Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-25
Great Little Fighter Defeated
at Last by a Man in His
Class, KiIbane.
FOUGHT 122 TIMES
AND LOST BUT FIVE
Clever Little Scrapper Reviews His
Past Life and Cites Much
That Interests.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star
SAN FRANCISCO, February 24-The
mighty is fallen. Succumbing at last to
the inroads of time, he. who for eleven
years was king of featherweight boxers
is defeated Time. which conquers all
things. has accomplished what no human
being in his class has been able to do.
Sapping the strength Of his tissues, slow
ing the nimble feet, dulling the perspec-
tive of his eye and preventing the perfect
attunement of mind to muscle, the pass
ing years, rather than Johnny Kilbane,
are victor over Abe Attell.
Though fallen from his high estate at
last no pugilist can point with greater
pride to his career in the ring than can
Abe Attell, fighter, philosopher and plune-
er. To look back over his fourteen years
in the squared circle is to view accom-
plishments which such as can be accredit.
ed to no other man. He has fought $50
tlmes-perhaps more. He has fought
more champions than any other man now
in the ring, and has defended his title
every time 122-pOund man could get
the offer of purse and suggested his
completely. He has been whipped Just
five times. He has fought perhaps 5000
rounds in all, and he doesn't bear a mark
where glove touched him. He does
he ever tipped the goblet. He is twenty
eight years old. He is getting tired of
the game. He has been modestly rich,
and he has had to pawn his wife's dia-
hardest Of all-he learned how to quit
plunging.
It's been a pretty good game he
said, refiectively. ''Of course, I'm kind
of sore when think of all the money
I've let go away from me-but I can
ever was and I've had mighty good
time"
IT was born on washingtons birth
day twenty-eight years ago." said he,
and my mother named me for Abra-
ham Lincoln
Now and then Attell grins, but not
often. He Is very serious, very bust
nesslike, very mature young man of
twenty-eight. When he boxes with his
sparring partner he goes at his work
strike a trial balance. Now and then
his eyes take on that rapt expression
peculiar to a hen in sight OF a grain of
corn. He watches some particular cross
section of the other fellows anatomy.
Then he stabs in-right and left-ring-
ing the bell on that spot like Johnny
Baker breaking pigeons in the Bill
show. If the other fellow tears into
him, he is apt to back away,s covering
up in that workmanlike style, familiar
calmly going away from the place
where the other fellow thought he
would be.
Between the rounds he walks briskly
about the gymnasium. but always with
that businesshke and unenthusiastic way.
He works hard, because that is the way
to Keep fit. One gathers that he is rather
a sOber-minded and hard-headed young
man who long ago started fighting for
the sport It offered. He does not rough
In ri SArrf of oh
or run about because the wings are tick
ling his heels, or slam into punching bags
in the Joy OF his strength. He goes
through his allotted movements briskly
and with ginger-but the man who has
fought $50 times doesn't pretend to him.
self that there is any fun in them now.
-Four OF US began together in San
Francisco" said he, ref1ectively. There
were Jimmie Britt and Eddie Hanlon
and frankie Neil and myself. We were
all kids together, lighting prenminaries
about the same time. The others are
all done for now: I'm the only one that's
left In the ring
He wasn't sounding the long roll. you
know. Merely stating fact. A little
later he recollected that his ring career
had netted him something more than
100000 in the coolest cash. which isn't
bad for youngster of twenty -eight. Not
much of 1t Is left now.
I was q good. saving kid until l met
Young Corbett In Denver. He taught me
how to parley my money. I'd never made
any bets until I caught up with him. He
made q plunger out of me. Well, he sure
made good one. I bet 'em as high as
any one while it lasted. Now I'm through.
No more betting for me. 1 promised my
wife q year ago I'd cut it out. and she
didn't believe me. Last week she came
out to see me.
"Abe, said she, didn't believe you
would stick when you said you would
never bet again But you have. Now
know you will.
And 1t was not with the slightest evil
dence Of emotion that he told the story of
the biggest bet he ever made on a horse
and he was a skilled pony-chaser. 1t
was when the Empire City track was run
ming at Yonkers, and Senator Pet Nc
Carren the tail leader of the Brooklyn
democracy, was still alive. Attell had
been fighting for months, always with
success and had a neat bank roll put
away where the mice couldn't nibble. He
rather fancied himself at the pony game,
too.
II got a tip to play Prince Armor," he
said. prince Armor! I'll never forget
that name. wasn't going to do it,
when saw McCarren go to it. saw him
bet $4,000 on Prince Armor-and I
thought that IL 1t was good enough for