The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-03-23
NELSON HAS WON
A GOOD FORTUNE.
(By Eddie Smith1

oakland, March 23.-Regardless OF
inc fact that there was any number
OF people at the ringside 10 witness
the battle between Battling Nelson
and Adolph Wolgast, who wanted 10
see the Dane lose, IL is admitted that
low more popular champions have
ever graced the ring and few mea
nave gone down TO defeat with so
many mourners bewaillng his fate
than did the lightweight champion
VINO lost last Washington's birth
day
Although the Battler has said that
ne VIII come back and regain the title
and has no idea that he has passed
his day OF great use in the ring. there
are any number of fans who believe
that he Will never come back as he
was prior TO his defeat For that rea-
son any number of the men interest
cd in the game OF hit and get away
are Interested in knowing whether
Nelson will leave the ring financially
independent
rotire with enough money to keep
him the rest OF his life, but not
enough TO live In luxury or with any
where near the amount nc has
boosted. There Is no telling Just how
well fixed Nelson Is at this time, but
IL Is felt that he is not worth anything
like 100000, as per his claim.
There are thousand and one ways
tnat money slips through the fingers
of a fighter and the Dane has fallen
for many a bUnko game that he has
not let tho public in on. Nelson is
not the sort OF fellow who win de-
llberately squander his money on
foolish things. and in this respect he
has been a credit to the game.
How Nelson Lost Money.
The great bulk OF the real estate
owned by Nelson is located In the
little town OF Hcgewisch, from which
he hails. and the latest reports from
there is 10 the effect that the town
has gone To the bad to some extent
since the railroad shops. which were
the chief asset oil the village, have
been moved further down the line.
The property owned by the fighter.
therefore. has decreased In value and
the renting of it will not be very
easy.
Then the champion was stuck on
the vineyard he bought az Livermore,
and this cost him a pretty penny.
Just after the Nelson-Gans fight at
Goldfield the Dane was let in on the
ground floor OF a mining company
that was named after him, and here
they took him down the line for Il
few thousand. He also fell for the
investment OF some money in the
roko game he tried to make popular
In his training, and there is some
sort of washing machine that got
him for a bit
These things and others have taken
many dollar from the eX-champion,
and he Is today a much wiser but
sadder young man. While it has al
ways been said of Nelson that he
would not buy wine for man dying
with thirst, there are many other
ways in which he has shown his lib
erality. In the case of his family
he has taken the best of care of his
mother and father and has been pay
ing for the tuition OF brother Charles
at the University Of California,
Sends Money at Time of Fire.
The champion was also a good
lender If one wanted money Tor
booze or good time there was little
cahnce to get IL. But a hard luck
story would always get the sympa-
thctic little fellow and he would come
through AS one of the best examples
OF his goodness with his money 1t viii
always be remembered that at the
time OF the big earthquake and fire
Battling Nelson was the first man In
the country to send aid. AS soon as
the little champion heard of the dis.
aster he remembered that it was here
that he made his greatest winnings
and he mailed a check calling Tor
81 900 that came through with the
first batch OF mail
These are the things that have
trimmed down the fortune OF the game
little fighter to some extent. but he
has plenty TO keep alive and the
chances OF ever seeing Nelson go
about the country begging for aid are
very slim.
Nelson has thrown up the idea OF
meeting Cyclone Johnnie Thompson
and has sent word to the coast that
no Is finding the theatrical game too
profitable to leave Tor a fight with
Tohmpson. The real reason for this
declaring off of the match is that
Nelson wants more rest and longer
time to train than the Thompson date
would allow him, and although we
are sorry TO hear of his intention OF
not fighting again until such time as
WolGast is ready to give him a return
match. we feel that he is using good
judgment in not getting into action
too soon after his last fight