The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1910-12-28
THE STORY OF HOW THE BIG
FELLOW" WENT OUT.

THE STORY OF HOW THE BIG
FELLOW" WENT OUT.
The Irish bard knows how to tell
about fight. When Cuchuillin and
another hero whose name was smashed
through my memory were battling for
the mastery Of all Ireland, the bard
l think it was Jeremiah Curtin-says:
"And where they tore up the earth in
their struggles they made hills where
there had been hollows. and hollows
where there had been hills, and one of
the clods of turf from their heels flew
off q million miles and blinded one eye
of the hag who sits spinning in the
Eastern sky" And that's the sort Of
q fight they had when Jim Corbett
beat John l.. Sullivan for the champ
ionship ofthe world.
The ten thousand men packed in the
amphitheater around the square plat
form on which the fight was to take
place were so keyed up with expecta.
ton that they could not sit still. They
talked necessarily, smoked or chewed
gum necessarily and drank many gal
Ions Of ginger ale, sarsaparilla and soda
water from the peddlers' trays-all in
vain hope of assuaging the eagerDess
HAT stretched every nerve to the
ui,lnst.
There was little clapping ofhards
when Corbett entered the ring, for there
were few spectators who had bet on
him, besides some others who felt sym.
patty for the gallant lad in what they
believed was hopeless encounter and
were trying to cheer him in his last
moments of consciousness. He smiled
as he bowed to the hand.clappers and
then pranced about the ring, charging
forward or sidestepping on tiptoe so as
to judge the elasticity and stability of
its floor, which was Of reddish. brown
earth from the Mississippi river bot
tom, packed and rolled so as to give a
hard, smooth, resilient surface with no
danger Of slipping. Corbett had hard
~ seated himself when Sullivan plum.
ged through the ropes and bounded
across the ring. while all the house
arose as if on one pair Of legs and
cheered and hOwled and shrieked and
for joy. John l.. bodied
short little bow and sat down in his
corner. He glared over at Corbett-
for two reasons: /. he felt himself 80
immessurably the hest man in the
world that he hated any one who dar-
ed to dispute his kingship, and, 2, he
knew that the glare generally took the
last atom Of fight energy out of his ant
agonist.
But the glare had no terror for the
pale young Californian. He met Sulli-
vans eye calmly and smiled in rath.
er patronizing way. Inasmuch as
Mike Donovan had long ago warned
me about this duel of eyes, l was
intentIy every thing that pass.
ID, when l saw Corbett's superciIious
mile / was struck breathless with sur.
Prise. COULD it be possible that any |
,uman being would dare to treat John |
L. like that and hope to live? Impos.
ible. Something of the same sort,
much intensified. must have passed
through the great mans mind, for his
,lare now became a scowi Of fierce
nalignity before which the strongest
must quail. But Corbett did not
NOW how 10 quail. When, in con.
Ormity with custom, he advanced to
bake hands in the middle of the ring,
Re still regarded Sullivan with his SUI
erciliOus smile.
John L. was raging. That huge
nix Of his seemed to throw off hate in
ibrations, and the corners of his mouth
narled downward as he came face to
ice with his adversary. Corbett,
xenty pounds lighter and three inches
aller than his enemy, smiled down up.
D him patronizingly. This was too
'uch. When they clasped hands
orbett quickly grabbed Sullivan's
myers, squeezed and wrenched them
} hard as he could, and then disdain.
lily threw the hand aside. That is
'eway John usually crushed the spirit
his antagonist. but this bold young
pstart had actually beaten him at his
IN game. Not only that. but he
exultingly in Johns face,
I'd then, rs he walked of, turned and
'inned mockingly while he uttered
me snseriDg phrase which, of course,
,ne of US outsiders could hear. That