The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-02-25
JAWN |. HANDED
A LARGE PARCEL

Bat Masterson gives forth the fol-
lowing:
John L. Sullivan, in his "Reminiscences
of the prize ring, which is a dreary
tale at best, is making a laborious effort
to show that he was once the champion
of the world. He presents an amazing
array of figures and cites many reasons
to establish the fact. If anyone can
make OUT head or tail, after going
over Sullivan's, blue print, as to what
he is trying TO get at, he can do more
than / can.
Sullivan starts out by referring to
Tom Fig as the recognized English
pugilist at one time. Fig was a per-
sonage of note in the early part of the
eighteenth century. Then Sullivan
Jumps from Fig to Tom Crib, who, ac-
cording to fistiana, received a cham
pionship belt about 100 years after Fig
had disappeared from the scene. Sui
Ivan, however, gives no account Of
anything that happened in pugilistic
circles in the interim.
! OBLIGATED as timer and umpire for
Kilrain; also j was timer for Corbett
when he won the championship from
kOuIlAF 1lA la ANEW OAlEdllSs sullivan Is
the last man in the world who should
say anything discreditable about
fighter. For the sake of his own rec
ord he ought to be willing to let by
cones be bygones He never knew how
to fight and never engaged in single
battle in which he displayed champion
ship class.
1t is a shame to think what either
Jeffries or Johnson would have done to
John l.. in his best days. Sullivan's
ring record was built up by sporting
writer's of the panhandling variety. He
always played to the rabbIe. When
ever he visited town for the purpose
of giving an exhibition he relied on the
rabble for support. The rabble fol-
lowed him about the streets and sang
his praises long and Justify, and John
L. would even matters up by tossing a
handful of small change in the air and
let the rabble scramble for it.
1t seems to me that John L. could
we'll afford to take seat in the back
ground and quit knocking. WELDING
the hammer will not get him anything.
Sullivan was the poorest excuse for
a champion the American prize ring
ever had. even though he did beat
Paddy" Ryan and Jake Kilrain. All
the men he ever met knew how to fight
a little bit. Such. for instance, as
Charley Mitchell, Jack Burke. ALT
Greenfield, Tug Wilson and Dominick
McCafferty, were small middleweights.
and at that he failed to knock any one
of them out.
Bout With KiIrain Was Poor.
The Sullivan Kilrain bout which
went seventy five rounds, lasting two
hours and some minutes was positively
the worst exhibition of fighting / ever
saw. fe.s~er
Both men fought like two old dock
wallpapers. Neither man struck nor at
tempted to strike what could be called
an effective blow during the forty
rounds of pull and haul and fall down,
in which both men appeared to me TO
be willing to quit / remember asking
Charley Mitchell the next day at the
St. Charles hotel in New Orleans where
in thunderation he picked up such a
stiff as KiIrain.
1t was the first time / had ever seen
Kilrain, but / had been led to believe
from what Mitchell had told me and
from what / had been reading about
him that he was a wonder, but / was
disappointed. AS flor Sui
livan, / knew he couldn't fight enough
to keep warm, and. for that reason
thought Kilrain certainly would beat
him, and / still believe had not Mike
Donovan thrown up the sponge when
he did that Kilrain would have finally
won, not because of his superiority as
a fighter, but because Sullivan would
have quit first. This is true and cor
rect view of that fight.
John /. Failed to Worry Corbett.
When Corbett met Sullivan in New
Orleans the latter fully verified in every
particular the opinion / held of him. IL
was truly pathetic to watch the world
famed John L. trying to land one of
his wild swings and missing by fully a
yard. During the twenty one rounds
the battle lasted Sullivan failed to hit
the Californian a blow that would |
knock setting hen off her nest
Corbett fairly smothered Sullivan