The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1910-06-10

IT WILL only be few days more
i now until we will know who is the
greatest fighter in the world. Jim
Jeffries and Jack Johnson will step
into the arena on July 4-providing,
OF course, the churches do not manage
to prevent it-and there will be bat
tie for which thousands are going to
travel many miles to see.
They have selected "Tex" Richard
as referee. One thing that may be said
in Ticks" favor is that he has the
requisite nerve to be the third man in
the ring with the great white and
black gladiators. That referee job Is
going to be some work. Tex Is going
to have his hands full from the tap of
the first bell. Lots Of people thought
when he was first selected that 1t was
only temporary arrangement and
the fighters would get together and
pick an experienced man. But TEX"
declared he intended to serve and
both scrappers said he would suit
them.
Richard first came into prominence
AZ NhS po6 WoAiu WAOA A0 PulICu I'LL
the first Gans-Nelson battle. He has
seen lots of big fights and knows the
game fairly well. OF course he is not
Siler, a Charlie White or an Eddie
Smith, but he always has his wits
about him and he should be able to
make the big fellows behave. 1t is a
fact that the big men are usually cas-
fpr Tn CONTROL in, tho vii, h.
tie fellows, SO, after all, TEX" may not
have such time of it as some ex-
pect.
When the baseball fans get together
and talk about old times 1t is seldom
that somebody does not bring in the
name Of Amos Rusie, once the star of
the New York Giants like Christy
Mathewson Is now. Ward Jackson,
one of Cleveland's veteran bugs"
told this one:
''Rusie, like many another star,
didn't twinkle any too brightly when
he first appeared in the baseball sky.
He had been loaned or farmed' out to
the Burlington Qa.) team for the final
series of games in the old Interstate
league between the Burlington and
Davenport mines. The Davenport
teams star battery of that year was
Rhines and Harrington, afterward
with Cincinnati.
well, anyway, Rusie did his best
to earn his money Manager Chamber
lain of Burlington had paid for his
services, and after losing one game
to and winning another to came
back to Indianapolis on this day am
talking about.
well, when 1t came time for prac-
tise-we were playing Louisville that
day-there was nobody to warm up
with the other pitchers. Big Amos
wandered about the park disconsolate-
ly, occasionally hurting the ball
against the fence or grand stand and
retrieving 1t himself
Finally Rusie walked over to the
stand and, looking up to the first row
of seats, shouted: Come down here,
Pop, I want to warm up
"A big, administered man got up
from his seat, took off his coat, hung
it on the back of his chair and, jump
ing over the rail into the diamond,
said: All right, Amos. my boy. Let
'em come in fast
'Then Amos's father, his whiskers
streaming in the wind, pulled on a
fielder's glove and, scorning mask and
pad, stood back there by the stand
and warmed up his son; warmed up
the mighty Rusie who, within a year
or two, was destined to become one OF
the most remarkable pitchers in all
the history of the game.
Amos didn't spare his father. He
fed him outcurves and inshoots, high
balls and l8w balls, fast ones and
teasers. not even forgetting the jump
BALI that was destined to make him
famous,
"And you should have seen the old
man. He never side-stepped thing
Shoot 'em in, me boy he would say
Put something on 'em, Amos You're
working fine today That's the way;
straight across and fast
well, sir, it was wonderful sight
that middle-aged man in street clothes
and with his flowing whiskers of fiery
red, standing out there on that bills
tered field, ignoring the taunts and
jeers Of the crowd, warming up his
beloved boy, Amos, who, even then
was giant and hurricane pitcher.
when the time for the game begar
Rusie's father climbed back over the