Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-06-28

When James j. Jeffrics was born
thirty five years ago April Is last, q
first class fighting man was created
He was endowed with everything thai
goes to make up n fighter, right from
the start. He did not need To train
and school himself to any great ex-
tenn. He hld both the brain and the
Drawn, and all he lacked was the am
bitlon to win fame as a fighter. When
that ambition did come to him it re-
quired but TWO years for him to van
quish every fighter worthy OF con-
~sideration, and make the champion
ship title one of his personal assets,
once he secured il. the only way he
could find OF Kidding himself OF the
burdens il imposed was to give il
away. That is what JEFF did with il.
lie looked oven the field of worthy
hoayyheights with n view to adopt
ing one of them as his heir. Eight
years after his first fight he decided
that Marvin Hart was the heir appar-
ent, and addicated in Harris favor.
one of the striking things about
J~effries is the fact hat ii took a
great deal Of argument to convince
nun lIul ne WIS a. tANiAihH M Ut ~
Despite natures generosity to him in
the matter of size and strength, he
had a strong suspicion all the time
that he was intended to be Il farmer.
Through his early life he displayed
great fondness for getting close to
nature via Il fishing rod or a gun, ana
spent quite a bit of time among the
mountains. He developed n decided
fondness for country life, and when
he resigned his high state ms cham
pion, having annexed enough money
through purses. moving pictures ana
stage appearances to do what he
pleased, he FASTENED to q farm in
southern California with the intention
Of ending his days as Il sort Of coun-
try squire. Had John Arthur john
son and the color question not inter-
fered with his plans. he would. in All
probability, have carried ont That de-
termination.
Jeffries was born in Carroll, Ohio.
in 1875. but his parents came to CALI
fornia so soon after his arrival that
he is looked upon almost as q native
of that state. Little is recorded Of
his doings prior to 1891 beyond the
fact that he was a mighty hunter, a
good hoilermaker, and Il rough and
tumble fighter. with whom few cared
to mix. He never was an amateur
fighter. The first time he entered the
ring he did so on the spur of the
moment, accepting the challenge OF a
colored fighter named Hank" Grif-
i'm, because Of the money he would
get BY defeating the challenger. me
fight occurred in Los Angeles, CAL,
in 1893, and jeff accomplished the
defeat of the cOlored man in fourteen
rounds, winding up with an artistic
knockout.
While this victory did not seem to
arouse Jeff to any ambition MS a
fighter. it attracted the attention OF
fighters to him as Il valuable training
mariner. He seconded a middlcweigfff
Billy Gallagher In san Fran
cisco two years later. and Gallagher
him q match in 1896 with Dan
Of Denver. There WAS a $1,000
up. and Long went to sleep IN
second round when Jeffs lctt en-
his nose.
II was shortly after tbi that Jim
Corbett began to prepare for his fight
with Bob Fitzsimmons, which gave
the latter the championship. Harry
Corbett. inns brother, who was ON
lookout for sparring partners,
sent Jeff up to Carson city, NeVada'
to Join Jim's training starr. Corbett
hammered the big fellow uninercl-
but Jeff was absorbing knoWl-
of the fighting game through
every pore. These were his FIRST real
boxing lessons. and he took Them
from a master of the craft. Within
three weeks after Corbett's defeat
JEFF was in the ring again on ms own
hook. doing away with the aspirations
Of two promising heavyweiShts III
quick succession in 1897.
So much had jeff benefited by
Corbett's training that he was marked