Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-07-06

n ovERNoR

Le14NO8 New july o.
- oVERNOR DIcKERSON has
. given out the following state
ment respecting the Jeffries-
Johnson fight, at which he was a spec
tator: II do not at all regret that the
fight was pulled off IN Nevada. It was
a clean fight. n Tex Richards as
surances to me personally were made
perfectly good.
II am In favor always Of manly
sport. just al long as the game is
played clean and square, as this was.
There Is absolutely no warrant, in my
Judgment, for the protests that have
been made against it. The fight just
having taken place in Reno demon
strated fully that there was nothing
about 1t but what was proper for any
State to permit.
"The spirit Of fair play had a strong
hold on the thousands of people who
witnessed it, of whom I was one, and
that fact was made evident, as the
crowd was overwhelmingly for JEFF
fries, but when the black man dem
onstrated his complete superiority In
every way and won the battle of think
Ing, seeing and acting simultaneously
as the result of greater mentality, speed
and vitality. no demonstration of re-
proach or insult was offered in n
manner.
Crowd Was Not Rowdy.
Tine character of the men compos-
ing that crowd was not made up large-
ly OF the rowdy or thug element, as
many would lead one to believe is al
ways the case at such events, but Of
business and prominent men. OF my
own personal knowledge the holding of
this event in Nevada was beneficial
rather than injurious, Notwithstanding
the claims advanced by some. as il has
made the possibility and natural adj
vaptages of this State. with its un-
developed wealth, familiar to MANY
who otherwise would not have heard
OF the State. l am well pleased with
the intelligent manner in which the
tremendous crowd was handled and
treated by the people of Reno. and |
have heard only expressions Of good
viii for the city on all sides.
Il VIII further state that as long as
the law licenses glove contests 1 will
not attempt to interfere with such
event in any manner in the future.
AS for the contestants in this fight.
l can only say that the defeat of JEFF
Tries demonstrated the experience and
contention of all students of athletics
that after a man has for some time
been out OF condition he cannot regain
his former vitality and condition of his
physical perfection. for nature will in
variably assert itself. He was not. and
never could be, the Jeffries of former
days"
In speaking of the fight johnson said
tnat In the first few rounds, when he
pushed Jeffrfes back several times. he
felt that he was the. master of the SIT
uation- The crisis Of the fight was
reached in the seventh round, said the
champion. In this round he landed an
effective stomach punch. olloved by
a blow to the jaw. He said that he
knew then that Jeffries was at his
mercy.
George Cotton, of Johnson's train
ing staff, said: when Jeffries and
johnson clinched in the eighth round
Jack said to Jeffries: I've got your
measure, Mistah Jeffries. and / am go
ing to put you out any time I want
to-"
As a result of the experience at the
union station last night the railroad Of
f1cers placed two detectives on the
train to accompany the champion to
Omaha.
Johnson intends going direct to New
York, where he opens his theatre en-
gagement Monday evening. In the
party with johnson was Tom Elan
agan. his manager; George Cotton, Sig
Hart, Walter Monahan and Professor
Burns.
In Chicago johnson win spend a few
hours with his mother.