The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-02-28
LIVE NEWS OF THE SPORTING WORLD Ill.,

through the streets at break-neci
speed in a racing automobile and be
stared at. Being arrested for speed
ing and paying his fine from a pocket
bullying with money is his idea of be-
Ing impressive.
He likes to use big words that mean
nothing in particular. He is delight
ed to accept invitations ID deliver lee
lures before associations OF colored
people. Having been around 50 much
with men of affairs, and having been
in the public eye for so long. john
son has picked up a sort Of ''patter''
and an etiquette, both CT which he
practices with excrucia ting elegance.
Result: In the art of being interview
ed, he makes Jeffries look like a dub.
1t is not perfectly obvious that
simple child of the jungle like this
darkey with his coon diamonds and
his striped shirts could not direct his
marvellous fighting defense by con-
scious thought?
1t follows that Johnson is more
nearly the perfect animal than JEFF
fries.
Jeffries, the prize fighter, is the
product of painful, conscious effort;
Johnson, of an agility that is I'M
thought and purely instructive.
In the Darwinian days. Jeffries was
a big old water buffalo and Johnson
was a panther; but it is evident that,
after Jeffries left the jungle Johnson
stuck around and practiced for a few
million years. Neither, you will OBJ
serve, is the fighting type Of animal,
in the sense of being pugnacious The
buffalo and the panther fight when
they have to.
johnson Not Afraid of Jeff.
When Jeffries, the sedate mechanic,
meets this amusing but adroit bar
barian, the general opinion is that
Johnson will be overaWed and gener-
ally scared to death.
1t is mistake, however, to sup
pose that Johnson is actually afraid
Of Jeffries. The danger that he faces
is more subtle; it is Jeffs Anglo-Sax-
on will power.
1t has been observed that the weak
ness of colored prize fighters is their
imagination and their susceptibility
to impressions.
1t is imagination that makes an
Irishman a terror in a fight; but it
seems to run in the other direction
with Africans.
A peculiar trait of all negro prize
fighters, for instance, is that they al
ways listen to the shouts of the crowd
about the ringside. White prize fight
ers assert that they never hear the
crowd after the fight once begins
Taking advantage of this trait of
colored men, their white opponents
call them vile names and station men
about the ring to yell ribald abuse in
the hope of driving them into futile,
wild fits of negro wrath
However, this is of small impor-
lance. Johnson's danger is the negro
susceptibility to an altogether diff
ent sore of impression; that of being
attacked by sudden encouragement
Loss of morale, army men call it,
Goe Cans would have beaten Bat.
Ting Nelson with ease at Goldfield
but for the fact that he could not
T beat down the white boys belief in
himself. Two or three times, Cans
saw the chance for the knockout blow
and hammered in with all his might
When the white boy did not drop, but
bored in for more, something seemed
to ooze out of the colored fighter.
Johnson has fought tough, hard
fighters; but they have always drop
ped when he got ready to drop them.
Will Jack Lose His Courage.
1t will be interesting to watch the
effect upon the fighting spirit when
he lashes in with the knockout blow
Continued on Page Four.)