The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-22


feat was sure freckled Bob held back his
blows and pleaded with Dempsey to re-
sign the unequal contest. You'll have to
knock me out; I'll never quit said the
champion. And Fitzsmmons. after ap-
pealing to Dempseys seconds and the
referee, reluctantly forced the fight and
slipped over the finishing blow. Then
picking Dempsey up in his arms, he car
ried Jack to his corner, with tears stream
ing down his face. For the moment F'itz-
simmons forgot that he had just won a
worlds championship title and fortune
He saw only the pathos of the defeat
that ended the career of a famous cham
pion and game man.
How FitzsimmOns Started
The story of Bob Fitzsimmons's start
as boxer has never been told. 1t is
generally known that he was horse
shoer In Australia and that he came to
America an unknown and leaped almost
at once into worldwide fame middle
weight champion
But F'itzsimmons was 27 years old when
he came here. He must have had some
history in Australia before coming to
America. Worlds champions aren't made
in few months. It takes years of fight
ing and hard work to get where Fitz-
simmons was when he beat Dempsey, and
later on Corbett, and then Gardner, TAX
ing the middeweight, heavyweight and
light heavyweight world championships
in succession. Yesterday Bob sat down
and told me the story of his start and
here 1t is.
MY mother began by training mo
for the ministry" said Bob Until
was II years old I went to church and
sang in the choir twice a week, and
to Bible class twice on Sundays. But
for a box of snuff and a kicked foot
ball l would have been minister to-
day.
I'VE were living in New Zealand,
about 1900 miles across the sea from
Australia. One day my mother sent
me to buy box of snuff at a chemist
shop near our home. On the way
passed an open field where two football
teams were playing. walked slowly
watching the game and wishing that
I could get a chance to kick the ball
I was very curious to know how 1t
would feel. Just while ! was wishing
somebody kicked 1t over the fence and
1t rolled right to my feet. So I kicked
it back again as hard as I could.
"A second later the captain of one
of the teams big fellow over six
feet tall, leaped the fence and ran
straight at me. Before I had any idea
what he meant to do he struck me
terrific blow on the nose, smashing II
and cutting a cash across the bridge
that is the only scar | carry today after
hundreds of ring battles The blow
knocked me senseless I was uncon-
scious for three hours and a half and
the blood that ran down my throat
strangled me SO that I came very near
dying. At last they brought me to. The
coin ] was carrying had flown out
of my hand when l was struck 7 re-
membered that I had started for some
SNUFF. but l had nothing to buy 1t with
so J staggered home in the dark
emptyhanded
when | slipped in through the door
my mother only saw that I had a
bloody nose. My training for the min.
istry hadn't included fighting. I'd often
been warned that 1 must not fight.
Licked For Fighting
you've been fighting, haven't you?
asked my mother. And without another
'. word she turned and took stout whip
down from its nail on the wall and
proceeded to give me the worst whip
ping l ever had in my life. Then she
senf,me to bed
Next morning she came to my ROOM
My eyes had swollen over night and
We're closed tight, and my nose was a
sight. When my mother saw for the
first time how badly | was hurt she
cried over me and told me again and
again how sorry she was she had
whipped me, and told her how 1t all
happened. Then she sent for a doctor
| was hurt Friday afternoon Saturday
there was no school and on Sunday my
eyes were still closed so for the first
time I was let out of going to church
But Monday I was made to go to
school. There the scholars laughed at
me SO much that l ran home and I
never went to either school or a
church afterward. My mother used 10
send me to church, but ia lie on the
grass outside and listen to the hymns,
because l loved the singing, and then
ask somebody the ministers text, so
1 could tell what it was when they
asked me at home.
1.-The trouble was that all this time
l could only think of the man who had
beaten me. Week after week the desire
for revenge grew. But I was a slim
little fellow, only H., and l knew I'd
have no chance to fight If l met him.
Brooding over 1t put an idea into my
mind. I'd work and grow strong as
could, and learn how to fight, so that
I'd be ready when was big enough to
tackle him.
II went to my brothers blacksmith
shop and induced him to give me two
old leather aprons. l cut these up into
patterns for boxing gloves. I'd never
seen any, but I'd heard about them.
sewed the gloves with string and stuffed
them with leather clippings and cot
ton, and then got the other boys of the
neighborhood together and boxed with
them every day.
Wanted to Be Sailor
I'm q couple of years 1 could outlook
any Of them easily. and l was growing
tall. Every night before I went 10
sleep ! thought of what I'd do to that
football player when / grew a little
bigger We were right by the sea and
] heard about what great fighters sail
ors were. So made up my mind to run
away and be sailor for year or two.
] had fixed it up with the captain of a
bark called the Isabella Ridley. and
was about to skip out the next morn
Ing, when up came a terrible storm in
the night and wrecked the Isabella