The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-11-29

by Gate City reporter at Davenport
tells what nervousness will do.
While attending minstrel per
Torrance at the Grand opera house in
Davenport last Thursday evening, a
representative of The Gate City had
the opportunity to hear Jas. ]. Corbett,
former heavyweight pugulistic star,
tell in his own way why Jim Jeffries
lost the fight at Reno last Fourth of
July.
Gentleman jim as Corbett is
known the world over in the ring and
to sport fans, is one of the big
boss men with the George Evans
Honey Boy Minstrels and during the
performance he appears BACKED and
takes the part of interlocutor for a
short spell. During the interim of
changing scenery, etc, Corbett makes
his appearance in full evening dress
and tells the audience in an interest
ing and enlightening manner of the
jefferies-Johnson scrap" which at
tracted world wide attention for
eight months and the ultimate out
come as all know of the white man
going down in defeat before the black.
Its all nonsense what some people
say about Jeffries being drunk on the
day of the fight said Corbett, the
other evening, as he addressed his
audience of nearly thousand. Ever
since Jeffries was licked you hear all
kinds OF stories, some saving that
Jeffrles threw the fight, some that he
was drunk and all those sort of things.
but boxed with Jeff for six months |
before he went into the ring in his |
dazed and Supplied condition last
Fourth. l had a talk with him the
day before the fight and in the morn
Ing of the Fourth. Then in the after
noon when We We're being driven to
the fight headquarters | talked with I
him. jeff seemed to have that far.
away look in his eyes. During the
last week before the fight. he hadn't
trained at all and told him to forget
his nervousness.
"One morning few DAYS before
the day of the battle I walked into
the yard where Jim was sitting and
told him that if there was anything
that he was keeping back, il he was
nervous. to let the two of us. walk it
and talk il off. At that he got sore
and said, Don't you talk to me like
that, Corbett. tell you I'm not
nervous, and walked away.
Ryan's Action Worried Him,
one OF Ieffs main standbys was
Tommy Ryan. 1t was a few weeks
before the fight, however. that RYAN
and JEFF had chewing match and
RYAN offered his services to Johnson
ana OF course they were readily ac-
eepted. The result of this action of
Ryan's was plainly evident to all of
US and we noted how depressed JEFF
fries became. He spoke to me about
i several times and said. Jim.
don't like the way Ryan is doing
md he seemed to keep brooding over
that
Just Trick of Fate.
1T was just an unlucky business
Gil the way through for Jeff his last
fight. The action of RYAN in Joining
forces with Johnson, then the change
from the training camp in California
week Or two before tn- fight, to
Reno, the hustling about. and the
strain JEFF kept up his training
though, and as l have said he worked
up until the week before the fight
came off He walked his fifteen and
twenty miles every day and went
through all the other stunts of train.
ing.
Showed His Nervousn ess.
One day during the last week, sew
eral Of us were sitting In the club