Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-04-06

4
there was Corhett all ready. as he had
come the day before and had slept at
the farm house Choynski had warm
ed up from the walk. and | wanted
him TO get in the fight right away.
But the fellows behind Corbett delay
ed things for a couple OF hours, and
that spoiled the fight. The sheriff was
to come on the scene too late TO in
terfere. but because OF the delay In
getting started the fight had only be-
gun when he walked in. slipped
cut a knife and cut Joe's gloves off
as quick as possible so there would be
70 evidence of a glove fight. There
we're no arrests, but the fight was
broken up.
1t was eight or nine days later.
as ] recollect. when they met on
the barge. Tom Williams OF Stock.
J ton, owned it-one Of those big barges
I they use to carry grain down to San
Francisco 1t was up near Vallejo
anchored out in the hay about midway
between Vallejo and Benicia and Port
Costa-two or three miles off shore. t..
This time we thought We wouldn't
let Corbett slip anything over on US,
so We went up the day before and
! Choynski slept at a farm house near
| the shore.
II was managing Joe and looking
cut for him. got up early in the
morning and cooked his breakfast. as
we never took q chance Of being dOped
in those days. .Afterward went down
! and saw the captain of tug and ask.
1 ed him to take us over to the barge.
| Why he said, I Just took about $50
men over there He wouldn't take US.
We gave Joe his rub down at the farm
house and had him dress in fighting
clothes and put on long overcoat.
and then we got into q rowboat and
rowed all the way out It was blow.
Ing hard, and there was choppy sea
that threw the water on US.
When we got aboard the barge we
were surprised, for II was packed with
people. There were about 800. made
up of sports and followers Of each
man from his own district. And no
body had taken the guns off that
crowd, either, It looked like sure
death and an allaround massacre IL
Anything started And Corbett had put
one over on US again. He had slept
on the barge all night, in the officers
quarters. These big grain barges hade
big flat deck and cabin house &C
one end. rEr
There was a delay again. Choyna
ski was ready, but Corbett kept him
waiting a long time while he was rub
led down land prepared Then there
was q delay over the gloves. Corhett
brought the pair he fought in the
week before, but had thrown away
the ones cut from Choynski's hands
and expected the referee to furnish
gloves. Choynski tossed in a pair OF
driving gloves and suggested that Cor.
bett take them and give Joe the two
ounce fighting gloves. Mo- said Cor.
bett you take them and III use the
fighting gloves. . He had great adj
vantage here. One might think the
driving gloves would be more dan
gerous weapons. But they weren't.
hands. while the fighting gloves Cor.
bett wore were only two-ounce gloves
and had been water soaked and dried
as hard as iron, and the padding push.
ed away from the knuckles. and they
came high and laced tight at the
wrists.
"Ccrbett demanded a 24-foot ring on
the barge The side ropes we're with
in a couple of feet Of the rail. and II
either man had been knocked through
he'd been in the drink. Billy Delaney
and Jim Carr were behind Corbett 4
was Choynskf's chief second, with
Jack Dempsey and Eddie Graney in
the corner, too. Patsy Hogan ref
creed. a.
There wasn't any noise and roast
ing Of the fighters in this hght. Ey-
ery one knew that the slightest thing
might start shooting. 1t was, the quiet
est crowd I ever saw.
1T was about 10 O'Clock when they
began fighting.
In the fourth round a blow cut an
artery in Joe's nose, and we couldn't
stop the bleeding. never saw man
bleed so. Corbett kept sticking his
left over on JOe's broken nose. while
Joe rushed and rushed and hammer
ed at Corbett's body 1t was amazing
how a man could stand up after losing
so much blood, but there never was a
gamer man than Choynski. Corbett
couldn't knock him out. but he grew
gradually weaker until in the 2Sth
round he Just collapsed from loss Of
blood and slid down gently to the
bare boards.
Poor Joe was sight Corbett was
red and raw around the body. but Joe's
face was unlike anything human. II
took several hours to bring him to con-
seriousness. | believe to this day that
but for the cutting of the small artery
IN the fourth round he'd have beaten
HOrbett that morning
They were fighting for $1,000 side.
which CCrbett got. After the fight
Porter Ashe and Tom Williams gave
Choynski so, and there was SIS add
Cd. so he got $175 in all Imagine
getting $175 for one OF the greatest
fights ever fought.
After the fight We came back on