The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-02-23


$500 weight champion of
the world. T h e
end Of Nelson's
championship came
at Richmond field
yesterday after =
noon in the fortieth
81 round Ola contest
400 which had been
S4S9S|HSS scheduled for Is
..---------- rounds.
A. l. PRICE Nelson was Just
raising his tired
arms 10 force another futile punch
against Wolgast's fat face, when Eddie
Smith. the referee, stopped the contest
smith grabbed one of Wolgasts gloved
hands and raised it as a sign That the
Milwaukee lad was the winner.
Nelson. bloody Cyclops. his left eye
having been closed an hour before
could not accept the verdict. Auto
natically he tried TO struggle on. But
Tho fight was over. Nelson. in all his
ring career had won his battles by
taking beating and then coming back
fudonlitab bly, for more until his opponent
had no more to give. He could not
come back yesterday. though he made
"a most tremendous effort. and in the
twenty second round il seemed that he
would come back and hold his cham
lionship.
NELSON'S WORST BEATING
but DE could not seem to hurt the
youth from Milwaukee, who came
through tile fight showing scarcely
hruise on his tough. dark skinned face
REoIeast showed the same gameness,
moro endurance and considerably more
cIoverness. He gave Nelson his worst
beating
Nelson was in terrible shape. His
mouth and nose were bleeding. his
caulinower car ran scarlet. his left
cheek was pu6ed as If from neuralgia
and his left eye was no eye at all, but
p black and blue and red bump on his
face. His Cyclopean right eye glow
cred wickedly and redly. but at times
he tried TO wink with his discontinued
left eye. All he could DO was TO come
back automatically for more punish
nent but such was his wonderful grit
and pluck that he did the leading all
the way. and even when the fight was
stopped he was lettering forward to-
ward his victor ready to take another
blow on his terribly swollen face in
exchange for the possible chance Of
landing an effective right on the not
100 strong Wolgast.
From 20 minutes after o'clock until
four minutes of . the men fought yes
terday on the Richmond marsh. The
sun was shining ftfulIy when they
started in 1t had set some time be
fore they ended their journey. and in
The gathering dusk. under a heavy sky
that was filled with the menace Of rain,
the 10000 men and three or four women
sat fascinated. unable to turn from the
bloody scene before their eyes.
II might not have been the most
patriotic way of celebrating Washing
tons birthday. but pluckier contest
between two men could not have been
seen.
Result HUGE SURPRISE
Nelson was the champion. He had
beaten All the other lightweights and
had finally downed Joe Cans. Wolgast
was decidedly new. The betting was
. TO ! that Nelson would win, and few
wanted 10 hazard their pile on the Mil
wau1ee boy II was known that Nelson
would be beaten some time, but he was
sun considered the durable Dane It
was not thought that his time was
coming yesterday.
san Francisco sport followers invaded
Richmond yesterday in tho face Of a
threatened rain with a spirit that showed
them 10 he pass5onately hungry for
fight. Richmond is not the most &C
cessible place 10 reach. though it was
easier 10 get there than to get away
Probably the greater number of people
who went 10 the fight did not realize
that there was such a place as they
found 81 the other end Of a 80 minute
ferry and 10 minute railroad trip. They
found town with plenty of houses and
vast areas Of mud, which had been
neutraiized in strips by crushed rock
4 fine drizzle dampened the spectators
as they entered the octagonal arena.
The seats had been placed on board
floor. so the people were dry underfoot
al any rate.
The town did not lose an opportunity
10 boost itself. A real estate dealer
decorated one Of the fences with a wise
suggestion. The poster read:
Richmond is the largest city in Cali
fornia Of its age. You fellows better
buy lot with your winnings and make
some Of the easy money"
RICHMoND's GOLDEN CHANCE
No more sapient sign ever decorated
a nghting arena Most lighting field
fences in history have been -draped with
placards advising the winners on the
kind OF wine they should buy for the
girls. A town lot. even If it is muddy,
IS a better investment than wine bot
Ties. and the placard Of the Richmond
oracle gave interesting figures on the
towns growth. These figures were:
Pouplation-1seO 100; 1910, 10000;
1918. 10000
The town was full of deputy sheriffs,