Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-26

being expressed that "Jeffries wasn'1
any good and that johnson didn'i
beat much" All of which, perhaps
was very true.
But where Johnson's real gameness
came in was in beating Jeffr1es down
before such a tremendous crowd OF
partisans. As fair as fight fans are,
there is no denying the fact that
there was a feeling of hatred for
johnson and a desire to see Jeffries
win at any cost. Why, two days be-
fore the fight heard one of Jeff's
closest friends say to Jimmy Coffroth,
the California promoter. who was
betting on Johnson. Jimmy, don't
bet on johnson. He is going to get
whipped. The end will come in the
eighth round and Johnson will take
| the count. Don't be fool, Jim. Get
on the winner" And right back Cot
froth came with the startling reply,
You may talk all you want to, but
/ came out here to bet on Johnson,
and I'm going to stick to him. He
isn't going to lay down. and he'll
beat jeff sure"
@
Coffroth did back johnson, and he
won heavily on the outcome, and he
touted the colored man SO strong that
others, taking his tip. bet on johnson.
He kidded the newspaper men who
were picking Jeffries, and told them
they would be sorry after the bout
was over. He talked to Tad, of the
Journal, and Goldberg, of the Mail,
and he convinced them that johnson
would win. Anyway, he pointed out
to them that everybody and his
brother were picking Jeffries, and If
Jeff did win no one would get any
credit for tipping him. On the other
hand, Coffroth said, to pick Johnson,
and for Johnson to win, would be
some feat, and, If johnson did lose,
few, If any, would pay much atten-
ton to those who had picked him to
win. So Tad and Goldberg took a
chance on the very last day and sent
stories to New York making johnson
their final selection. Afterward both
Tad and Goldberg gave the other
scribes the laugh, but neither of them
claimed any credit for being on the
winner.
C
AS to gameness, Johnson must have
had stout heart to stand the strain
and win the fight, for Jeffries col
lapsed under the bigness of the &C.
casion. Johnson must have known
the pronounced feeling against him
that existed, yet he came into the
ring smiling. His easy air was taken
with grain of salt, for the opinion
was prevalent that he was going to
lose in any event. 1t was really said
that he promised to lose, but that he
changed his mind the day before the
fight and that Jeffries was informed
that johnson would win If he could.
This information, it is said, SO upset
Jeff that he went to pieces and was
beaten man when he entered the
ring. Surely Jeff didn't show thing,
yet he was in grand condition physi-
cally. Mentally, however, he was a
wreck, and 1t is declared by those
who know that Jeffries was beaten
the moment he was told that John
son was out to win.
G.
As the winner, strange to relate,
johnson wasn't molested in the least
He was cheered mighty little, it is
true, but he went on his way rejoic-
ing with a few struggling friends in
his wake. An hour or so later, at his
training quarters, accompanied
Floyd Mcfarland, the cycling man
ager, to Johnson's camp. Outside of
his regular staff of trainers there
wasn't person around. 1t was an
unusual circumstance, for here was
a winner without a friend apparently
in the world. But he wasn't killed, as
expected, yet the opinion is preva-
lent today that he would have been
badly handled If he had lost instead
of won. When johnson won the
people were seemingly habbergasted
and lost their nerve entirely They
talked in a whisper and went to bed
unusually early that night. The next
day Reno was deserted and the ma
tives said if Jeffries had won it would
have made a big difference in their
business. In discussing the fight
1 afterward and what would have be-
come Of Johnson If he had been beat
en-, one wise fellow declared that the
whites would have lost their holds
entirely and would have treated John
son badly. That is perhaps SO, but
we will never know for sure, for
johnson won and poor old Jeff got q
beating
| G
From Jimmy Moran, the six-day
"bear-cat," have received the fol-
lowing letter:
]. P. N:
Dear Joe-The Paris six-day race
will start in three hours and | am
resting in preparation for one hard
battle. I am roofing for the only
American team in the race--the team
of Fogler and Moran-and that team
is going to do battle for America. We
are up against a mighty hard field,
but we have met hard fields before,
and they never stopped us. After the