The Topeka state journal., 1914-02-05
THE BEST
His Manager Predicts White
Championship for Kansan.
Will Attain Lead by Victory i'm
Bout With GunbOat Smith.

pugtlistic trial and tr1bulatOns or one
Jess Willard of Kansas form an inter-
esting study. Once in his callow days
as a ringman, when his star OF hope
beamed brightly, he got the better OF
Luther McCarty in bout back east:
Now IL McCarty had been Outboxeo
by a few others and had frizzled out
as SO many white hopes have done.
no one would have remembered taat
Willard contributed In the humb1nS
Of friend Luther.
Willard Is right back whore he was
a year ago when the ambition to get
q crack at the title was strong in him.
He is better of In fact. There was no
assurance that he would set q match
with Luther McCarty, whereas the
meeting with Gunboat Smith is def
nitely arranged.
Under the circumstances 1t Is not
for Jess Willard to rail at fate. He
has been buffeted a bit, but the storm
of adverse circumstances has blown
by and has left him planted squarely
on his feet.
The momentous question, however.
is, will Jess Willard be able to en-
brace the opportunity that is knock
ing at his door? In other words, will
the affair with Gunboat place him on
a pedestal or toss him back to fioun-
der again in the slough of despond?
II you listen to Manager Tom Jones,
the bald pated gentleman who halls
from Kankakee. it's all over. barring
the signing Of theatrical contracts for
q grand tour Of the world.
did you notice we are giving
Smith and Buckley all the money!"
Jones asked. "Well, whether you did
or not. we are doing it. But what's
the difference? After this thing Is
over Jess won't need for money. He
will be the boss heavyweight OF the
world and the theatrical agents will
be lying in wait for him and handing
him chunks of wealth"
Shows Some improvement.
without wishing to appear too in
quisitive, Mr.. Jones. on what do you
base this foretaste of a tidal wave OF
success for Mr.. Willard?'' was q Ques-
ton put by the writer.
"On the vast improvement In Will
lard's ringmanship." said Jones. Mind
you, he did not have to improve to beat
Gunboat. He beat him the last time
but was the victim of as wrongful a de-
cision as was ever delivered. But let
that go. Next time the referee will
have so little to do that he will simply
be amongst those present. Yes. sir.
Willard has improved to such an ex-
tent that those who saw him fight be
fore will scarcely realize that it is the
same man."
Are you allowing nothing for i'm
provement in Gunboat?
mot a great DEAL" said Tom. with
the suspicion of a sneer. There are
fighters who never improve and Gun
boat is one Of them. He's only botch.
All he has is that haymaker and it's
only the fellows who are scared OF it
that get in the way of it. They tell
me he missed Pelkey a hundred times
and might have kept on missing him
only that Pelkey was tired and dis
couraged and did not care what hap
peued."
Morris Rugged Him.
"why didn't Willard show some of
this wonderful improvement when he
boxed Carl Morris?" Jones was asked.
Because Morris wouldn't let him."
was the quick rejoinder.
When seeing that his reply caused a
SMILE Jones ,hastened to explain more
fully.
what 1 mean is that Morris would
not fight" he said. HE is giant and
Just grabbed and held. 1t takes two to
make a bout. YOU know"
At first blush 1t might appear that
Jones is simply displaying the enthusi-
asm that should always be on tap with
men Of his calling. But he achieved this
much. He has caused lot of sports to
promise themselves that they will
watch Willard very closely when he be-
gins training in order to decide whether
the charges of vast Improvement
have any foundation in fact
Cincinnati Catcher Signs.
Cincinnati. Feb. 5.-Earl Blackburne, a
catcher. who played on the local National
and signed a contract for the coming sea-
son.
Boston Doves Sign Two More.
Boston, Feb. 5:-Signed contracts Of os-
car ]. Dugey Of Waco. Tex. and Joseph