The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-27
WRITTEN FOR THE FARMER)


las a "dude,'' and his appearance in their midst was the signal for loud guffaws and coarse and common re- marks. Jimmy was patient lad, and only smiled at these sallies but one day he reached the limit of his endurance. A big fellow, Irish in name and characteristics. who had been a boxer and was then an officer on a Chilean naval ship, added the straw that broke the came1's back of Jimmy's indifference to criticism. This Irish persons remarks were so personal and vulgar that James Edward removed his coat and hat and placed his cane on the bar, and sailed into the astonished. sHibernian. Before the Irishrnan had recovered from his surprise at Jimrny's audacity the latter landed a blow that stretch ed the Chilean officer out on the floor.
 The incident was closed, for the time being. but the news of his feat soon spread over the city, and Jimmy was advised by his many friends to take up boxing as 8 profession. While Britt senior objected strenuousIy to this, Jimmy's brother Billy, an anna teur boxer of considerable repute, took the youngster under his wing. It was early inf1902 that Jimmy fought his first ring battle, defeating Toby Irwin. A few months later hA knock 
 former lightweight cham pion, and be- fore the year was over Jimmy was claiming the lightweight cham pionship of the world on the strength of his de- feat of Frank Erne- Joe Cans had previously whipped Erne, but Joe's re- fusaI to make the. weight gave Britt a good basis for his cham pionship claims.
 $In 1903 Britt whipped Martin Ca nole, Willie Fitzgerald and Charlie Sieger, and the next year he defeated Young Corbett and Battling Nelson. but lost on a foul to, Joe Cans, He fought Nelson again in 1905, and was knocked out, but in 1907 Jimmy again triunphed over the Dane He then tackled Cans again, but the black boy put him to sleep in six rounds Ar ter being knocked out by Packey Me F'arland in 1908, Britt went to Eng land, where he fought three contests with Johnny Summers, winning the first, losing the second. and taking knockout in the third.
 Since then Britt has spent his time largely in England, with occasional vaudeville tours of America. He is one of very few boxers who really made good on the stage, and he was drawing a goodly sum in his pay en- velope when the fighting fever led him to enlist in the Australian army.
 w LAAO oE4II 5 to the WOrlQ lightweight title was never universally accepted, there was a time when he fought Joe Cans in San Francisco in 1904, when both Britt and the negro were claiming the honors. Jimmy had the upper hand nearly all the time, and in the fifth round he knock ed Joe down and all but out In his excitement Jimmy struck again be- fore Joe was on his feet, and lost on a foul just when a little restraint and generalship would have meant almost certain victory.
 Whatever his accomplishments as soldier-and his friends are predicting that he will be general before he is through-it is a safe bet that Britt's superiors in the service will never have cause of complaint on the score of any sIovenliness of attiie. Jimmy has never lost youthful enthusiasm for fine feathers, a passion which was respon- sib1e for transforming him from a plumber into a pugilist.