Omaha daily bee., 1916-11-05
To be a football tavorite or moving picture star
You haze to sort O jump around and not stag whee you are
FOOT BALL GAVE
BOB FITZ START
Innocent Kick During Childhood
Led Famous Australian
Into Prize Ring.
HOW HE SECURED REVENGE

Etpt Jail JUST EO" Dtiis III NhS
limelight, il may not be inappropriate
to bring up a little story which no
only relates to the kicking game, bu'
also touches upon pugilism Thiz
narrative was spun by Robert Fitz
simmons. Bob blames the gridiror
pastime for starting him on his career
as prize fighter.
Fitzsimmous, according to the his
tory books OF Fistiana, was born on
June 1. 1862, at Helsten. Cornwall
England. He was a small youngstcr
when his father removed to New
Zealand. The first fight he remcn-
bers, took place when he was about
II years old.
Little Bobbie's mother sent him to
a tobacconist's one afternoon. to buy
bit of snuff. On the way to the
store he had to pass a vacant lot, and
it happened on this particular day that
a foot ball game was in progress on
that piece OF property, The Incl
dent happened III the town of Ii
mura.
AS the lad approached the field, one
of the players kicked the foot ball
and it scared over the heads OF all
hands in the game and went bound
ing straight toward Master Fitzsim-
mons. 1t was no more than natural
that he should pick up the ball, He
gave it a good, healthy boot that
sent it back into the lot.
That Started Something.
Before he had time to realize that
he had innocently committed an Of
tense against the players on one Of the
teams, Little Robert was being pain
fully chastised. A big fellow, who had
been chasing the ball, became angry
when the youngster kicked it, He
did not stop running until he had
reached the offending child. He
handed Bob smash in the face
which rendered him unconscious and
broke his nose. He did not recover
his senses for three hours.
1t was that blow in the face, fol-
lowing that kick to the foot ball,
which turned Fitz's footsteps in the
direction of the prize ring. His first
thoughts after recovering from that
punch were conferred upon discover
ing way by which he might get back
at that big fellow and teach him a les
son.
Fitz decided that about the only
thing to do was to pitch in and learn
the art OF boxing. He went quietly
into his big brothers blacksmith
shop and appropriated an old leather
apron. This he cut into pieces, which
he sewed together with strong thread
secured from cobbler's shop. 1t
was thus that the boy made himself
a crude pair of boxing gloves. which
he padded with shavings.
Soon Grew Proficient.
The young Cornishman put in a
great deal Of spare time practicing
with these leather mitts and he did
a great deal of this practice in secret.
When he could not find youth who
would spar with him, he swung
against the side of the fence. He
studied the fistic game and soon
knew the secrets OF striking a stun
ming blow as we'll as how to defend
himself from various swings.
At last his opportunity came.
Jem Mace visited New Zealand and
staged an amateur boxing tournament.
He offered gold watch to the win
ner. Fitzsimmons entered the con-
test, in which he was one of five
competitors. Bob knocked out every
one Of the other four in rapid order.
He got the watch and also was pro-
claimed the champion of New Zea-
land. He was about IS years old at
the time. One of the fellows he had
put to sleep was the foot ball player
who had knocked him sensless some
six or seven years before. Bob had
secured his revenge.
Another OF these tournaments was
held about year later at Timura,
New Zealand. In this instance Fitz-
simmons defeated five men in one
night, One of them was Herbert
Slade, the great Maori. This was in
1881. Everybody who knows anything
about the fight game, has read how
Ruby Robert mounted the ladder
rapidly and won the worlds cham
pionship on March II, 1897, by
knocking out James J. Corbett in
fourteen rounds at Carson City. Fitz
lost the title on June 9, 1899, when
James ]. Jeffries dropped him in the
fifteenth round at Coney Island.