The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-04


fight would be held in California ,rh
| following week Jeffries ended his the
atrical tour in Duluth MINI, and a
once started for his home in Los An
1 geles.
! on March 10 EmerYville race track
In Oakland, Cal. was selected as TIL
place for the contest.
During this time Johnson was film,
| his vaudeville engagements, and Jer
fries was quietly preparing at his home
IN Los Angeles to go into actual train
Ing. AS a preliminary step he took al
extended hunting trip. on April
Jenries began his training at Rowan.
dennan. Cal He had made arrange
,ments for a husky group OF trainers
including Bob Armstrong. Joe Choy
nski, Farmer Burns, Jim Corbett and
several lesser lights In the pugilisti,
world to help him get into condition
And they all joined the camp some time
within the following month.
The next important step was the
posting of 100000 by Rickard and Glea
son on May 8, as the second instalment
OF the big purse. and the following
day the promoters and managers met
at Seal Rock Hotel near Johnson
training quarters to decide on refe-
rec FOR the big fight. This quest ton
had been difficult one to settle, since
tne hghters had first agreed to meet
and the session at Seal Rock House
was warm one. Every one whom
y Crimson proposed Berger took excep-
ton to. and vice versa. The discussion
fnally ended with no result, excepting
that arrangements had been made for
another meeting to be held on May 1s.
Ricknrd Accepted.
The second meeting did not prove
much better. After several hours of
bitter wrangling Johnson proposed Tex
Richard, one of the promoters. Rer-
ger agreed to this selection. and in
spite OF Richards protests he was Sc
lected to referee the fight, unless the
principals could come to an agreement
on some other man before the date OF
the conetst. n.
subsequently Richard announced
that he did not intend to look for an
other party to be the third man in the
ring, as he had full confidence in his
own cbility to referee the fight
In the mentaine considerable opposi.
ton had arisen to the selection OF
Emeryville as the site for the contest.
and on the day that Richard was
named as referee the promoter an
nounced that the fight would be held
in San Francisco proper.
With the selection of the referee
the last obstacle to the contest now
seemed to have been ovrcome, and the,
work was begun on the big arena
Although the law of California only
prevents boxing bouts and strictly
prohibits prize fighting. no official inter
"a r. .J,.ae =
Gillett's expressions on the subjects
had all been decidedly favorable. de-
spite the fact that both he and the
Attorney General were being flooded
with bids from ministers and church
workers from all over the country to
stop the contest On May 81 the
Board of Supervisors granted the per-
nit and everybody seemed happy.
But storm was gathering, and the
first intimation that the public had of
1t came the following day, when Gov
ernor Gillett was quoted in an inter
view. under a Chicago date-line, as
saying that he thought the Jefries-
Johnson fight was frame-up." He
alter repudiated the interview. and
said that his words had been misin-
-erpreted. He had intimated. however.
that he was of the opinion that the
Z.
This gave the church workers and OPP
ponents of the big battle an excel
lent opportunity, and they flooded
their Chief Executive of the state, as
we'll as their Congressman and Sena-
tors, with petitions to prohibit the
contest But what religious influences
cannot do. political sometimes can,
and when the Governor OF California
heard that San Francisco was in dan
ger of not getting the Panama Expo
sition, to be held in 1915, on account
Of the opposition of a member of the
Committee on Expositions to the Jeff
fight. he Immediately
took action.
Fight is stopped.
On June Is he directed the Attorney
General to stop the big fight This
order proved a severe shock to the
the business men of the city. and
caused the loss of millions of dollars
The promoters alone lost $4,000. For
five days the question hung fire, and
the promoters used every means to
encompass the Governors Intention,
but when he threatened to call out
the state troops ii they persisted in
holding the fight. Richard abandoned
the idea, and on June 20ahe announced
that the big fight would be held IN
Nevada
The following day Reno was Sc
lected as the site for the contest.
despite the fact that Goldheld had Of
fered soo0,oo0 if the promoters would
bring the fight to that city, Poor rail-
road accommodations, however, and
the fact that it would mean an addi-
tional ride of twelve miles across
desert, proved detrimental to Cold
fields chances,
On June 90 Jeffries arrived in Reno
and established his training quarters
at Moana Springs. Johnson followed
two days later. Everything is now In
readiness. and unless an earthquake or
some other unexpected disaster occurs
within the next few hours. the great
1ustion will have been decided.
N;roi;n;;a 7 eao,e