Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1910-07-02

Reno, July with the appoint
ment of a timekeeper and announcer,
the circle of ringside officialdom for
the battle Of Jeffries and Johnson up
on which rests the undisputed heavy
weight championship of the world,
Rickard Of Nevada, referee; Charles
White of New York, alternate referee;
George F. Harting of San Francisco,
timekeeper; Billy Jordan of San Fran
cisco. announcer; Tim Sullivan of New
York, stakeholder; Tom Corbett of
San Francisco, betting commissioner
Despite the persistence Of rumors
that Rickard did not intend actually
to referee the contest no tangible
ground for the report can be discov-
cred. Rickard denied empkatically
that he had any intention of stepping
down at the last minute in favor of the
New Yorker.
Il am the referee" he reiterated.
rand | am going to do the refereeing.
Here" Rickard reached into his pocket
and produced a roll of bills Here
just bet that $500 for me that referee
that fight"
Il have $4,000 of the purse money
now in my hands," said Sullivan. The
rest viii be turned over to me tOmor-
row"
Reno was much perturbed today by
rumors. They were flying everywhere;
rumors about Jeffries, rumors about
Johnson, rumOrs about Rickard and the
referee jOb-rumors about everything
and everybody directly or indirectly
connected with the fight.
Taking the Jeffries rumors in chrO-
biological order: This morning he broke
his left forearm; at noon he ruptured
a blood vessel in his elbow, and at
O'Clock in the afternoon he underwent
an operation for appendicitis. In spite
of all this hard luck, Jeffries was suf-
ficiently recovered at o'clock to say,
$50 long as l am all right on Monday
it cuts no figure what happens now"
The only real reflection on Jeffries
during the day was one which threat
ened his pocketbook. A suit for $4,000
attorneys fees was filed against him
in the district court by the local law
yers who drew up the contract convey
ing the fighters share in the NOV
The lawyers alleged that because of
the terms of the contract with the syn
dicate they were entitled to at least
$1,000 They argued that stRne by the
contract Jeffries and his partner in the
deal. Tex Rickard, would get $4,000 in
good hard money as soon as the first
gong tapped on Monday, and that even
if no blow was struck in the fight, that
sec, 600 belonged to Rickard and JEFF
fries, absolutely, and they could throw
it at the birds if they liked, $1,000 did
not look very big after all. Rickard
said later in the day the matter had
been adjusted. The lawyers said that
it had not They admitted, however,
that il was liable to be settled at any
moment. Rickard did not appear to
be worried in the least so it is supposed
that il was all settled to his satisfac-
tion or would be at any moment.
Another of the flock of rumors that
electrified into life the corps of news
paper men and sports that dotted the
shade of Center street was that Lang
ford would box Jeffries before night
That particular rumor kept the war
correspondents hopping around in cir
cles.
About 5 o'clock it became known
that Langford had come in from the
camp to his hotel, secured a large and
suspicious looking grip, which result
ed in suggestions of containing box
ing gloves, and FASTENED back to
Moana. Everybody was on the jump
out to the camp again in a moment.
Reno began today to assume some
thing of the appearance ii will on Mon
day before the battle. The depot was
the scene of excitement all day. Early
trains from the coast unloaded fight
ers and fight fans 1T every gangway.
SO many notables arrived that the
correspondents began to look hopeless.
It was impossible to talk to them all.
Some escaped uninterviewed.
Later in the day the Overland linn
.ited from the east rolled in Tim
Sullivan, the stakeholder. took the
spot light among the arrivals, but
Frank GOtch, the wrestler, and a
host of lesser lights came in for a
share of public attention. Even old
Sol took an interest and he gaZed
at the cosmopolitan throng so Curl
osuly that many called for liquid
help and ran for shelter.
An odd sight along the main thor
oughfare of the city when the even
ing shade fell and allowed the Wis
itors to get out on the sidewalk and
circulate again. In front of the hotels
the passageways were solidly blocked
with notables, and un notables. All