Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-15

Jeffries and Johnson, and every reveia-
ton only tends to emphasize the rotten
ness of the whole affair from its incep-
ton to its contamination. says Frank
Hough in the Philadelphia Inquirer. For
the extent of its ramifications, for the
variety Of the methods employed to bring
It to a successful head, and for the
CALDER and the number Of fistic crooks
who were connected with it in one way
or the other, it completely overshadows
everything ever pulled of in the way OF
flstfc jobbery from the time Wyatt carp
single-handed robbed Fitzsimmons of the
fruits Of his victory over Tom Sharkey
in Frisco, down to the night that Cor
bett and Mccoy. in the last days OF the
Horton law. gave the public such lovely
jolt at Madison Square Garden. And
that is saying a good deal.
Corbett-McCoy Fake.
AS a rule it takes a long while for the
truth OF these jobs to filter through.
Take the Corbett- Mccoy frame-up for
instance. Had it not been for the fact
that the iewsies appertaining to the
households of these distinguished expo
nents of che Queensberry code became
Jealous of their lords and masters the
chances are that the real inside details
OF that job never would have been re-
vealed, for 1t will be recalled that the
New York press was a unit In declaring
that the paStfcular bout was an exnlbi-
ton of boxing at its best estate. But
when 1t was proposed to throw them into
the discard the ladies in the case gave
hand-painted illustration Of the truth Of
the adage that Hell hath no fury like
woman scorned.'' only in this case 1t was
a double-barreled affair. and they pro-
ceeded to lay bare the contemptibie de-
frame-up, but Of that in which Corbett
figured with Tom Sharkey at the Lenox
Club some time before, when he-Coroett
was to have gone down and out so that
the sure-thing players who had commits
sioners scattered and plaRted in all the
pool centers of the country could have
cleaned up something in the neighbor-
hood of a half million dollars. 1t will
be recalled that Honest John Kelly
scotched that Job by declaring all bets
off-something unheard of up to that
time-although Sharkey won the fight on
foul, Jack McVey jumping into the
ring at the instance of the thieves who
that in some way or other Corbett would
doubie-cross them at the last minute.
Feared Double-Cross.
That would have been impossible that
night, for the reason that Corbett had
done little or no training for the bout,
and would have been beaten by the sail
orman long before the legal completion
of the fight, anyway. BY their very
anxiety to cinch the money. they defeat
ed the purpose of the frame-up. II Nc
Vey had not jumped into the ring,
Sharkey would have won on the lever,
with the purse. Never before in the his
tory OF the ring has there been such q
collection Of hstic crooks. confessed ana
proven, gathered together at one time as
admitted chiefs Of jobbery. Of double
crossing, were there. except those VINO
did not have the price, and II one-tenth
that has been printed Is true every one
down to the lowliest wipe. has been
smirched James j. Corbett was the
generalissimo In the Jeffries camp. Con-
sidering what the gentlemanly one has
art of self-defense. did his presence with
the Jeffries outfit tend to inspire con-
hdence?
Another Celebrity.
AS chief Of staff Of the johnson forces,
there was Sig Ferretti Of Chicago, who
engineered many Of the deals in which
the master mechanic Of all fistic crooks
and possibly the most accomplished boxer
that ever Nved-Tommy Ryan-fgured. and
who. in conjunction with Lou Houseman.
who pulled OF the notorious Joe Cans
Terry McGovern job In Chicago. handed
the National Athletic Club people here
the Ryan-Root barney OF some four or Ave
years ago.
Then the squabbling between Johnson
and his former manager. George Little,
the extraordinary actions of Jefries Tor
three days before the fight, the windy
do pof NJ Ricka nd all tend
confirm the suspicion that the fight was
conceived in crookedness. and whether
Johnson crossed Jeffries or not at the last
minute does not lessen the general con-
tempt which the general public will en-
tertain for all connected with 1t. If there
was any one connected with the affair
who was absolutely up and up 1t appears
to have been Johnson. for no matter what
the correspondents may have said In CIV
ing vent to their personal views. he per-
sisted In declaring that he was In excel
lent shape, and that he would win. He
may not have been accepted seriously by
those whose business it should have been
to exercise every means within their power
to discover the exact condition of at
fairs. but the easy way In which he
brought home the money proved that he
was right and that they-the able cor
respondents-did not know what they
were talking about.
Knew Jeff's Condition.
That the wise ones in Jeffries' camp
knew his real condition days instead Of
hours previous to the fight now seems to
be reasonably sure. and 1t would not be
surprising II some OF them profited by
their knowledge They are all now agreed
that JEFF was in no condition to fight
any one. let alone a tough proposition like
johnson. although up to the very night
before the fight they declared that If the
result hinged upon the relative physical
condition of the two men, Jen would be
the winner. Yesterday a story was
sprung in New York to the effect-sup-
posed to emanate from some one who
was in the confidence OF the Jef1r1es
camp-that an effort had been made on
the morning of the fight to have Jef
make a clean breast Of everything to
Richard and have the latter declare all
bets of, and thus save the big wads of
money which the former champions
friends had bet on him. According to
the story, JEFF would not consent to ex-
nlain his true condition to the referee,