Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-06-17

gCopyright, 1910, by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate. Copyright in Canada and
Great Britain. All rights reservedl
CHAPTER xxi.
wHE TRUE STORY or THAT MUNRoE Az
FAIR IN BUTTE.
~ ONE time after our fight Fitz-
simmons and formed combi-
~ nation and began touring the
country with show. Fitzsim-
mons was a good card because Of the
great fight he had given me. The
show was a success everywhere we
went. Around through some Of the
western states we met all corners In
stead OF boxing together Some Fitz
took on. and some | took on. 1t was
in this way that / happened to make
Jack Munroe famous
This Munroe was a miner working
in Butte. Mont. He had been good
football player and amateur champion
boxer of the Pacific coast.
Long before we struck Butte our
advance agent had picked him out. l
didn't know a thing about Munroe.
Tile house that night was packed, and
all the people there expected to see
some fighting The fellow who had
been selected for Fitzsimmons didn't
know how to fight. and he made such
q poor exhibition that gitzslmmons
knocked him out In a round TO end It.
Nose La Fontise, good little fighter
from Montana. who won n lot of fights
all over the west. went on next and
knocked his man. some second rater
named Foley. out in a round too.
That left only Munroe and me. 1t
wasn't much of show to give with a
packed house out In front. l told
Fitzsimmous | was going to let Nun
roe stay as long as / could and try to
give the people a run for their money.
"Don't you be a fool" said Bob.
sYou get in there and finish him as
quick as you can. You're champion.
and you can't afford to fool around
with a dub"
thought knew best. so ! went out
and boxed lightly and gave the miner
a chance to make a showing i was
careful not to hurt him. Fitz was mad
corner after the first round. He roast
ed me to O turn and told me to go
out and end it, In the next round
spared easily again, but / hit Munroe
In the stomach and dropped him hard
er than / meant to. and l was afraid
ne wouldn't get up. But he did. In
spite OF Fitz. who was almost raving,
let Munroe stick until the fourth
round. Then / went I'm TO finish him,
but every time feinted for an open
ing or stepped In with punch he
dropped to the floor without being hit
and took the count. He was on his
knees so much that ! didn't have
chance TO knock him out. That was
all there was TO the Munroe matter in
Butte.
That night Clark Ball had a falling
out with Fitzsimmons. He rushed over
and signed up Munroe and began wir-
ing all over the country, telling the pa
pers that Munroe had won n decision
over me in four rounds and had knock
ed me down.
( Fitzsimmons was sore as bear. He
offered 20 fight Munroe and give him
$1,000 II he stayed two rounds Nei-
ther Munroe nor Clark Bail could see
81, and Munroe wouldn't fight me an
other four rounds for any amount of
money
on the Ist Of March, 1908. ] met Jim
Corbett In the Hotel Delavan 70 sign |
for another iignt Corhett had been |
challenging me for long time. and all |
tthe papers were fun of stories about It, !
/ We decided TO fight twenty rounds |
IN California for the best purse above |
$4,000 offered by any club, the win
ner TO take rs per cent aud the loser
Is per cent A little later we accepted
Tim Cofroth's offer FOR the Yosemite |
club of San Francisco. then the strong |
est boxing club on the Pacific coast.
when the time came to train Cor
bett went to Crolps Gardens, In Ala
media. one OF the prettiest little towns
ON the coast just across the bay from
san Francisco, and went back TO Har-
Din Springs again, like the Springs
Tor a training camp. ! had Bob fitz-
simmons with me now as a sparrlng |
t,artner Friends OF mine came mp and
STAYED at the hotel aud watched my |
work every day. II was sort Of
family party. when l was training at
the Springs for the fight with Fitzsim-
mons an the ladies and children at
the hotel used to come down 20 the
gymnasium and see us box We were
All good nntured about T. laughing
when We we're hit hard. They used 20
eo away and say; "why. there isn't
anything had about nghtlng. It's Just
game FOR big boys"
thought then ia have TO put on
ne date Of the fight FOR a few weeks
after bulI pup that we had IN camp