The Detroit times., 1910-02-19
HE DAY, GATHERED FOR THE DETROI
TO SEE JEFF- JOHNSON BATTLE;
CHAMPION OF ALL FIGHT-FANS UNE.4RTHED
aX lip MRlGhr.


I I've talked TO many an enthusiastic
night fan and have heard OF Others
" ho seemingly deserved the palm. but
/ have Just heard OF the man who Is
entitled 70 the utle or daddy or all
the fight bugs in the world
This prize bug is Peter Gordon
Grimes, native OF Georgia, present ad-
dress. Christmas island tBritishl
+ OceanNa. ot which hyspeck on the
worlds map Grimes Is one OF siA
White men residents.
II You want 10 locate Christmas
island. YOU take a map OF OCeanica
ana eaze along the tenth parallel,
south Latitude. Al the angle formed
los lines running $500 miles east ot
The northern Zip OF York peninsular,
Australia. aud $50 miles south or
SINGAPORE you will find dot about
lie size OF u bantam period. IL doesn't
iook big enough 10 house mature
gnlt. but il boasts OF "A population ot
H. 0uu natives.
Christmas islands nearest neighbor
biz enough 70 be charted IL Batavia,
GA the island OF Java. All around.
the Indian ocean monsoons whenever
the mood seizes IL.
Having located Christmas island
let me tell you about the man VINO
proposes 10 travel the $4,000 miles
dividing the island from San Fran
cisco. Just TO see. as he says. Jim
Jeffries make the yellow come up IN
Johnson's nNk You'll remember
Grimes halls from Georgia.
About three years ago. after ca.
reer which began in Atlanta and
spread from New York TO Pittsburg.
Peter Gordon Grimes. Nspaperman.
with a fondness tor writing sport
feature stories. forsook the fourth
estate and got himself job on
ranch IN Texas Here he held forth
long enough 10 accumulate bank
roll. and then. the Mardi Gras season
being on. he pulled his freight Tor
New Orleans.
Grimes remaines in the Louisiana
metropolis while the festivities were
on and then boarded liner for Ham
burg. where be found employment as
secretary 10 the European manager
OF the American Car Foundry Co.
From Hamburg he went TO MAJ
chester with his employer, thence 10
HOTt SdlO, NdiLo. IoNpAAa4HN' AAo
kong. and finally, Singapore II was
while in Singapore that Grimes en-
ployer located him with company
exploiting the gypsum mines ana Yea
plantations on Christmas island. WIN
visions OF riches 10 be had for the
striving. Peter Gordon Crimes OF
Georgia. Yale man, jumped into the
new life and made good
He found FIVE white men. all Eng
lish. when he stepped ashore from the
tramp steamer. and was welcomed
with oDen arms.
Crimes in his day was some ANA
teur ball PLAYER. and although the vest
rocket editions. as he calls the island
ers. did not promise much as pa!
ers. he ordered several outtts from
an American firm. and when they ar
rived began teaching the natives what
real sport was.
The little brown and yellow men OF
the east took 10 baseball Ike DUCKS
to water. and today. says Grimes,
they play a game that would be a
credit TO many a college team In TINS
country
Grimes prospered on Christmas
island. His salary was large. II hdu
TO be 10 get a white man to Stuck. he
invested his earnings. and in MS last
letters says he cleaned up s5O.oOo last
wear Here are extracts from his let
ter which shows how he feels:
About one more year IN TINS pait
OF the world and think | shall nave
A competence sufficiently large 10 en-