Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-10
CONNECTED
WITH FIGHT A FAKE
Philadelphia Critic Scores Those
Identified With Jeffries-J Johnson
Battle at Reno.
TEX-RICKARDaNAMED
AS CHIEF SCHEKER
johnson Believed to Have Been on
Square Simply Because He Could
Afford to Be-Curious Facts. :

Frank Hough 1.-The Old Sport" sport
ing editor.of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
denounces everything in connection
with the recent fight as a fake and
frame-up. johnson alone, he thinks.
was on the level. This is the way
Hough sizes up the situation:
'As the details of the recent So
called tight of the century are being
slowly revealed it becomes more and
more apparent that from its inception
to its conclusion the whole affair was
rotten, with the exception of the fight
itself, and that, to quote the immortal
bard Of Avon, 'stunk to Heaven. II
there was any one connected with the
making Of the match, from promoters
to principals. from side wipes to press
pluggers, that was absolutely on the
Level It must have been Johnson. and
when you consider the way things had
to break for him he could afford to be-
You have often heard of the guy who
would dub with the cards II he were
playing solitaire. of course, but. take 1t
from the somewhat Ancient Sport, he
was only a shoemaker as compared
with Tex Richard. the distinguished
sportsman who engineered this partfc-
ular affair. and who handed the Ameri-
can sporting public the juiciest lemon
low. And when you remember some
Of the citric stuff that it-meaning
the American sporting public-has as
simulated in recent years. you VIII
against on Independence day now past.
Richard schemer.
I'm the first place. Tex Richard. the
main shaft in the promoting end. ad-
mitted that the meeting at Hoboken.
where 1t was presumed that bids for
the tight would be opened and awarded
to the highest bidder in good faith. was
a bit of bunk. meant only for adver-
Using purposes; that the men who
made the trip across the continent for
the purpose Of making substantial bona
fide bids never had a chance. for the
reason that two days before the date
set for the opening of the bids he had
already signed the men up. doing bust
ness with Johnson direct and through
Berger for Jeffries. One Of the Cali
fornia promoters who made bid.
which was refused. Of course, declared
at the time that Richard had an under
was passed up. the general public be-
lieving that the man who made the
charge was probably sore because OF
inability to land the match. 1t may
be admitted that this action by Richard
did not necessarily indicate anything
crooked either on his part or the men
with whom he was doing business, but
there does not appear to be the slight
est reason why it should not have been
made known at the time: or, II he
thought 1t the part Of wisdom to con-
ceal the fact at the time the match was
made, what was the necessity for max
ing 1t public now. when every one is dis
gusted at the outcome OF the fight, and
willing to believe anything that would
Justify the belief that 1t was not Alto
Eether what 1t should be.
Gleason's End.
ION Berger's insistence. Richard says
he declared Gleason in on a so Der
cent basis on the net. without the lat
ter putting up a cent There is no
getting away from the fact that that
was a pretty stiff kick-in. So far as
is known in this section. Gleason's only
q understanding that Richard is telling
the truth-was his pull with the DOW
ers that be in California-his ability
to come across with the requisite H.
cense. But when 1t Games to the show
down, when the governor Of the state
declared that there would be nothing
doing in the way Of the large nstfc
noise in California, 1t was shown that
Gleason's pull did not amount to a
tinkers dam. Whether any one was
double In this connection does
not make any particular difference at
this stage. The fight was pulled off
according to schedule. but the whole
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