The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-07-16
! Gun MAN.
MASTERSON
ON FIGHT.

/. No less authority on the fight dope
that Hat Masterson, sporting editor
OF The New York Telegraph. Is quot
ed by the Wichita Eagle as declar-
ing that the Jeffrles-.Tonnson fight
was frame up which went astrny.
bat" hands out the dope that Jeffries
was booked TO win, the negro cham
pion having signed articles OF agree
ment to lay s.own before the white
man. Howeyer when johnson de-
posed Of Manager Little and put In
stead Billie Delaney, mortal enemy
Of Jeff the az. cement was quashed,
Anyhow some queer stories or the
fight are gcing the rounds. johnson
issues a statement In which he says
IS.tle offered MIN $4,000 to LAY
down and AIastefson's statement is
seemingly verified by the subsequent
developments.
Here Is how Masterson dopeil out
the fight, as was given In the Eagle
1T was all arranged from the com
mencement of the affair that Jeffries
was to win that fight. Johnson was
to receive $4,000 to lose, and all ar
ticles Of agreement @ere dawn up
and signed to that effect. This was
while George Liitle was Johnson's
nGngger. A few days before the
fight Little and johnson fell out, and 4
Little was dismissed from his official
executive position with the black
giant. Then matters got crimped up
In d most peculiar manner.
"All ibis time bets were freely Of
fered all over the country Of 10 to
6 on JeffIies Ami yet there was
ever that sullen muImur OF dissatis-
faction that JeffIies did not train
very enthusiastically. Now 1t Is seen
why. Jim went fishing today. JET
fries rested all day. These and more
bulletins flashed out telling cf the
apdthetic indifferepces ana listless
training of the former champion But
as he was scheduled to win anyhow.
he figured he need not work hard.
Meanwhile however, johnson was
t aiming his best and most energetic
efforts at his camp.
Now, ghen Little quit, Johnson
looked about for a successor, and Bill.
Is Delaney has had 1t in for jeff for
years, was naturally selected. Delaney
has had 1t In for Jeffsies .or years
fer reasons best known to both, but
it Is alleges jeff is charged by his
former trainer with double crossing
him. As soon as Delaney got in com
tr3l of Johnson, he demanded at once
to see the signed articles of agree
ment. When he saw the frame-up
he at cnce flaitly refused to go further
unless that ARTICLE was repudiated
and new ones. made at Ills dictation,
signed The new agreement. drafted
by tht Willy Delaney, was to ,ne effect
that the best man win, winner to get
so pc. cent of the whole receipts and
loser 40 per cent.
or course Johnson was perfectly
willing. He was In perfect tim and
the pink OF condition, while his alyer-
sary had loiled around camp making
only poor bluff at training.
4 Furthermore. Johnson would by the
new terms get whole lot more mon
ey out OF 1t than the first riame-up.
And Jeffries ami his managers dared
not do anything else than sign up,
or the whole cat would be let out of
the bag. BY that time ii was too late
for Jeff to do any strenuous and sat
isfactory training. II Is well remem-
bered how the bulletins declared that
for two days Jeffries was IN III humor
and very nervous and no wonder.
The outcome OF course could be on
ly one way. jeff had long been out
OF the game and without heavy train
ing he walked into the ring DOOM
ed man and with not nearly so much
to win from 4 monetary viewpoint
as by the first agreement. He knew
he was dn for licking and he got it.
He also got the little end of the stake
money This Is the explanation oil
the very poor showing jeff made all
the way through In the fight. It was
finally straight iisht all right, but
1t had not been so Intended until Lit
lie was pried loose and Delaney plac
ed in charge and he asked for no bet
ter thing than to get even with jeff,
get him whipped, and get his man to
win the heavy end of the stakes.