The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-25
CORBETT A GENIUS
ON RENO AFFAIR
Gives Explanation of Defeat of Jefies With Never Word
to Offend Sensibity of His Hearers and is APP
pauded Warmly at it's Close
BY JAY LEWIS.

BY JAY LEWIS.
As they say in the vernacular.
You've got to hand 1t to Mr.. Corbett,"
which, being translated, means that
the average person must pause, ad-
mire and pay homage to the genius
OF James j. Corbett.
There's reason, and the reason
is this: Corbett stands in front of an
audience, of which no small portion
Is of the feminine gender, an audi
ence Of ladies. gentlemen and few
others and tells why a famous pu-
gilist failed to whip another of a
different race.
He tells 1t in such a manner they
are interested. He tells II In plain
and simple language. He tells ii so
that the veriest novice who reads the
newspapers can understand. and yet
never once does he violate the pro-
prieties.
In his description of the Reno af
fair Corbett never once used the word
| fight except when he tells how one
| may fight off nervousness" He never
once refers to the color of johnson,
and as far as hurting the sensibilities
of his hearers. he might be talking of
garden party for the benefit of
little orphans.
Corbett takes 1t for granted that
his hearers really wish to know what
was the matter with James J. Jeffries
at Reno: that they want inside In
formation; that they look to him to
give IL to them.
Judging from the salary he receives
for doing this specially with George
Evans Ministries. he is right In his
conjecture. Judging. further. from
the applause given him nightly, Mr.
Evans Is not wrong In paying him the
salary.
| Tuesday night in the Academy of
Music there was a storm of applause
when he paid tribute to the courage
OF Jeffries and the audience might
well be termed representative of Rich
| mond.
Corbett's reasons for the defeat of
Jeffries is summarized in the words
nervous breakdown" Jeffries had
| brooded over the bout. brooded over
| the fact that thousands were looking
TO him to uphold the supremacy of
| the white race. brooded because Billy
| Delaney. his former friend and ad-
wiser. went over to the enemy; brood
ed until he could not sleep and broke
down under the strain.
His Private Opinion.
What he says in public he EN-
phasizes in private. In his dressing
| room he talked with the writer. Geo.
Evans sat by sucking a lemon, not
| having plumber handy TO fix his
pipes" This is Mr.. Evans own
joke.
That drug story is away or" said
Corbett. 1t has been repeated a dozen
times. 1 know. Barney Oidfeld Is
the latest 10 spring 1t. But there is
| nothing in 1t. / was there. and /
| should know.
Il don't think Jeffries had one
| good sleep the last week before the
bout. Why, when 1t was ali over
| and he was defeated, he came to his
! room and threw himself on the bed
all dressed and slept like a log. The
worst had come. and 1t was over. He
slept. Do you suppose 1 could have
done taiat under the circumstances
DO you suppose JefYries could have
done 1t had he not been so exhausted
mentally and physically that nature
simply would not be refused? No,
Jeffries Was all in and he had to
sleep.
Faults of Training.
JEFF never trained properly for for
| that bout. He wasn't q natural boxer
He learned all those awkward tricks
that served him cleverly by his con-
slant battling. When he left the ring
they left him. He had to begin all
over again. He was just like the big
novice l used to knock around in my
| camp at Carson.
1T would make you laugh the way
Jen trained. He had no set program.
| He would do dis he pleased No one
| could tell him anything. One day he
would go out on the road. The next
| day he would go fishing. The next
| he would lounge around camp and
| perhaps spar bit.
Jeff would tell his trainers at night
| that he would go on the road next
day. The day would come. and in
stead of going on the road he would
go fishiug. "'g''''N q s..'-,'r' arc So
Il used to tell him to box more.
Box. JIM ! would say. that is what
you need but he couldn't see it.
| What Jeffrics Did.
| One night he had said he would
80. out on the road next day. and so
the following morning got after him.
I" Look here, Jim.' I said. Now,
! what In IT to be Do something In
regular order. VIII you go on the
road or go fishing or. put on the
| gloves with me-
swim in the bay he replied. And
he did. That is how JefY trained.
| For fully a week before the bout
he was Ill. but he concealed It. His
stomach was off. but when / ques-
! toned him he would not admit 1t.
He was like a big kid--kept every
thing to himself. and II he didn't suik
| he brooded.
This and much more did Corbett
| say about the failure OF Jefrries to
| come back" From his monologue
what hurt the big fellow most of all
was the action Of Delaney in going in
Johnson's corner. On the way to the
| ring he never spoke but once, and
that once was to reproach DELANEY.
Jeffries looked. upon his old. handler
| as a traitor.
Bout Not q Fake.
| But one point upon which Corbett
laid much stress after his talk to the
audience was in regard to the Reno
affair being frame-up. Abe Atteil. II
will be remembered. gave out the
information that the bout was framed
| for Jeffries to win and that johnson
double-crossed him when he found
out that his late manager. George Lit
| tie. was betting on Jeffries.
That IL all rot, said Corbett. AT
| tell came to Reno and butted in. He
wasn't even invited to 70 In Jeffries'
CORNER. An far ~ the bout befnx Il
fake GoeA I'll tell Won soyra thine