Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-06-15
By Ed. w. Smith.

TAST LAS VEGAS, N. NJ.
June 15.-"If l don't win
this fight I want to die be-
fore they carry me out of the
arena" This was the fervent state
ment made today by Jim Flynn,
Pueblo fireman, challenger of Jack
Johnson, and Jim meant every
word of it.
He had just come out of the
gymnasium after one of the best
workouts of his months stay here,
and the CLEAN of the Colorado
fighter told of the coming of good
condition, if not actually of the
arrival Of it right now
What l want is to make Curley
have a gun trained on me during
the tight and if am not returned
as the winner l want him to touch
1t off right at my head" Jim con
tinued
This is indicative of the conf
dence held by the Pueblo man.
haven't seen anything like its spir-
it in a championship contender in
long time.
They tell me Johnson isn't
training the way he should Jim
worried along in his earnest way.
81 may prove to be the snap he
thinks I am, but there is a bare
chance that he may be mistaken
and l would hate to have it said
afterward that l whipped a man
who wasn't in any sort of shape.
Why don't somebody make him
Work?"
When assured that Johnson was
doing all that was considered nee
essary to get himself in first-cass
condition for the meeting, Flynn
was partially Modified
Jim's brother. Louis, met John
son on the road the morning be-
fore and told jim of it, telling him
that Johnson looked as if he was
just finishing long journey over
the hills.
Fight Three Weeks Away.
Three weeks more and the big
gladiators will take to the arena
and the work of training has de-
veloped into the final stage. 1t
hasn't changed a great deal, ex-
cepting in spirit from what has
been during the past two weeks
But you can all wager heavily
that the spirit is there, and there
in large gobs. There is a feeling
of quiet confidence and subdued
Willingness in the camp of the
champion, out at Old Town where
everybody is smilingly polite and
suave, from the boss of the job
down TO the most lowly of the
helpers.
Johnson is accepting the situa-
ton and all of its strange and pic
turesque details with a great deal
of complacency Indeed, this feel
ing borders to the casual onlook-
er upon actual carelessness and
indifference. The champion him
self loafs along through his Idle
hours and some of the sharps now
here are complaining that he is
not displaying the snap and gin
ger that he should three weeks in
advance of such an important fight.
johnson a Plodder.
But when one digs down under
the crust Of the big black man one
finds that the right spirit is there.
Johnson is not full of fuss or fur
ry. differing vastly from the hur-
rah methods of the challenger.
Jack plods along through his work,
laughing and kidding with his help
ers and the few spectators that he
knows. in those quaint cosmo-
politan crowds that watch his daily
offerings in the way Of work. But
he gets a whole lot out Of what he
does He never makes his work
look like work To the ordinary
onlooker he seems to be merely
putting in the time. But when
one digs deep one sees that John
son is training as hard for this
contest az he ever did for any. and
is slowly and surely getting the re-
suits.