Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-02
SHARKEY FIGURING
ON GRABBING Coin
Stingy Sailor Touting Himself as
the Latest Hope of the
White Race

NEW YORK, Oct. down at
Sheepshead Bay, which is one of the
quietest placed on earth with the big
race track gates closed tight, broad
shouldered square-jawed man is bang
ing away at a punching bag in barn
and taking long runs on the dserted
thoroughfares, while the residents in
dulge in gossip This very active, ear
nest person is known all over the civil
ICED world as Thomas Sharkey, able
seaman, who retired from the prize ring
In 1903 after a sensational career, dur
ing which he put up wonderful %
round fight with James j. Jeffries.
To speak plainly, even though 1t may
amuse the sporting fraternity, Sharkey
is training for the sole purpose of get
ting into condition for a fight with Jack
Johnson, the negro heavyweight cham
pion of the world. Sharkey saw john
son defeat Jeffries at Reno and imme-
diately after the alleged fight he hit the
trail for his home at the Bay, secretly
confident that If able to regain his old
form he could whip the black man and
recover the championship for the white
race. Sharkey did not waste any time
In getting down to business. Always in
pretty fair condition, he began training
lightly, and finding that his speed and
strength were simply dormant, he grad
ually increased the daily exercise, al
though keeping the entire plan of ac-
ton to himself.
Sharkey is 35 years old, little older
than Johnson. He has always been
regarded as physical marvel, but
when he got through with Jeffries at
Coney Island he was taken to hos
pital suffering from two fractured ribs
and broken nose. That was in 1882
when Sharkey was in his prime, but
the terrific beating he received on that
occasion took away much of his stam-
ina, and year later Fitzsimmons
stopped him in two rounds with few
well-directed punches. Sharkey tack
led Jack Munroe in q six-round bout
in Philadelphia in 1903 and was sound
ly beaten. His poor showing in that
affair convinced Sharkey that his
fighting days were over, and he re-
tired to attend to his private affairs.
But Sharkey has taken care of his
health ever since, and the fighting bee
has never ceased to buzz In his head;
lie Is a game determined fellow, and
would rather fight than do anything
else except counting money. Pos
sessed of great strength, he still COM
mands the respect of rough and tum-
BILE artists, and with a single word
he can COW a gang leader as well as
a plain, ordinary trouble seeker.
Sharkey has known Johnson for many
years, and has always despised him
as a pugilst. He was dead sure that
Jeffries would knock the big negro
into a state of collapse in a few
rounds, and when the boilermaker was
defeated Sharkey refused to believe
that jeff was himself
"I can beat Johnson!" he told some
of the sporting men at Reno, but they
laughed at him. That Is why he has
been training in secret, for he never
could stand ridicule. But to hear him
tell it he will surprise the sporting
world some of these days by coming
out of retirement in superb condition,
with a real challenge and big for
felt, hoping that Johnson will recog-
nize him. When some of the leading
fighting men heard recently that Shar-
key was training so hard they were
convulsed.
"Sharkey must be in his second
childhood" they said. why, he
wouldn't have q chance in the world
with Johnson. lie was all in seven