The Washington herald., 1913-06-29
BOB FITzSIMMONS TELLS HIS STORY

| struck. remembered that / had started
for some snur. but had nothing to buy
it with SO ! staggered home in the dark
emptyhanded.
Mother Never Saw Him.
when slipped in through the door
my mother only saw that / had a bloody
nose. My training for the ministry
hadn't included fighting, I'd often been
warned that 1 must not night.
You've been fighting. haven't your
asked my mother. And without another
word she turned and took a stout whip
down from its nail on the wall and pro-
ceeded to give me the worst whipping
ever had in my life. Then she sent
me TO bed.
Next morning she came to my room
My eyes had swollen over night and
were closed tight, and my nose was a
sight. When my mother saw for the
first time how badly I 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 l 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 / ran home and I
never went to school or to church after
ward. My mother used to send me to
church. but I'd lie or the grass outside
and listen to the hymns, because loved
the singing. and then ask somebody the
minister's text, so I could tell what 1t
was when they asked me at home.
The trouble was that all this time
I 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 eleven, and I knew I'd
have no chance to fight II I met him.
Brooding over II put an idea into my
mind. I'd work and grow as strong as I
could, and learn how to fight, so that I'd
be ready when / was big enough to
tackle him.
Made His Own Gloves.
ct went to my brothers blacksmith
shop and induced him to give me two
old leather aprons. ] cut these UP into
patterns for boxing gloves. I'd never
seen any, but I'd heard about them I
sewed the gloves with string and stuffed
them with leather clippings and cotton.
and then got the other boys Of the neigh
every day.
TN a couple of years could outlook
any of them easily, and I was growing
tall. Every night before I went to sleep
thought of what I'd do to that football
player when I grew little bigger. We
were right by the sea, and heard about
what great fighters sailors were. So I
made up my mind to run away and be
sailor for a year or two. had fixed 1t
up with the captain Of bark called the
Isabella Ridley. and was about to skip
out the next morning when up came a
terrible storm in the night and wrecked
the Isabella Ridley and nine or ten YES
sells, driving them high on the shore. I
gave up the sea and got a job as a car
rage painter at seven shillings week.
In few months / was'a good painter,
having a very steady hand for the fine
stripping. But that wasn't making me
strong fast enough, and got another job
as striker in Parson & Andrews foun-
dry. swinging a heavy sledge. This was
great work, but after three years threw
a hot tire over the foreman one day and
I got fred.
while I was working there. fifteen
years old. had my first ring fights. to
a finish with bare knucks, London prize
ring rules. won them all with knock
outs My next job after leaving the
foundry was as a painter, then as pa
perhanger. / could do three mems work,
and did 1t. Next I went to work as a
horseshoer for my brother. / stuck to
that Job five years.
'All this time I never forgot about the
football captain. BY the time was sew
enteen I concluded could whip him. and
the next two years spent all my spare
time travelling. around the football
looking for him. But he had
and to this day I've never
set eyes on him.
He knocked me out of being minis
ter. and IL I'd ever found him I'd have
knocked him out OF being a football
player. But don't hold the grudge any
more. He punched me from poverty into
a bunch of fortune. But for him I'd
never been fighter. I'd never have
won. as once did. $4,000 with single |
blow. I'd been a horseshoer today 1t fsi
} week" !