The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1910-07-29

DAWN UPON NEW YORK.
4 BOUT this time there was just
"a one fighter left to the Pacific
~ coast to meet me. He was /.
Tom Sharkey. Tom had
couple Of years. start in the game.
When l fought Long. Sharkey was a
topnotcher. He came ashore from the
cruiser Philadelphia in 1895 and
knocked out Australian Billy Smith
in seven rounds. After licking a SOL
der named Miller and drawing with
Alex Greggains he knocked Choynski
out in eight rounds. Sharkey was such
a rough customer that they put him
against Champion Jim Corbett. expect
ing to see him cut to pieces. He
roughhoused Corbett for four rounds,
and everybody went crazy over him.
Then he fought Fitzsimmons, and
Wyatt carp gave him the decision on
a foul.
When l was offered a fight with
Sharkey, Billy Delaney and both felt
my way, and the championship didn't
look far Off AS for Bill. he sat down
and said: "Jim, you can lick this sailor.
There's nothing to it, Billy wasn't
much on giving out tips. but he did
tell lot of his friends that I could
beat Sharkey The fight was in Me-
chanics' pavilion on May 6. 1898.
When we entered the ring looked
over at Sharkey. and he grinned He
was as confident as gamecock. He
looked like sawed off Hercules. His
skin was tanned by the sun and wind,
and his muscles bulged out all over in
big bumps. He had anchors tattooed
on his arms and big ship in red and
| blue ink on his chest.
do you see that ship on Sharkey's
front?" asked Billy Delaney.
Sure" said Bill.
"Well, keep your eye on 1t. I'm going
to sink it." l said.
| We began fighting.
Without waiting to feel Tom out I
walked straight at him. and he gave
ground. He didn't like my looks much,
l guess, after the clever fellows he had
been fighting. But in moment he
jumped at me with a wild swing. It
was no trouble at all to push him away
with my left and make him miss.
|
forcing the fighting round after round.
In the seventh round Sharkey got vi
cious and rushed at me as If he want
ed to throw me overheard. Two or
three times he damned me against the
ropes.
In the next round Tom came tearing
at me with his head down like bull.
reached out and caught him by both
shoulders. Then I spread my feet to
lget a good hold on the floor and shook
him like a schoolteacher shaking a
boy. That was the biggest surprise
Sharkey ever had in his life.
1 tried hard to get him in the last
round, and l guess he tried hard, too.
for he got in couple Of good swings.
At the finish GreggainS gave me the
decision. Sharkey left the ring look
ing pretty glum, but he hadn't any
thing to say except that he'd fight me
again.
; l gave him the first chance at my
title when became champion.
I had cleaned up all the big heavy
weights in the west now, and there
was nothing to do but to go east and
make cleanup there that would lead
to a fight with Fitzsimmons for the
championship. My hopes went high
when was offered my first chance in
New York. The eastern people wanted
to see the man who had beaten Peter
jackson and Tom Sharkey. Ton
O'Rourke matched me against two
men for ten rounds each, the fights tt
take place at the Lenox Athletic club
, in New York city.
: The east seemed strange to me on
this first trip back since my boyhood
days. Even the streets and the trees
, and the buildings were so different
from ours in California that it seemed
like going into foreign country
+, Even the people were different. To
day I have friends and acquaintance
everywhere and can enjoy a visit tC
New York, but the first time few
days of it left me homesick for my
own California mountains.
AS for Armstrong and O'Donnell
: the men picked to fight me, I didn't
] worry over them. Armstrong knew
only by reputation. O'Donnell l ha6
met in San Francisco when he came
. to the coast with Madden and Rubin
O'Donnell was as clever as Jim Cor
bett in a gymnasium, but he was ar
: unlucky big fellow. AS soon as he
+ stepped into ring to fight he became
: SO nervous that he forgot his skill.
picked Armstrong for my first man
thinking I'd do the hardest before
there was chance of getting tired.
1 couldn't help admiring the looks Of
: big Bob when he stripped in the oppo
site corner on the night Of Aug. 5