The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-07-05
WAS LIKE
A FUNERAL
Crowds in New York
Heard of Jef's Defeat
in Silence

New York, July 5-For the first
time in the prize ring a negro is the
undisputed heavyweight champion OF
the world. And what white man is
there in sight today who can wrest
that title from John Arthur Johnson?
That Is the question the fight fol-
lowers of New York. az we'll as OF the
~nole country. are asking today. The
only answer is au echo-"Who7" The
only hope any OF the fans can see to-
day lies In Al Kaufman. but II Is ad-
m,tted generally that his hope has
not very solid foundation. Kauf-
man, while young. big and strong. has
hardly given evidence as yet of those
qualifications which make UP a flrst-
rate fighter. Aside from him, the
pugilIstic horizon can be scanned in
vain.
Despite this situation. however, fol-
lowers of the game are cheering each
other by recalling some not too an
cient ring history. IL is pointed out
that after Sullivan had defeated XII
rain 1t was predicted that no man
could be found to defeat the mighty
John l., but along came Jim CoTbett.
the young ex-bank clerk. who sent
Sullivan down To bitter defeat. Ad-
mirers of Corbett calling attention
TO his admittedly great cleyerness
and quickness. wore equally sure that
there was no man in sight 10 wrest
the title from him. And yet Bob
Fltgsimmons. at that time fighting
as a middleweight. came out of his
class and took the crown from Cen
tleman Jim" And, so they reason.
somewhere there may be even now 4
sturdy youth who Is destined to bring
the championship back to the white
race.
1t may well be doubted if any event
ever interested so many New Workers
a. one time A crowd estimated TO
contain not less than 10000 persons
blocked the streets and open spaces
in front OF the bulletin board OF one
uptown newspapers and other crowds
in the aggregate tens of thousands
more. stood In front OF other bulle-
tins, OF filled public places where the
returns from Reno were being receiv-
ed The Johnson adherents in these
crowds appeared to he outnumbered
ten TO one. In the early part of the
good blow or eTaded- one. the crowds
cheered Along toward the last Of the
battle these demonstrations grew less
and less, although the Jefirles follow
ers still hoped tenaciously for the
best
In the eleventh round the ticker ser
vice. after describing one mix up, re-
ported:
johnson winbed at the crowd
Hes winking good. bye" said one
JeGries man, and the crowd tried hard
to believe It.
At most places the report of the
fatal 18th round was received with al
most a dead silence The crowds melt
ed away dejectedly 1t was as If they
were going from a funeral.
II was a harvest for the newsboys.
Extras began coming of the presses
of all the evening papers as soon as
the bare result was flashed from the
arena. Other extras followed in rapid
succession and the papers went like
the proyerbinl hotcakes. Residents Of
sections into which newsboys rarely
penetrate, were summoned from the
streets by cries OF Extra All about
the big fight
Not all the papers were bought by
men Thousands OF women betrayed
as much interest in the big fight as
was shown by the men.
At Cedarhurst. L. J.. a polo match
on the grounds of the kocKaway Hunt
ing club was suspended while the
players and spectators alike listened
10 the reading of fight bulletins.
And the question stlll is. who will
beat Jack Johnson"