The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-15

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Some of the story tellers are inclined to
|s.retch yarns about me to a ridiculous
extent. One OF them said once that |
whipped a big fellow who owed me SO
because he wouldn't pay It, and after he
ihad given me a check for the amount
beat him into town by running faster
than his horse could draw his wagon.
According to the story | had to reach
town first to get the checA cashed be-
fore he could have it stopped
As I already have tod you | could run
some those days. but I don't remember
that l ever pitted my legs against those
of horse. 7 think too much OF my legs.
The first man who ever paid any at
ItentiOn to me in a serious way as far
as fighting is concerned was j D. Brock.
CT Oklahoma City. That was soon after
the affair at Reno between johnson and
/ Jeffries. when the whole country was
swept with the white hope craze. now
SO happily wiped out by the affair at
Havana. I confess right here that 7 was
fired with an ambition such as never
had before. l pictured myself the real
candidate for the title held by Johnson.
and in my dreams could see myself
crowned the King of them az.
Sees First Fight.
| s" ] went to see Brock who was run
ming a club at the time Hc looked ME
over and ! thought I could detect an
amused smile on his lips. A couple OF
nights later. he invited me to see a fight
that he was holding in his club, and
you may not believe it, but that was the
| first regular ring encounter that / ever
! looked at.
! The contestants were Clarence English
and Harry Brewer, welter-weightS and
! strangely enough. Brewer was at the
rinSsrde 10 see me win the champion
| ship from Johnson
! Well. | was lost III admiration at the
speed and skill those boys showed, and
| ] made up my mind then and there that
| if | ever could get to be anywhere near
as good as they. that could whip John
son. Neither of them was a champion.
but believe me | thought they were about
as wonderful as could br turned out
! couldn't sleep that night for thinking
/ about that light. and nv ambition became
! raging fire within me.
Brock Gives Him Chance.
! 1t was with difficulty that could think
or talk of anything but fight after thai.
! and Brock. seeing was in deadly
| earnest, decided to give me chance So
| they set me to working in the gymna stun.
! ana can recall now what a butt ! was
/ for lot of jokers and kidders about
/ the place. They put up all sorts of jobs
on me, but quit when | threatened them
with some horrible sort of punishment
and once cuffed one of them for putting
some shoemakers' wax in my boxing
pumps.
| 1t was along in August. 1910. that I
first met Brock. ] think. and he didn't
! get me fight until the following Feb
r1Iary. claiming that ! needed tn" train
! ing. Other people sCoffed at this and
said that the more I trained the worse
| ] looked. That might have been So nut
! | surely thought ] was doing fine and
! plowed along. doing a lot OF things wrong
and very few things right But the old
ambition was there. and l imagined 1 was
! doing fine.
! The idea of hitting out straight never
was shown to me. and ! clawed out with
my punches like the rawcst amateur.
! something with the motion that a girl
! uses in throwing baseball. 1t was a
| joke. the way ] fought. but you Couldn t
! have made me think so. thought l was
immense.
| Then came the night Of my first fight.
! and I was nervous as a boy about to
! speak his first piece There was great
| throng of people out to see me. which
didn't do me a bit of good. either.
! Manager Stallincs declares that the Giants will
be the team he Braves will have to lo,.k out for
/ this year. Il AN other team that will give
hattie he added