The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1910-07-01

out the others style. Each had seen
| the other fight and was not to De fool
| ed easily. Neither cared TO take a
desperate chance. although tI'zsim-
| mems was apparently the more care
| less of the two.
Corbett danced and jabbed steadily.
Fitzsimmons, his face reddenea by tie
blows. only grinned and waited his
chance. He wasn't one of those fight
ers who. like Corbett. gradually wore
| their men down. He was terrific
hitter. who won with a sudden knock-
out Corbett knew this, and he was
| wary as Il fox Oh. it was pretty the
way they watched each other ana
measured each lead to the fraction OF
an inch. At the end Of the round
Corbett danced back to his corner.
| laughing. flushed and confident tss
stood up in his as il he didn't even
care to rest himself by sitting down.
| And so the hghf went along. Cor
| bett. growing bolder. was gradually
| cutting and tearing at Fitzsinmons
! with left and right as he found his
| openings. Fitzsimmons landed hard
| blow on Jim's mouth. and ] could see
Il grim look come over our champions
| face for a moment. His lips had been
cut. but he would not show first
| blood" He jabbed at Fitz until a
tiny stream of crimson trickled from
his nose and lips. and then Corbett
| deliberately spit the blood from his
own mouth.
| FitZSimmonS was making a mistake.
| and Corbett could see it as well as
any man at the ringside. Whenever
he was hit hard the freckled fighter
| turned his head toward his corner and
| grinnsd at his wife to show her he
was unhurt. Each time that he turn
ed Corbett caught him heavily with a
| jab. but he didn't step in close, for
Fitzsimmons was notedly crafty. and
it might be one of his tricks to draw
the more clever man within range.
| In the sixth round that rapid fire of
| jabs and short right handerS to the
| jaw began to tell. The middleweight
champion moved unsteadily on his
| legs and seemed worried. His face
was smeared with blood. Corbett was
| fighting undertaking harder and
more confidently. At last Fitz step
ped into a clinch. took blow in the
|
and knees. There he sat up deliber-
ately on his knees and cleared his
throat of the blood that was strangling
and sickening him. He took the count
Of nine and rose Corbett had waited
| deliberately Instead of rushing in
wildly and trying to beat Fitzsimmons
down again in hurry, as most fight
ers do when they have a man going,
be took his time. tented and jabbed
carefully while his enemy reeled away.
We were jubilant, but foxy old Billy
Delaney. the veteran. called to Cor
bett: Hes shamming. Jim. Look
out"
| Just then the bell rang. and Fitzsim-
mons, Keeling to his corner like
drunken man, fell into his chair. We
were busy on Corbett in an instant;
but, stealing a, glance across the way.
I could see frantic towel waving in
| the corner across the ring. Evidently
| Fitzsimmons' seconds were furried.
In our corner Jim sat up straight.
laughing and cracking jokes with his
friends at the side of the ring. He
| looked an easy winner.
But when the bell rang for the be-
| ginning Of the seventh round FitZsim-
mons. sprang from his chair like
| flash, with no trace of grogginess now,
| and ran across the ring at COrbett so
| hard that Jim was almost caught nap
ping in his corner With this round
Fitzsimmons stopped turning his head
| toward his wife and gave all his atten-
ton to fighting. He was strong and
| full Of fight again.
| Whether he was shamming in that
sixth round OF just naturally recover
ed his strength nobody but Fitzsim-
| mons will ever know. In any case he
was a different man now. Corbett re-
allied it at the first clash. could see
the laughter go from his lips and his
face turn to dull gray. Then be set
his jaw grimly and went on fighting,
using every particle Of his wonderful
skill to stall the rushing Cornishman
off and wear him down If he could.
| Corbett didn't laugh and joke in his
| corner after that. The affair had
grown too serious. He fought like
game man, and when Fitzsimmons
dropped him in the fourteenth round
with the famous solar plexus blow
he crawled to the ropes across the ring
and tried desperately to pull himself
~ ~