El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-12-10
BY DAMON RUNYON.

lew YORK, Dec. 10.-'T suppose
III have to quit the ring pretty
4 soon." unused Jim Flynn. the
old war-warped slugger, the other eve
ming. "a man can't expect to go much
beyond the Is years of fighting, but I'll
meet the day have to retire with a
lot OF regret I like to fight. That's
the TRUTH like,it. However, I'm not
going 10 stick around after I am COM
pletely all in, like some Of these fell
lows.
4 think I can still fight a little
continued the veteran. Maybe I'm
wrong, but they keep offering me
matches, and that's why I'm still fight
ing I've been ready to quit any time
the last Few years, but the promoters
continue making it an object Tor me
10 remain in the ring and as long as
they do that, feel justified in stick
ing.
Jack Dillon, one Of the youngest
and toughest Of all the lads in the
game, couldn't hurt me the other eve
ming over in Brooklyn. I don't say
the newspaper decision against me was
not entirely justified. but I do say that
Dillon did not damage me in the slight
est I don't believe he'll ever be able
to damage me il we fight a hundred
times, because he fights me in a style
that is exactly my dish"
IL was up at the " Ills
affray an Harlem that Jim was doing
this talking and as he watched the
two big blacks thresh through their
fierce ten rounds, he remarked:
4 used TO like to fight those dark
babies L guess I've fought as many
Of them as any white man in the game
I broke both hands on old Joe Cotton's
head away back in 1901, but I got a
draw with him in 20 rounds. Cotton
was as tough a negro as you ever saw.
FfrrfnF Ia
through three generations of hard cit
izens2 This particular generation is
the third and barring Dillon its about
the easiest Of all
They Were All Tough.
when / started out there were a
lot Of fellows out around the bushes
that you didn't hear much about, but
who were mighty tough gents in the
ring Not champions, and not anywhere
near champions, perhaps, but good
enough to make the champions step
TO beat them Some Of my toughest
tussles were with birds like Willard
Bean. Cotton. and old Dummy Rowan.
skid" Lavelle broke both jaws for
me in one Of my first fights Tom
Kinsley, Billy Malloy, printer, Cyclone
Kelly. Morgan Williams, Harry Pep
pers were some other rough lads,
who never got anywhere in particular
IN the ring
In those days and later the best
men in the class I was competing in
were all difficult 7 guess Jack Root
and George Gardner were dubs, Ell?
And Tommy Burns and Jack Twin
Sullivan and Jim Barry and Dave
Barry2 And Philadelphia Jack O'Brien2
never knew what a real easy mark
was until they slipped me Bill Squires.
and nailed him in six rounds. L
took a crack at Jack Johnson and
you know what happened
THE era produced Papke, and Ket-
chel. and Langford- 1 never fought
Ketch. but I fought both Papke and
sam It was not until the white hope
period that the boys began getting
dit soft The first time I met Carl
Morris got the most money, and the
easiest mark Of my career. It is only
Of very late years that I have been
weighing more than 165 to 10 pounds.
The other night in Brooklyn I weighed
close to $50 and that's too much weight
for me to lug. When a fellow gets a
long in years however it's hard to take
off weight
eI guess I'm the real veteran Of the
ring now, and I'm proud Of the dis
rinctiOn. ] was born in '79, on Christ
mas Eve, over in HobOken, so III be
So this month I don't recall any
fighter in the ring that old who is
still getting the class of matches I