The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-06-28

astonished at the result of his sudden
exhibition of strength and speed.
Johnson was born in Galveston, in
1878, his birthday being March 81,
and If ring experience goes for any
thing he has 1t. In 1901, his first
year as fighter, he fought six fights,
winning all but one, which was
draw. The next year he went into the
ring sixteen times, and from then on
almost constantly was engaged until
to date he has to his credit over sixty
battles. Of these only three were de-
cided against him. He lost another to
'klondyke" when preliminary fight
er in Chicago in 1899. While many of
his opponents have not been of the
style to test his mettle, his frequent
bouts have served at least to keep him
always in training, and this is one of
the strong arguments of his partisans.
Is Temperamentally Interesting.
Temperamentally Johnson is an in
teresting study. His chief character
istic is his unfailing good nature, a
curiously constant sort of even tenn
per that nothing seems to ruffle. His
golden smile" seldom is out of evil
dence, and even the coarse and insult
ing jibes from fight spectators that
frequently greet him seem to have no
power to disturb him. Even when
ducking a storm of blows and show
ing wonderful skill in evading the on
slaughts of his opponent, johnson
never loses his poise nor his power of
observation. His eyes take in and ap-
praise everything that transpires at
the ringSide. He seems to hear every
comment made by the onlookers, and
even in the midst of a clinch, when
every muscle is tense, will recognize
a witty sally from the audience with
flash of his ready smile, and, like as
not, an equally witty rejoinder thrown
at the audience over the reeking
why don't you fight, you black
MANI" yelled an enthusiast at the
Johnson-Kaufman fight. The men
were in clinch at the time, but with
out an instant's hesitation, Johnson
shouted back, why should 1 fight?
I've got your ten dollars already"
And this eool-headedness under fire
| is another of the Negroes qualities up
on which his hackers count, believing
it impossible to rattle him by any
known ring tactics. That his good ma
ture does not indicate a low order of
intelligence, has been shown clearly
by his clever business methods and
his rather we'll done ringside speeches.
Men who have watched him say he
simply has no nerves. using the word
in the accepted sense.
Thinks His Training Good.
Johnson feels that he has been we'll
trained for this fight. He regards his
present staff that has whipped him
into shape in his wind-swept camp on
the beach as the best he ever had, and
says no fighter ever was given more
loyal and efficient service than he has
received. All of his training partners
those who do the real work with
him-are young men.
Tom Flanagan, the man who assum-
ed George Little's office and the NOM
inal title of manager, is a well-known
Canadian athlete and sportsman who
has developed number of prominent
| long distance runners, among them
Longboat, the Indian.
| Walter Burns, in charge of the rub
bling and massage squad, is a merge
who has been with Johnson continu-
ously the last eight years. He, is re-
| garded as an expert in his line.
Barney Furey, a negro who had
charge of the roadwork department
before Flanagan came out has been
with Johnson the last eight years, and
according to the champion, the camp
never is complete without him.
The sparring partners, Marty Cutler
| (white), and George Cotton and Dave
| Mills (coIored), are strapping young
| heavy weights, who, in their capacity
| of human punching bags, have given
the champion admirable service
| In addition to these men, Al Kauf-
| man. the giant young heavy weight
who has been training at the Johnson