The Detroit times., 1910-02-19
MILES TO SEE JEFF JOHNSON BATTLE;
CHAMPION OF ALL FIGHTFANS UNEARTHED
BY TIP WRIGHT.

I've talked 10 many an enthusiastic
fight fan and have heard Of Others
who seemingly deserved the palm. ou,
I have Just heard OF the man who ID
entitled 10 the title OF daddy OF al
the light bugs in the world.
This prize bug Is Peter Gordon
Grimes. native Of Georgia. present al
dress. Christmas island lBritish)
Oceanica. OF which ryspeck on the
worlds map Grimes 10 one OF six
white men residents.
II you want 10 locate Christmas
Island. you take a map OF Oceanics
and gaze along the tenth parallel,
south latitude. AZ the angle formed
by lines running 2.s00 miles east of
the northern tip OF York peninsular.
Australia. and 100 miles south Of
Singapore. you will And dot about
the size OF bantam period. IL doesn't
look big enough 10 house q mature
gnat, but II boasts Of a population OF
$4,000 natives.
Christmas islands nearest neighbor
big enough to be chsrted Is Batavia.
on the island OF Java All around.
the indian ocean monsoons whenever
the mood seizes It.
Having located Christmas island.
let me tell you about the man who
proposes 10 travel the $4,000 miles
dividing the island from San Fran
cisco. Just 10 see, as be says. Jim
Jeffries make the yellow come up In
Johnsons max" You'll rsmemoe Der
Grimes balls from Georgia
About three years ago. after ca
reer which began In Atlanta and
spread from New York TO Pittsourg.
Peter Gordon Grimes, newspaperman.
with a fondness for writing sport
feature stories. forsook the fourth
estate and got himself job on u
ranch In Texas. Here be held iorth
long enough 10 accumulate bank
roll, and then. the Mardi Gras season
being on. he pulled his freight Tor
New Orleans.
Grimes remaines in the louisiana
metropolis while the festivities were
on and then boarded liner for Ham
burg. where he found employment as
secretary 10 the European manager
OF the American Car & Foundry Co.
From Hamburg he went TO Man-
chester with his employer. thence TO
PORT Said, Cairo. Yokohama. Hong
kong, and finally, Singapore. II was
while In Singapore that Grimes EN-
ployer located him with a company
exploiting the gypsum mines ana Yea
plantations on Christmas island with
visions OF riches 10 be had for the
striving. Peter Gordon Grimes OF
Georgia. Yale man, jumped into the
new life and made good.
He found Ave white men. all Eng
lish. when he stepped ashore from the
,ramn steamer. and was welcomed
with open arms.
Crimes In his day was some anna
teur ball player, and although the vest
pocket editions. as he calls the Island
ers. did not promise much as play
ers. he ordered several outfits from
an American arm. and when they ar
rived began teaching the natives what
real sport was,
The little brown and yellow men or
the east took TO baseball like ducks
TO water, and today. says Grimes
they play a game that would De n
cfedit 10 many a college team In this
country.
Grimes prospered on Christmas
island. His salary was large X had
10 be 10 get white man 10 stick. he
invested his earnings, and in his last
letters says he cleaned up $4,000 iast
year. Here are extracts from his let
ter. which shows how he feels;
About one more year In this part
OF the world and think shall nave
a competence sufficiently large TO en-