallas as the battle
ground. The business men of that city
were with him to man and 1t looked like
sure thing until shortly before the
scheduled date, when Governor Culberson,
in response to protests from the clergy
called a special session Of the legislature
and passed a law that killed the fight.
Stuart was $4,000 out of pocket. which
had been spent in arranging details, but
he didn't weaken. He picked out a place
in the Indian territory for the battle-ground
and was going ahead Without opposition
when congress stepped in and blocked him.
Then he turned to Mexico--Juarez-jus
across the Rio Grande from Ell Paso,
xnf1ao k,sn
the greasers told him there could be moth
ing doing. Florida put up the bars and
finally when Stuart received assurances
that Hot Springs, Ark. would stand for
the mill. Fitzsimmons, In disgust, declared
everything off.
stuart Would Not Give Up.
by that time Stuart was $4,000 in the
hole, but he didn't give up He got a tip
that Nevada wasn't averse to prize fight
ing, so he went to Carson City and talked
the matter over with politicians and bust
ness men, with the result that the legis-
| lature passed a bill legalizing finish fights
! upon the payment of license fee of 81 1000
| Then signing Corbett and Fitzslmmons al
over again he built a huge wooden arena
with room for 5000 spectators and sent
word to the sporting world that there
would be no interference. The fight tool
place on March II, 1897, and the men bat
tied In the open air. Snow was on the
ground and the little town was crowded
with fight fans Yet when noses wer,
counted there were not more than 700
spectators that paid. stuart took in onl,
s22OOO and was big loser on the ventur,
itself, but he owned the moving pictur,
privileges. which netted more than $4,000
In profits. After that affair Stuart de
clined to promote any more prize fights
saying that It was not worth the troubl
and worry.
when Sullivan fought Kilrain at Rich
burg, Miss, in 1889, there was strong pro
test from the ministers, and 1t was oni!
by selecting this outlandlsh place that tn
mill was carried out. Fitzslmmons an,
Maher in 1896 had to travel all over tn
south before they met at Langtry, Tex.
before few hundred spectators, Fltz scor
ing a knockout in a round. Yet Jeffries
} fights with Fitzslmmons, Sharkey an
Corbett were not interfered with becaus
! OF the existence of the Horton law. Their
/ was no serious opposition to the Corbett
! Sullivan fight at New Orleans In 1892, Will
the Corbett- Mitchell fight at Jacksonvill
! two years later was held without troubl,
! There was no interference with JEFF
I fights on the coast with Sharkey Fits
) simmons. Rubin, Munroe. Choynski Jack
son and others.
More I'm California.
t California has been the scene OF NOR
ring contests than any other state in tn
g union, for that matter. The FItzsmmons
D Sharkey. Corbett-Sharkey, Corbett- Choyr
: ski Jackson-Corbett, Fitzsimmons- o. Briel
Fitzsimmons- Gardner, Burns Hart, o BrleI
Burns, Johnson Hart. Burns-squres, Johr
! son-McVey. Gans-Britt Gans-Nelson, A
g tell-Moran, Attell-Nelson, O'Brien- Kau.
d man, Johnson Ketchel, Johnson kaufman
t Barry Kaufman, Mcfarland WEIGH Ketcl
g el-Rapke, Nelson Young Corbett. Nelson
u Britt, Nelson Wolgast, Hyland-Cross Brit
/ Young Corbett, McGovern- Young Corbet
Il McCoy-Jack (Twin) Sullivan, Langfor,
r Barry, Langford-Flynn, Murphy Mora
IS and many other big fights have been d.
t cided on the coast without interruption.
It's matter of record that no heav,
weight championship fight in this or ar
II other country has ever resulted fatal
e There big fellows, as a rule, are bett
I. able to stand punishment than fighters
J. the lighter classes, yet somehow whs
N they are matched to scrap for the tit
N the cry of prizefightp goes up and there
Il trouble Police Supervisor Herget OF Sc
It Francisco said recently that a prIz
10 fight was scrap with bare knuckles to
IN finish. with wrestling and tripping q
Is lowed, and that such an affair was 4
"a different from a contest with padd
gloves under rules that prevented brutallt
I'll bet that II Jeffries and johnson con
Ie together neither will be seriously hurt b
r. yond black eyes and few bruises"
In -
he GIBSON HAD ONE BAD YEA