The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-03-03
TRAVELLING NOT GOOD
FOR TRAINING PUCS
Jeffries Backers Glad That He
Has Quit Stage, for They
Know It Injuries Him.

b close of Jim Jeffries' theatrical
tour ard the settling dow of the big
fellow to hard training for his coming
battle witt Jack johnson will be a de-
cided relief to the minds of the fight
fans who pin their faith on the ability
Of the giant Californian to win back the
heavyweight championship for the
white race. says the Kansas City Star.
Despite all the assertions Of Jeffries'
astute manager and press agent, Sam
Berger, TO n effect that james ].
has benefited greatly by his athletic
woHI with Frank Gotch and other
member OF the troupe, 1t has proved
a hard matter to convince the public
that playing n night stands through
out the country Is an invaluable aid
to q veteran who wishes to get into
topnotch condition for what may be
the toughest and most trying test of
his career.
Shows Hard Work.
Late, Irregular hours, badly cooked
meals, 1y-by-night whirls across coun-
try and the consequent strain on nerves
and temper, make up a combination
calculated to upset the physical STAN
ina OF a bull elephant, and Jeffries,
hercules though he may be, is only
human after all. That he is far from
being IN shape even to box at a fast
clip is the opinion of f1stic experts in
every big city where he has appeared.
His bouts with Berger have always
been conducted In a leisurely fashion,.
and have proved rather q di%sappoint-
ment to those who expected to see the
Jeffries OF the old days forcing his OPP
ponent into q rafting pace and show
Ing the vim and dash of the athlete
who thoroughly enjoys his work. For
1t must be conceded that the ex-cham-
pion spared very much in the style of
q man VINO q a disagreeable task to
perform and was heartily glad when
1t was finished.
Long Out Of Rina.
Yet, when 1t Is remembered that .yef-
fries has not participated in a ring en-
counter since the fateful night of Au-
gust rs, 1904, when he put a stop to the
aspirations of Jack Munroe by effect
lively squelching the Butte miner in two
rounds, there Is scant room for wonder
at his failure to display any astonishing
amount of speed In his preliminary
warming up gallops. Five years of alb
sence from the squared circle must in
evitably slow Town any fighter. even IL
he has led q life Of Spartan simplicity
during the interval. And the world at
large, at least the sporting portion of
II, knows that Jeffries has not done so.
The big fellow was never known to
deny himself any of the creature COM
forts OF existence; he lived well, drank
as much as he thought fitting and, in
a word, enjoyed himself thoroughly. as
q man may be expected to do who
never intends to pick up a challenger's
gauntlet and engage in warfare for the
championship crown.
Has Reduced Weiaht.
Up to the present, therefore, when
these Things are X into considera-
ton, jeff has accomplished something
worth doing by getting rid of much Of
the adipose tissue which the years of
idleness added to his belt line. 1t is n
far cry from now to the Fourth of
July, the date set for the contest, but
the time Is none too long for the con-
ditioning OF the retired king of the
heavies. He must undergo a training
siege OF unusual length and severity If
he expects to bring his breathing APP
paratus up to anything like its old
standard of perfection, restore elasticity
and power to his mighty muscles and
step into the ring q fit and dangerous
opponent for the willy negro. Nobody
realizes this better than Jeffries HIM
self.
johnson No Baby.
Despite the many interviews pub
.ished as coming from the exclamation
In which he Is supposed to have ex-
pressed himself contemptuously regard
ing Johnson's fighting ability, It can be
safely asserted that Jeffries does not
undervalue the prowess of his prospec-
tive antagonist. During his entire ca
reer as a pugilist he never made the
mistake or holding an opponent too
cheap, an error which led to the down.
fall OF many a high class glove artist.
Munroe was undoubtedly the softest
sacrifice that capricious fortune ever
ctfered up at the Jeffries s,irine and the
then champion knew in advance hat
the miner was not ven Of good third
class rating. Yet he did not neglect his
training on this account, for when he
raced Munroe at Frisco he was in
superb shape, keyed up to concert pitch
and mt to battle all night IL 1t had been
necessary. 1t Is only air to surmise
that JEFF possesses just as much horse
sense today as he did some five years
ago. n The man who refused to take
with Jack Munroe is not likely
TO be gulled into accepting the much
mere formidable Johnson as an a