The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-18
WITS OF BRILLIANT LUSTRE
 AMONG THE STAR FIGHTERS
By ". W. NAUGHToN

San Francisco, March 17.-Pugilsm is n serious business and perforce serious theme. Occasionally, however there come flashes of humor, like flares of summer lightning, to relieve the sombreness of things,
 The number of glove contests arranged for Washington's birthday. particularly in the west. gave quite a Queensberry flavor to the occasion, and l know one mar, at least, who considered that the conducting of ring events on the date named was something approaching a sac rilege
 He said as much to a number of friends with whom he happened to be conversing and added that the practice of pulling off prizefights" on national holidays was becoming too common and ought to be drowned upon.
 You're perfectly right" said one of the party. whose ''stringing" propensi- ties are notorious. With boxing matches being pulled off on every red letter day on the calendar there is danger of the original significance of some of our great holidays being forgotten Do you know that I notice a disposition in some quar- ters to associate the Fourth of July with the downfall of Jeffries rather than with anything else. And if on some future Fourth Jim Flynn or any other paleface were to smash Johnson and restore the flowers of fstic supremacy to the white race, there is no telling what the effect may be. The day we celebrate will be linked with new importance and new memories and may be the school text hooks will have to be altered so as 10 render them up to date.'
 We'll it may not become as bad as that but at the same time the setting aside of national holidays for glove pas times is bound to change the current of somebody's thoughts. When February 22 comes around again. fl is a safe bet that Johnnie Kilbane will be thinking more about what he did to Abe Attel than of what George Washington did to the cherry tree.
 Talking of humor Abe Attell raised a laugh-thOugh he didn't mean to-when he reviled Jim Jeffries a few days back It was all because Jeffries would not stand sponsor for a telegram questioning the decision in the Kilbane-Attell fight. which Attell wrote and Jeffries signed without reading.
 Prior to all this Jeffries and Attel had been thicker than Damon and Pythias. Attel used Jeffriess home as though it were his own and to say word in dis praise of Attell in Jeffries' hearing was to bring a scowl on the face of the big man.
 ''Ill get even on that fellow" said At tell Hes an ingrate. l went broke on him at Reno and I stuck to him through thick and thin. Many a time when he came back to his corner he wouldn't have had chair to sit on if I hadn't placed one for him."
 Abe leaves us in doubt as to whether the other seconds, scentng disaster, were making off with the ring furniture, but that's not the worst.
 "There is something about that fight which if told would not rebound to Jef fries credit and I've half mind to tell it." said Attell.
 This is what caused the laugh, for il there is one pan in the fighting belt who is supposed to have profited during his career by things that remain untold, it is Abe Attell.
 Billy Papke too. is unconsciouslv a hunlorist. When Billy was outroughed by Frank Mantel in a slow fight at Sac ramento. he laid back in his chair and made no protest over the decision So- ing against him.
 '.There is something wrong with me and I am through with boxing, said Billy
 ''Papke ought to have been thrown out of the ring" muttered Tom Jones.
 Twenty-four hours later Billy knew just what was wrong He explained that he lacked faith in Jones' sincerity. He was possessed with the idea that Jones wanted to get even with him for old sights and he imagined all kinds Of snares were being laid for him. He was afraid of drinking from the bottle of- fered him between rounds. entertaining visions of being drugged and. when his seconds shouted to him to go in and win he thought they were urging him on to destruction After the fight he knew different He became convinced that Jones was his best friend and he wanted just one more chance.
 Did anyone ever hear of a rough- flbred fighter tall-ne in that wav be- fore? And what of Tom Jones' Ite said bs felt satisfied that some strangers in- f1uence had kept Papke from doing his