The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1910-09-23

= i
copyright, 1910. by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate. Copyright in Canada and
| Great Britain. All rights reserved
CHAPTER XIV.
MY RETIREMENT AND HOME LIFE AND
THE MATCH WITH JOHNSON.
r. SETTLED down now to a quiet
| family life-no more stage work,
no more fighting. l believed
that I'd never put on a fight
ing glove again. l bought a fine
ranch of 145 acres near Los Angeles.
with country house on it, and be-
came a farmer again. For two years
l worked hard on my ranch. clearing
away the brush and th putting a
hundred acres in alf~ ID. which grows
eight crops year in my country. l
did the heavy work myself. and
never enjoyed life more than down on
the ranch. l was tired of fuss and
publicity. Here I was just a farmer
again, and it was great.
From time to time. of course, l went
to see good fight somewhere or other
or took good hunting trip to the
mountains or went fishing at Catalina.
where we have the best fishing in the
world. was as healthy as man
could be. 1t used to make me laugh
when some one sent me the papers
and / read stories of my "dissipated
life" Why. no man since Noah's time
ever lived cleaner life than l did. up
early and to bed early after a hard
days work.
After two years on the ranch I built
a fine town house, with everything in
it that one could want and everything
the best l could buy. l won't say what
it cost. but it's insured for $4,000, so
it's something of house. In the same
year l bought tract of land near the
town. cut it up into lots and sold again
with profit of $4,000. A friend of
mine and myself cleared $4,000 on
another tract. so didn't need to fight
to earn money. In the next year
went into partnership with another
licenses in Los Angeles and built the
finest cafe west of New York That
was big money maker too. Fitting
it up cost over $4,000 l moved into
town now to my big house and attend
ed to the cafe Because l was there
so much Of the time the old stories
about MY drinking broke out again.
never did drink to any extent My
limit was usually a glass of charged
water with about Il spoonful of claret
in it. and only few OF those.
When not hunting or working l mix
ed up with the fighting game little.
often refereeing important fights. One
of these was the HartRoot fight up in
Nevada. The promoters asked me to
officially present" the heavyweight IT,
tie to the winner. l refused. Nobody
can give away championships. But
they told everybody l had given" the
title to Hart after he stopped Root,
and didn't take the trouble to deny it.
While l was in retirement Bill
Squires came over from Australia.
Billy Delaney went to work and sign
ed for fight with Squires. But
hadn't given him the right to repre-
sent me. and l refused the match.
That broke up my old association with
Delaney
One disagreeable thing happened
about this time. My reputation has
always been clean in ring affairs. and
if any crooked work has ever been
planned in connection with any of my
fights I've never known about it. In
fact, don't think any ever was plan
ned, for people have known that I'd 60
out to win and would win. But while
l was at home in Los Angeles a Ger
tain heavyweight. who shortly after
) ward became notorious through the ex
posture of his trickery. came to my
. house to see me. He talked a little
while and beat about the bush, and
then he said:
II have just been over in Nevada
One of the promoters over there put
, up a proposition to me that sounded
, like lot Of money. He said that he'd
give purse of $4,000 for a fight be
: tween you and me- then he'd put
: $4,000 in the bank with the purse. ant
5 you could have the whole $S5 ,OOO.'
Here he stopped and looked at me
, queerly for a moment.
"Yes?' l said.
< "Of course" he went on. 1.-The pro
moter would have to make his money
e out of the match some way besides al
the gate. and I'd have to make mine
2 too. If you got the whole purse and al
that money too. We'd have to make
8 it out of the betting. If you won WI
: couldn't make anything betting. YOU
% understand"
. "Go on" said quietly.